British ambassador hopes police can make arrest in Hawker murder case

British Ambassador to Japan Graham Fry expressed hope Thursday that the police will soon apprehend the 28-year-old Japanese man wanted in connection with the murder of a British woman in Chiba Prefecture in March. "I'm disappointed that he is not yet caught...I hope he will be caught soon," Fry said in response to a question about the case of Lindsay Ann Hawker, 22, whose body was found March 26 at the suspect's condominium.

But he also defended the police, saying they are "doing their best" and that more than 100 police officers are still working on the case and about 30,000 posters have been printed and displayed at police boxes and other locations.

The suspect, Tatsuya Ichihashi, is still at large after fleeing from police officers who called at his apartment on March 26 after the language school Hawker worked for said it had been unable to contact her.

Police have not been able to locate him since his escape. They have issued an arrest warrant for Ichihashi on suspicion of abandoning Hawker's body. The body was found buried in sand in a bathtub on the balcony of the condominium unit.