Hawker's parents plead for help; say they received letter from Ichihashi's parents

The parents of a murdered British teacher made an emotional plea for help in catching her killer at a news conference at the British embassy on Friday. In March, the naked body of Lindsay Ann Hawker, 22, was found in a bathtub filled with sand on the balcony of an apartment belonging to Tatsuya Ichihashi, 28. Ichihashi eluded police when they visited his apartment to question him.

Hawker's parents, William and Julia, and her sister Louise, also said that they had received a letter of condolence from the parents of Ichihashi. "They said they were very sorry for what their son had done and hoped that he would atone for his crime," said Julia.

Asked about the lack of progress by police to catch Ichihashi, William said: "We are very disappointed at it, obviously. Personally I hope he's alive and that he is caught shortly so that he can be brought to justice. As a parent of Lindsay, I'd like to appeal to all parents...and all honest, working people of Japan to look for this man. This man is a misfit. He's a loner. He is distanced from his own family.

"This evil man must be caught so that other British people can come to your country and hopefully work in safety," he said. "Lindsay loved working in your country. She loved teaching."

He also unveiled a T-shirt bearing Ichihashi's photo and the Japanese for "I can't sleep until he is caught," printed on them. "Three months ago, I showed a lot of you the photo of my daughter, which I still have, but the most important photo today is of this evil man who murdered, brutally murdered, my daughter," he said.

The Hawkers plan to appear on a weekend Japanese television show featuring a phone-in to gather fresh information on the case.

"When you are living 12,000 miles away, it's difficult to gain information. We've come back to Japan to raise the profile, to hopefully remind somebody somewhere that Ichihashi is still at large," said Julia.

"We want him captured. We feel we owe it to Lindsay, and that's the very least we can do. We've been helped tremendously over the last three months by the British police, by the Japanese police who have worked tirelessly and by the embassy staff both in Japan and in London. But we now need help from the Japanese people. We need leads. We need possible sightings and we need information."

Louise expressed concern that Ichihashi might commit a similar crime again if he continues to be on the loose.

"The suspect had no intention of ever giving up or even running away from the scene of the crime or ever feeling any remorse for what he did. He had all intention...to stay living in that flat with that body in the sand," Louise said.

"In my opinion, this man is going to hurt someone again, and whether it's a Western person or not, he could hurt anyone and needs to be caught immediately," she said.

Police said Friday they have received more than 1,000 tips and questioned 150 people. In an attempt to kickstart their stalled investigation, police have offered a 1 million yen reward for information leading to the arrest of Ichihashi. Police officers handed out wanted posters at Chiba, Gyotoku, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and other train stations in the afternoon.

Julia urged people in Japan to provide any information they have on the suspect, however minute, to the police or on a website on Lindsay's case at www.lindsayannhawker.com.

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.

Blair asked to intervene in Hawker case

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is being urged to press his Japanese counterpart to ensure that everything is being done to find the killer of English teacher Lindsay Hawker, amid little signs of progress in the nine-week investigation.

Bill Olner, a member of Britain's lower chamber, the House of Commons, recently asked Blair to talk to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe," to put his (Abe's) authority behind the effort to ensure that the killer is caught, and to ensure that the Japanese state police are involved."

He also urged Blair to arrange for a British police officer to sit in on the Japanese investigation as an observer and report back to Hawker's parents.

Olner, who is the local parliamentarian for the Hawker family, said the Japanese police "had been doing their best to apprehend the killer," but "have not been successful."

Blair said he understood "the Japanese authorities are treating it as a major case" with "something like 100 police officers or more working on it."

He said he would "reflect carefully" on Olner's request and come back to him with a reply at a later date.

Hawker's body was found in a sand-filled bathtub on the balcony of an apartment in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on March 26. Tatsuya Ichihashi, 28, who lived in the property, is wanted in connection with her death.

Despite the sizeable police investigation and release of security camera footage of the suspect, little progress has so far been made. There have also been some concerns about the handling of the case.

Some experts have criticized the fact that Ichihashi was able to get past several police officers who arrived at the suspect's flat on March 26.

Lindsay's father, William Hawker, has recently said he thought the British Embassy or Japanese police could have come up with a more recent photo of Ichihashi as the one currently on posters is several years old.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett called on the Japanese media to give the case more coverage.

The suspect befriended the 22-year-old English teacher, who worked for Nova Corp, several days before her death, and asked Hawker to give him English lessons.

Security camera footage shows Ichihashi and Hawker in a coffee shop on the day before her body was discovered.

Police believe Hawker was probably suffocated after being partially strangled and severely beaten. Her body had been found tied with synthetic-resin cord.

Murder suspect Ichihashi living on 50,000 yen

Two weeks after the murder of English teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker, 22, prime suspect Tatsuya Ichihashi is still on the run, most likely living on 50,000 yen in cash, police said Monday. Further investigations have revealed that Ichihashi, 28, ran off with 50,000 yen in cash he had withdrawn from a bank ATM after getting away from police who came to his apartment on March 26. Police said they are watching his account and said he had made no cash withdrawals since then.

Police also said that Ichihashi's bicycle had been left at nearest station to his home before the murder, refuting rumors that he had used it to make his getaway from the area.

Blackman says 'great shame' Hawker suspect got away from police

The father of slain British hostess Lucie Blackman said Friday that it was a "great shame" that the key suspect in the Lindsay Hawker murder case had managed to get away from police when they first visited his home.

Tim Blackman said that there were comparisons between this apparent police blunder and elements of the investigation into his own daughter's death.

In that case, police initially failed to search the suspect's home, despite the fact that he was dirty, anxious, and detectives could glimpse pieces of concrete and a sack of bulky objects when they questioned him on the doorstep. At the time, Joji Obara, who is now accused of raping and fatally drugging Lucie Blackman, claimed that he was "retiling his bathroom." Prosecutors claimed the sack contained Blackman's body parts. Obara denies the charges.

Blackman said, "We are all very upset. Not just for Lindsay, but for Lucie. It brings it all back hugely. I just know how devastated these people are and what a terrible problem it is going to be for them. It's just a great shame that the guy (suspect in the Hawker case) got out the back door."

The body of English teacher Lindsay Hawker, 22, was found in a bathtub full of sand on the balcony of an apartment in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, on Monday.

Police said on Wednesday that Hawker may have suffocated. Her body was bruised and tied with synthetic-resin cord often used in gardening.

Detectives are hunting Tatsuya Ichihashi, 28, who fled barefoot from the apartment when several police officers - as many as nine according to some reports — called at the condo on Monday.

According to British reports, officers asked Ichihashi for his name but then gave him time to pick up a bag, which he later dropped, before he managed to flee from the apartment via a fire escape.

Japanese police have defended their actions saying that, at that time, they had not seen the body and so were not sure exactly what had happened.

However, this has not stopped some British newspapers from describing the operation as "bungling" and drawing comparisons with the Lucie Blackman case.

Blackman, who worked in a Tokyo hostess bar, went missing on July 1, 2000. Seven months later, her dismembered remains were found in a beachside cave in Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Her severed head had been encased in concrete.

But police had in fact visited Obara's home on the evening of July 6, 2000, after neighbors complained about noise. Obara, who appeared anxious and dirty, did not allow the officers inside and they were told by their superiors to leave the address.

There was also concern over the fact that the cave where Blackman's remains were found had been searched by police in October 2000, but nothing had been found.

Tim Blackman has been critical of his daughter's investigation in the past, and has said that his very open relationship with the media and frank comments often conflicted with advice from the Foreign Office and British police. He said he did not want to be seen to be criticizing the handling of the Hawker case and hoped the suspect would be apprehended quickly.

Blackman said, "I'm sure that the profile of Lucie's case will make sure, or underpin, the police's enthusiasm to make as much progress as they can in Lindsay's case.

"It's a different case. The police know they are investigating a murder whereas, when Lucie went missing, they didn't even accept that a crime had been committed because she had not arrived home. The fact that Lindsay left information about where she was, made a huge difference."

Blackman said that he had not received any requests for help from Hawker's father, William, but would be willing to assist if needed.

In the meantime, Hawker's family need to keep Lindsay in the public eye until Ichihashi is apprehended, Blackman suggested.

"This man needs to be found and I think that any appeals that he (William Hawker) can make personally, or ways he can keep Lindsay's picture on the front of the newspapers will be useful," he said.

"Someone must be renting an apartment to him, or giving him some casual job. Someone is in touch with him although they don't know it and everyone needs to look carefully at the people around them."

Following his daughter's death, Blackman established a trust which advises young people on personal safety, particularly when traveling overseas.

"Lucie's death went a long way to making people think very carefully, or prepare carefully before traveling but, for want of a better expression, "shit happens." Unfortunately, Lindsay has been the subject of that and it's a terrible thing."

Hawker, who comes from the city of Coventry in central England, had been working as a teacher at the Nova Co school in Koiwa, east of Tokyo, since October.

Ichihashi first got in touch with Hawker on March 21 on the street in front of JR Nishi-Funabashi Station. Ichihashi, who is still missing and is on a nationwide wanted list on suspicion of abandoning her body, asked Hawker to teach him English. He then followed her home and managed to persuade Hawker to give him an English lesson, the first one taking place on Sunday.

Her father, William, and boyfriend, Ryan Garside, traveled to Japan this week and made an emotional TV appeal. Hawker's body has been released to the family which is due to return to Britain.

British media give extensive coverage to teacher's death

The British media covered the death of English teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker prominently Wednesday, with some reports claiming she had recently been followed home by a Japanese man and was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the country.

According to The Sun, a popular tabloid, one of Lindsay's friends revealed that she was planning to come home next month because she found Japanese men "creepy."

Toby Wheeler, 30, who worked with Lindsay in Tokyo, said, "She found Japanese men weird. Some made inappropriate gestures and sexual remarks."

Several newspapers contained extracts of messages Hawker, who was 22, had sent to her family since she arrived in Japan last October. They were posted on a social networking site.

On March 20, she wrote, "Don't worry about the guy who chased me home, it's just crazy Japan."

Further messages from her family show their growing frustration as they tried in vain to contact her.

In an email just before her body was found, her friend Ryan Garside e-mailed, "Get in touch you fool! Why do you never email?"

Lindsay had recently graduated from Leeds University in northern England and had been working in Japan since October last year.

The Daily Mail tabloid said colleagues said Hawker had been dating Tatsuya Ichihashi, 28, a Japanese man wanted on suspicion of abandoning the woman's body.

But the newspaper reports this may well have been because her contract with Nova Co, where she was an English teacher, prohibited teachers from taking private lessons.

Her family said they had no knowledge of Ichihashi and denied any relationship. Japanese police also denied they were dating.

According to The Times, Hawker had not known Ichihashi for a long time. The Japanese police said they got to know each other only several days before her body was found.

Hawker's case has unhappy echoes of the death of another British woman, Tokyo club hostess Lucie Blackman, 21, whose dismembered body was found encased in concrete in a cave in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2000.

The Tokyo District Court plans to hand down a ruling in April on Joji Obara, who has denied charges of raping and fatally drugging Blackman.

According to The Sun, her father Tim Blackman, 52, said, "Lindsay's death has upset me greatly. Elements are frighteningly similar."

Slain British woman was being stalked by suspect; father holds news conference

A 22-year-old British woman found dead Monday in a condominium in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, had been stalked by the man who is the primary suspect in her death, police said Wednesday. Lindsay Ann Hawker was stalked by Tatsuya Ichihashi, a 28-year-old Japanese who has gone missing and is wanted on suspicion of abandoning her body. He had visited her home and given her a note in which his name and phone number were written, according to the police.

Police are searching for the Ichihashi on suspicion that he had a hand in the death of Hawker, who worked as an English teacher for Nova Co.

In Tokyo, Hawker's father, William, was enraged and tearfully vowed to see justice is served in connection with the death of his daughter, who finished her university last year and came to Japan in October.

"My daughter did not come here to be murdered. She came here to help people. She came here to teach," he said in a shaking voice, tears rolling down from his eyes. "I will not rest until the man who killed my daughter is caught."

Hawker explained tearfully how he had believed that Japan was a safe place and that Lindsay, who was teaching English at a language school, was "tricked" into going to the suspect's condominium where her body was found Monday "under the pretext of giving an English lesson."

"My daughter was a lovely girl. She would help anybody and it was because she would help anybody she is where she is now," he added.

"I believe this man was a loner...some sort of social misfit who targeted my daughter and he must be caught," Hawker said, and called for the public for any information related to the case.

Hawker also said he believed there was not "any sort of relationship" between his daughter and the suspect.

Lindsay's boyfriend Ryan Garside also attended the press conference and said how they loved each other and wanted to get married, but the tragedy had "ruined" their plans.

Meanwhile, Chiba prefectural police said Wednesday an autopsy showed Hawker may have died of suffocation. There were bruises on her face and elsewhere on her body, they said.

One of her friends, a 27-year-old American man, said that Hawker had planned to give Ichihashi a private English lesson on Sunday, the day before her body was found buried in sand in a bathtub on the balcony of his fourth-floor condo unit on Monday night.

The friend said he does not know how she came to offer such a lesson or how they got acquainted.

Police said that Hawker and Ichihashi apparently came to know each other several days before her body was found. They denied rumors that the two had been dating.

Meanwhile, in England, Hawker's two sisters paid an emotional tribute outside the family home. Lisa and Louise Hawker fought tears as they read prepared statements in Coventry, central England.

"Our sister Lindsay was our best friend. She was extraordinary in so many ways," said Lisa Hawker, 25. "Like so many people our age she wanted to see the world, and for some reason felt safer in Japan than in this country.

"We are all made constantly aware of the dangers on our own streets. Thousands of young people go abroad each year, and for some reason the dangers of home seem to be forgotten.

"If Lindsay's death can make at least one young person abroad be more vigilant, then perhaps one more family can be spared the pain, the devastation, and the despair we are all experiencing."

Louise Hawker, 20, said: "Our family are so close and we have been torn apart by what's happened. "You never think a thing like this could happen to you. We are normal people, and it does, and it hurts more than you can imagine."

Dead British woman's family shocked at murder and suspect's escape from police

The family of the British woman whose body was found in Chiba Prefecture are "deeply shocked and upset" by the news of her death and the fact that the suspect escaped barefoot from the scene despite the presence of police officers, local media reported in England. The naked body of Lindsay Ann Hawker, 22, was found buried in sand in a bathtub on the balcony of a fourth-floor condominium unit in Chiba Prefecture on Monday night.

Police obtained an arrest warrant Tuesday for Tatsuya Ichihashi, 28, who fled from the condominium in the city of Ichikawa when police officers visited on Monday.

Police were alerted on Monday afternoon after staff at the English language school where Hawker taught were unable to get in touch with her.

Hawker came from the city of Coventry, situated in the middle of England, about 130 kilometers northwest of London, where her family was being comforted by police.

Speaking after visiting the family home, which lies just outside the city, Inspector Dale Pritchard, from Warwickshire Police, said the family was "deeply shocked and upset" and wished to be left alone to come to terms with the news they had received from Tokyo.

In a televised statement he said, "They are in a terrible position, one in which no one would ever want to be."

Police later issued a photograph of Hawker on behalf of the family.

Hawker was employed as an English teacher at the Nova English school in Koiwa, also in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.

A spokeswoman from Nova in London said, "She graduated from university last year and she began working with us on Oct 25, 2006. Lindsay was very well liked by her colleagues. She took her job seriously and was a very hard worker and she was adapting to life in Japan.

"The company would like to express its shock, upset and regret at such a tragic incident and the company is cooperating with all the investigations in Japan."

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said the family was receiving consular assistance and the department was happy with the police investigation.

Ichihashi, who escaped from the scene despite the presence of several police officers, is being sought on a charge of abandoning her body.

The bathtub contained a large amount of sand that completely covered the body except for part of a hand, and she had what appeared to be several assault wounds to the face and arms, according to investigations. The exact cause of death is unknown at this stage.

Nova denied some media reports that Ichihashi was a student with Nova and was dating Hawker.

Police officers found a note at Hawker's residence which contains Ichihashi's name and contact details. They also found clothes that appeared to have been worn by Hawker in Ichihashi's condominium. A bag and ID belonging to Hawker were also discovered. They said that Ichihashi had visited Hawker's residence a few days earlier.

Hawker arrived in Japan in October last year and lived in a residence in Funabashi city adjacent to Ichikawa with two other women — one from Australia and the other from Canada.

Ichihashi, whose profession is unknown, is said to be around 180 centimeters tall and weighing around 70 kilograms. He was wearing a red sweater at the time of his escape.

Ishihashi lived with three other family members in the apartment and moved to Gifu Prefecture when he was a child, according to nearby residents. He reentered the apartment several years ago when he joined a university and has since been living in it alone.

Residents nearby heard sounds of striking metal and something being dragged between Sunday night and early Monday, the sources said.