Lindsay Family Thanks Japan As Killer Jailed

The father of murdered British teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker has praised the Japanese authorities for finding her killer, who has been sentenced to life in prison.

Tatsuya Ichihashi admitted killing the 22-year-old in March 2007 but said her death was accidental.

Miss Hawker's body was found buried in a sand-filled bathtub on the balcony of Ichihashi's flat in Ichikawa City, east of Tokyo.

She had earlier given him an English lesson in a nearby cafe.

Miss Hawker's parents Bill and Julia and sisters Lisa and Louise were in the court in the city of Chiba to hear the verdict in the long-awaited trial.

Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Hawker said: "We've waited four-and-a-half years to get justice for Lindsay. We have achieved that today, and we are very pleased."

After the killing Ichihashi, 32, went on the run for over two years, living rough and even resorting to plastic surgery to change his appearance.

During the manhunt, the Hawker family travelled to and from Japan to raise awareness of the case and distribute flyers about the missing suspect.

Ichihashi was finally caught when his plastic surgeon contacted police in November 2009.

Mr Hawker thanked investigators for their help and persistence in tracing the killer, he said: "Lindsay loved Japan and you have not let her down."

:: See more pictures from the case here

Leeds University graduate Miss Hawker, from Brandon, near Coventry, had travelled to Japan in October 2006.

Post-mortem results showed she died of suffocation, and prosecutors said she was strangled after the rape.

During his trial Ichihashi testified that Miss Hawker accidentally choked to death after he gagged her to silence her screams. He claims he tried to revive her after she stopped breathing.

Judge Masaya Hotta said he had showed no respect for Miss Hawker's life and committed a "heinous" crime.

"The victim was raped, with her dignity violated and life taken away while going through unbearable pain. At the age of 22, her future was taken away," he said.

In a book published from prison titled Until I Was Arrested, he detailed his time on the run, calling the account "a gesture of contrition for the crime I committed".

He also expressed a desire to give any royalties earned through the book to the Hawker family. They have rejected the offer.

Bill Hawker had asked the court to show "no mercy" to Ichihashi and called for the death sentence, the maximum punishment for murder under Japanese law.