Lindsay Ann Hawker: The Murder of Lindsay Ann Hawker (pictured) studied at Leeds University before leaving her home in Brandon, near Coventry, in October 2006 to work abroad. A teaching job at the Koiwa International Language School run by the Nova organisation brought her to Tokyo, where her employers said she was putting every effort into her work and into “getting used to Japan”.
My daughter’s killer has now brought shame on your country. He must be caught, he cannot be allowed to hide away. I know that you place great importance on family and community links, so as a father I appeal to you — if anyone can help the police to find my daughter’s killer, I beg you to come forward.
Bill Hawker
Love u lots dont worry abt the gut (guy) who chased me home, its jus crazy Japan. miss u xxx.
CCTV footage has been released apparently showing Lindsay and murder suspect Tatsuya Ichihashi at a coffee shop. It was reportedly filmed on Sunday 25th March 2007, suggesting Lindsay met with her killer a day later than was originally stated, Staff at the shop said the pair stayed for about an hour, during which time an English lesson appeared to be taking place. In the footage, Lindsay is wearing a knee-length white coat and can be seen repeatedly adjusting her hair. It’s likely she only had hours to live. Lindsay is later believed to have gone to a fourth-floor apartment in Ichikawa, Chiba, an area of Tokyo with Tatsuya Ichihashi but the reason is unknown.
Lindsay had left details of where she’d been going at home, and police who visited Ichihashi’s address found Lindsay’s body in a sand-filled bathtub on the apartment’s balcony. A post-mortem suggested she had been strangled or asphyxiated.
Ichihashi is reported to have fled his apartment barefoot when police arrived. He is yet to be arrested.
Our sister Lindsay was our best friend. She was extraordinary in so many ways, she was intelligent and beautiful and would have dropped everything to help somebody. Everybody that knew Lindsay loved her and she made so many people smile.
Like many other young people our age, she wanted to see the world and for some reason she felt safer in Japan than in our country. In this country, we are constantly all made aware of the dangers on our own streets and every year thousands of young people travel abroad 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 another family can be spared the pain, devastation and despair that we are all experiencing.’
Lindsay’s mum, Julia Hawker, said she and her husband Bill knew something was seriously wrong when they received a phone call from Japan after being unable to contact their daughter for some time.
Mr Hawker said: “Lindsay never missed a shift for work… She always did her lesson plans the night before.
“So why it took two days before she was reported missing we don’t know… She rang us and e-mailed us every day.”
Mr Hawker said: “Lindsay was a wonderful girl. She was beautiful to look at. She was beautiful from the inside.
“She was highly intelligent. She’d got a first class degree. She loved education. She loved teaching. She helped so many people in her life… She fulfilled all our hopes and dreams.”
He said the couple had actively encouraged her to go to Tokyo because it was Westernised and had very low reported crime rates.
Lindsay’s father said in a statement for the Japanese press:
“My daughter’s killer has now brought shame on your country. He must be caught, he cannot be allowed to hide away. I know that you place great importance on family and community links, so as a father I appeal to you – if anyone can help the police to find my daughter’s killer, I beg you to come forward.”
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