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Father begs Japanese for help

The father of a young British teacher whose corpse was found buried in sand in a bathtub appealed yesterday to the Japanese public to help find a suspect accused over her death.

"My daughter's killer has now brought shame to your country. He must be caught. He cannot be allowed to hide away," William Hawker, the father of 22-year-old Lindsay Ann Hawker, said in a statement read before reporters by British Ambassador Graham Fry.

"I still respect this country and its people. 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," Hawker said in the statement.

Police are seeking Tatsuya Ichihashi, 28, who lived in the apartment where they found Hawker's bruised and naked body buried in a disconnected bathtub on the balcony on Tuesday.

Police issued an arrest warrant to question the unemployed man, who dashed off when officers approached him at the apartment.

Ichihashi is accused of abandoning the body. An autopsy found the English teacher died of suffocation.

News reports have said Ichihashi had been stalking the young British woman, who nonetheless agreed to give him a private English lesson.

"We are grateful that the Japanese authorities are doing all that they can, but they will need the help of the Japanese public to catch the criminal," the ambassador said.

"I echo the appeal made by Lindsay's father, for anyone who can help, please, please to come forward," he said.

The case comes seven years after the high-profile killing in Japan of another young British woman, Lucie Blackman. The bar hostess went missing for seven months before her dismembered body was found in a seaside cave near Tokyo.

A former property developer, Joji Obara, is on trial in relation to Blackman's death. He has pleaded not guilty. A verdict is expected later this month.

Blackman's father, Tim Blackman, said in a weekend interview with Japan's Kyodo News in London that Hawker's death "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 got out the back door," he said of Ichihashi.

Blackman, who was critical of what he saw as a slow probe into his daughter's death, said he hoped that case would boost "the police's enthusiasm to make as much progress as they can in Lindsay's case."

Following his daughter's death, Blackman set up a group to advise young people on safety when they go overseas.

"Lucie's death went a long way to making people think very carefully, or prepare carefully before travelling but, for want of a better expression, shit happens," he said.

"Unfortunately, Lindsay has been the subject of that and it's a terrible thing," he said.
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