Police officers escort Tatsuya Ichihash, covered with a black cloth, upon his arrival at Gyotoku police station in Ichikawa, east of Tokyo, on Wednesday morning.
REUTERS

Ichihashi says he has no excuses; Hawkers express relief at his arrest

Wednesday 11th November, 06:47 AM JST

CHIBA —

A murder suspect who spent two years and seven months on the run and who altered his appearance through cosmetic surgery was arrested Tuesday night in connection with the 2007 slaying of a British woman after his identity was confirmed by fingerprints.

Police said they formally arrested Tatsuya Ichihashi, 30, after seizing him in Suminoe Ward, Osaka, in the evening and taking him into custody. He had been wanted on a technical charge of abandoning the body of language school teacher Lindsay Hawker, who was 22 at the time of her death, at his apartment in Chiba Prefecture.

Ichihashi was later taken from the police station and transferred to the jurisdiction of the Chiba Prefecture police. He arrived there early Wednesday morning.

Nightly TV news programs on major Japanese networks showed a horde of reporters and photographers swarming around Ichihashi as he was boarding a Tokyo-bound bullet train at Shin-Osaka Station.

Similar scenes developed when the train arrived at Tokyo Station at 11:45 p.m. before Ichihashi was transported in a car to Gyotoku Police Station in Chiba Prefecture.

A Chiba police official quoted Ichihashi as saying, ‘‘I have no excuses and I don’t want to say anything else.’‘

In a brief press conference held at the Gyotoku police station, senior detective Shuichi Nakamura voiced gratitude for receiving ‘‘information from across the country and overseas.’’

Asked about the motive behind the murder, Nakamura said, ‘‘Nothing has begun about that.’‘

The case broke when Osaka police received a call from an employee of a ferry operator at 6:44 p.m. saying there was a man resembling the person depicted in a wanted poster sitting on a bench on the second floor of a ferry terminal where boats depart for the southern island of Okinawa.

Two police officers went to the scene about four hours before the ferry left the port and took the man to Suminoe Police Station, where he identified himself as Ichihashi. The police arrested him after a fingerprint check confirmed his identity.

Witnesses at the ferry terminal said Ichihashi was wearing a dark jacket, a knitted cap and sunglasses. They added that he was taken away flanked by two police officers and offered no resistance despite showing a little reluctance. He was heard telling one officer, ‘‘I’m Ichihashi.’‘

An official of the ferry company, A’Line Ferry Co, said Ichihashi first tried to buy a ticket in Kobe for a ferry from Kobe to Okinawa but needed to change his plan because there was no boat available for the southbound route from the Hyogo Prefecture city.

The employee who attended to Ichihashi at the Kobe office became suspicious and told colleagues at the Osaka terminal to be alert, according to the company. The company then discussed whether to call the police if the suspicious-looking man went to the Osaka terminal.

The case has attracted widespread public attention both at home and abroad as Ichihashi, who media reports once suggested had killed himself, was found to be alive and with a new look after undergoing plastic surgery on several occasions.

Ichihashi escaped from police officers when they called at his apartment in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, in March 2007 and then found Hawker’s body inside a sand-filled bathtub on the balcony.

Police later distributed fliers and offered a 10 million yen reward for information leading to his whereabouts, a record high in the history of crime investigations in Japan. Hawker’s family also visited Japan to ask for help in resolving the case, but no significant progress had been made over the last two and a half years.

The case took a sudden turn when Ichihashi showed up at a clinic in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, in late October for another round of plastic surgery. The police soon released a photograph of his post-surgery face with double-fold eyelids instead of single, a higher nose bridge and thinner lips, and it was widely displayed.

It led to numerous further discoveries about him, including his attempt to have another plastic surgery operation in Fukuoka Prefecture. He was also found to have lived and worked at a construction company in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture, for over a year up until this October before moving to Fukuoka city, where he was spotted staying at an Internet cafe.

Police said that they received more than 1,000 reported sightings of Ichihashi nationwide after they released post-operative photos of him last Thursday.

Meanwhile, Hawker’s father said Tuesday that his family had now ‘‘got justice’’ with Ichihashi’s arrest. Bill Hawker, 56, said the battle was ‘‘now over’’ to find the man who was wanted in connection with his daughter’s death. Hawker said he wanted Ichihashi to receive the maximum penalty for the crime, even if it meant the death sentence.

Hawker, his wife Julia, and daughters Lisa and Louise, expressed their delight and ‘‘relief’’ to reporters at their home in Brandon, England, on Tuesday at the news that Ichihashi had been caught.

Julia, 52, said Ichihashi’s arrest gave the family some ‘‘closure’’ on a painful investigation that lasted more than two years, which in the early stages had been ‘‘bungled’’ by the police, according to Bill Hawker. However, the family had nothing but praise for the Japanese police, the public and the press, who they said had all played their part in tracking down the prime suspect.

Speaking to journalists at the family home, Julia said it was ‘‘great news’’ but it would ‘‘never lessen the pain’’ of losing her daughter, who was working as an English teacher at the time of her death.

The family was scathing in their criticism of Ichihashi, who they doubt will show any remorse for his alleged crimes. Julia said, ‘‘We hope he will admit to what he has done. We hope he recognizes it was a terrible crime and not put us through any more torture.’‘

Bill Hawker praised the cosmetic surgery clinic staff in Nagoya who contacted detectives and said if it was not for them, Ichihashi might never have been detained.

Lindsay’s younger sister, Louise, 22, described Ichihashi as ‘‘evil,’’ given the fact that he tried to change his face and was on the run for two-and-a-half years. She said she could now ‘‘mourn’’ the loss of her sister after all this time. The family said they ‘‘had never given up hope’’ and could now try to restore some normality in their lives, although things would never be the same without Lindsay.

Hawker said he would be prepared to travel to Japan to see Ichihashi in court and see the ‘‘evil in his eyes.’’ Asked later by the Japanese media what he would say to Ichihashi, Hawker replied, ‘‘You murdered my daughter. You have no remorse. I hope you admit to it. I’m glad you have been caught for your parents’ sake. I want Ichihashi to face the full wrath of Japanese law and if society says he has to be put to death, so be it.’‘

Julia said, ‘‘I would say to Ichihashi, ‘Why did you murder her? I don’t understand. Lindsay felt sorry for you…she was kind and gentle. You have made a big mistake and you need to pay for that now.’‘’

She also expressed some sympathy for Ichihashi’s parents by saying, ‘‘Our daughter was murdered. It’s a terrible thing, but I don’t think it’s as bad as knowing that your child has committed a murder.’‘

Hawker said the family would be going to Lindsay’s grave on Tuesday evening in their small village of Brandon to tell her, ‘‘We’ve got him.’‘

Despite a difficult start to the investigation—when police failed to stop Ichihashi from leaving the crime scene—Hawker said police had worked tirelessly on the case and he was looking forward to going back to congratulate them.

Julia said she will never know why her daughter was killed, but she said it has nothing to do with Japan and it could have happened anywhere. The family praised the Japanese people for all the kind messages they received during the hunt for Ichihashi.

In London, commenting on the latest development of the case, a British Foreign Office spokeswoman was quoted by the Press Association as saying, ‘‘We are grateful to the Japanese police for their efforts and we remain in close contact with the Hawker family.’’

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Latest 15 of 126 Total Comments Show All

bdiego at 05:47 PM JST - 11th November

north, your ideas don't even pass the common sense test. See damits response, took the words out of my mouth. There are plenty of good reasons to bash the Japanese police, but none of the commenters here seem to know any.
nandakandamanda at 06:08 PM JST - 11th November

I keep imagining that they'll discover that the figure under the black jacket turned out to be someone else, and he slipped their grasp way back in Osaka.
ratpack at 09:18 AM JST - 12th November

It is amusing when they cover the suspects face up and yet there are a million photos of him in the koban. As if we don't know what he looks like. Show his face and let everyone see his pathetic look.
fishy at 11:07 AM JST - 12th November

somehow i have the feeling that Ichihashi will not spit it all out.. he will use his right to remain silence.. I don't know, but so far, he has only told the polie he doesnt have excuses but he doesn't want to say anything.. I hope the Hawker family gets to know what really happened to Lindsay. But then again, I am not sure what's better -- to know everything, or not to know everything. It hurts to know..
MadokaKato at 12:21 PM JST - 12th November

When he knows that there are evidence against him, what do you want Ichihashi to say?? "I didn't mean to kill her"???

He said he has no excuse, isn't that a confession???
LoveUSA at 12:27 PM JST - 12th November

he seems under shock and on the verge of tears and breakdown, how can such a weak man commit such a violent murder and had the guts to run from police for such a long time? It is so hard to understand human nature. He continues not to eat, according to the poice bacause he is shocked from his arrest.
flatearther at 12:46 PM JST - 12th November

This guy is not weak, he's a black belt in karate. I say, put the screws to this guy. @LoveUSA- Be careful here. Looks can be deceiving sometimes.
LoveUSA at 12:54 PM JST - 12th November

Mino Monta's program driector was arrested by police during transportation of Ichihashi to the prosecutors for obstructing the police work. It is crazy what these media guys are able to do for news coverage and information. I hope JT journalists are safe and not arrested:) It is best to sit and translate the news from other medias.
evaganda at 12:56 PM JST - 12th November

He's been on the run for quite sometime avoiding punishment until his arrest,and if convicted for murder, he can be sentenced for life imprisonment of which after 7 years, he can appeal for parole and go free.I don't think 7 years is enough for his crime.Taking a life in commission of a crime means you forfeit your own...but in japan,this is not the case.
LoveUSA at 12:58 PM JST - 12th November

This guy is not weak, he's a black belt in karate. I say, put the screws to this guy. @LoveUSA- Be careful here. Looks can be deceiving sometimes.

I think the guy is psychologically weak. His brain melt under arrest I am curios to know how he spent his first monts on the run and when he did his first cosmetic surgery. By now the surgeons who did his first face alterations should come forward.
MadokaKato at 02:03 PM JST - 12th November

I never been arrested before, but I think I would freak out and melt. Up to the point lose my appetite.
WilliB at 09:31 PM JST - 12th November

" I think the guy is psychologically weak. "

Good grief, now suddenly JT is full of armchair psychologists. Fact is we don´t know anything about the guy except that he committed a brutal crime, is in good physical shape, and extremely street smart. Sorry, I don´t see much weakness there. Evil, yes.
MadokaKato at 01:32 PM JST - 13th November

Usually the weak-minded people are the ones who usually commit such a crime.

I don't think murder was intention, but I guess he didn't expect his victim to fight back and scream.
suebe36d at 11:02 AM JST - 16th November

Not evil; just a panic-stricken boy not morally educated to respect another's boundaries.
space_monkey at 06:49 PM JST - 17th November

Who knows, MAYBE it was all premeditated, MAYBE he has split personalities, MAYBE multiple people did it, MAYBE he is evil, MAYBE it was an accident. etc etc etc.

Stop guessing everyone.