Ichihashi's lawyers say he doesn't want any contact with his parents
CHIBA —
Three lawyers appointed to defend Tatsuya Ichihashi, 30, held a press conference at a Chiba Prefectural Government office on Monday and revealed a few details about the man who was arrested on Nov 10 for abandoning the body of British woman Lindsay Hawker in March 2007.
One of the lawyers, Yasushi Sugeno, 66, said Ichihashi told them he had no intention of asking his parents for help and did not want them to contact his parents, but did not elaborate on why. Ichihashi has also commented on how both his parents were medical professionals but that he failed to become one.
Sugeno said Ichihashi still hasn’t spoken about the incident, but added that he appears tired and in a state of shock since being arrested. As of Monday afternoon, Ichihashi was still refusing meals, marking the sixth day he has not eaten.
Sugeno said his team has requested that questioning by police – which lasts 6 to 8 hours every day - be fully recorded on both video and audio. He also said he has given Ichihashi a notepad and that he has made some entries in it.
Wire reports
Order by Time Order by Popularity
57 Comments
Login to comment
0
Miyaratmosphere
Holy crap, here we go!!
0
getsy
0
itshay
Holy crap, is this news?!?
0
bobbafett
I am thinking that the 6-8 hours of questioning involve pizza and KFC.
0
combinibento
Flagrant violation of the attorney-client privilege and this lawyer should be fired and summarily disbarred. No wonder this murderer is clamming up; even his own attorney discloses conversations to the press.
0
2020hindsight
"Sugeno said his team has requested that questioning by police – which lasts 6 to 8 hours every day - be fully recorded on both video and audio. "
I agree that's what they should do, but why should he get preferential treatment over everybody else. They should have a law that enforces this.
0
hoserfella
combinibento - watching too many episodes of Matlock? Attorneys can talk all they want to the press in trying to help their clients achieve a better public image.
0
northlondon
So he's in shock for being arrested by the cops for torturing and murdering a girl ?
0
combinibento
Horsefella - Wrong. Lawyers cannot simply talk "all they want." No matter how good a public image it creates, they are prohibited from disclosing the content of discussions they've had with a client unless the client explicitly authorizes it. I am assuming (maybe wrongly) that never happened here, since it is hard to believe the murderer would have said, "I want nothing to do with, nor any communication with, my folks. Oh but sure you can hold a press release saying that. It'll totally improve my public image."
0
smartacus
combinibento
It is common practice in Japan for lawyers to reveal to the media what their client said to them. It happens in every major criminal case.
0
hoserfella
combinibento - Its not for you or me to decide whats good for his public image. And since you seem to be such an authority on Japanese law, I'm eagerly awaiting his disbarment.
0
ratpack
And who cares??? Wake me up when he is sentenced.
0
Yelnats
6-8 hours of questioning? How many questions can one ask? Sounds crazy, unless there are topics like have you heard about godzilla winning mvp etc?
0
combinibento
Somehow that doesn't surprise me, although I can't believe the ethics rules sanction that sort of thing...
0
Miyaratmosphere
It is common practice in Japan for lawyers to reveal to the media what their client said to them. It happens in every major criminal case.
SCARY!!
0
BurakuminDes
"Would you like the A-K or the L-Z phone book, Ichihashi? OK, just hold it there....THUMP!"
0
truthliberates
Perhaps he is in the state of shock because he never expected to get caught.
0
evaganda
Maybe he is not talking because he is not Ichihashi...for all you know the real culprit has been basking under the sun in the Mediterranean...
0
isthistheend
I'm with ratpack, although I can't wean myself from every xxx tidbit of this story. Sooner than later I'm going to pledge NOT to read anymore about this murderer. Its bad for one's health.
0
northlondon
Why are we bothering with this long drawn-out procedure ? This is taxpayers money and it is frustrating for the Hawker family who have suffered for long enough. It should be simple. Lindsay Hawker's body was found in Ichihashi's apartment. Ichihashi was the last person to be seen with her. Ichihashi went on the run for two and a half years. Ichihashi changed his appearance and his name. They should give him a deadline until 31st December to answer their basic questions (how did Lindsay Hawker's body appear in his apartment/ why did he run away for so long/ why did he change his identity) or they should charge him in court for murder. Give the jury the circumstantial evidence and tell the jury that he is refusing to cooperate and answer any questions. That'll get him and his lawyers talking pretty soon I can tell you.
All this taking the fifth nonsense (and this includes the soldier suspected of the hit and run in Okinawa) is rubbish. If you are innocent then you should put your defence on the record in front of your lawyer. If you refuse to say anything with your lawyer present then you should be put away.
0
medievaltimes
This dude should be put on suicide watch 24-7.
0
Heda_Madness
Or alternatively a rope could be left in his cell. And a chair.
0
jea711
There won't be any jury for this case's trial. The incident happened before the lay-jury system was implemented. In short, he falls under the old system. I understand that everyone wants justice for Lindsay Hawker, of course and for the record, I'm not defending Ichihashi here. I just couldn't take what other people are writing. Sounds like they know everything and accept no corrections. Please....if you're gonna write something, write something meaningful, not annoying ones.
0
Junnama
I really am puzzled by this. I have heard so much about Japanese police, so when do they start beating a confession out of him?
0
Miyaratmosphere
Junnama, It won't happen honey...Ichihashi is own of their own.
0
M51T
Thanks jea711. I was wondering whether he would face a jury or not. I'm glad the Japanese police found him and now we have to wait for due process. However, by being silent without a jury, he's not helping his case.
0
dolphingirl
Why does he get three lawyers? And, yes, interrogations should always be audio and video recorded!
0
Lamamanz1
just shoot the guy in the head and close the case once & for all ....
0
MagnusGarstin
They won't. He's too high profile and, if he appears in court or on TV with even one tiny bruise, there'll be all hell to pay with the J-cops being criticised all over again - this time for police brutality.
0
Eyeblack
He must feel such shame that he cannot face to his parents.
0
kirakira25
If he felt that much shame he would have turned himself in in the first place.
0
blue_monday
The lawyer will be over 70 before this case is over
0
dammit
I think he just doesn't want them looking at him with 'failure of a son' written all over their faces, and 'waste of space' shining from their eyes.
Would anyone want their parents looking at them like that? I wouldn't.
As for his lawyers blabbing, I'd assume they've discussed things with him and told him they won't blab things that they think will make him look worse, or things he tells them not to blab.
Who knows, maybe he's really already told them the gory details so they can help him make up excuses and lies? That's what defense lawyers are for isn't it? (Or maybe that's for the next session.)
That's the beginning of some sort of obsessive/failure insanity plea. Once more, that's what defense lawyers are for isn't it.
I'll add my voice to those saying all interviews should be videoed, and Ichihashi should not be treated better than everyone else.
0
Eyeblack
Anyways, Ichihashi is suspected of murdering a British lady, so it is bound to happen.
0
proudathiest
Heda Madness> I agree.
Azrael> You are probably not far from the truth. The whole thing reeks of his parents.
0
honey
Are the Lawyers free?
0
kwatt
He must have decided to die. He thinks he can commit suicide without eating food. He might hang up his neck when he had a chance to get a string or something.
0
tigerguy
Why doesn't he want to meet his parents? The same people who raised him and wiped his dirty bottom. It's sad for he parents to have to see him like this. Heartbreaking.
0
BigInJapan
Still not a murder suspect? Maybe if he would found some blood stain on his car, instead of a whole body on his balcony, then would be a suspect?
0
Osakadaz
the same 'shame' culture that drives him to disavow his parents is the very same shame culture that drives him to think that by ducking questions and maybe suicide without answering the key questions in the case he can somehow keep his slate clean..that is my guess.You stuffed up.Time to be a man,Ishihashi.Face your sins and atone.
0
hanadecaka
It is the case of Japanese negligence to the foreigneres in Japan. How comes the three lawyers and money. Its not easy to hire three lawyer. How he can pay the money?How much Japanese is using money in murder case? Where is Joji Obara case gone all internationl community is why silent?
0
sammuraisteve
This not wanting contact with his parents is just the beginning of what will be his defense. Everyone feel sorry for me, my parents were awful people forcing me to become a doctor and I failed. Woe is me, I had stress, feel sorry for me, etc.
The Japanese public is already starting to buy this crap. I've already heard people say they feel sorry for him.
0
yourock
If and when he talks I'm sure there will be a number of surprises on the way. Doesn't want to meet the folks because he was caught. If he was still at large, I'm sure contacting them would have been an option. So, at what point what the J-police force feed him with a drip? The next day or two could be interesting. According to a friend's student, Ichihashi stopped off in Kokura (Kitakyushu) when visiting Fukuoka to eat in an expensive restaurant near the station. None of the staff remembered him. Hiding in plain sight.
0
5SpeedRacer5
I tell you, his lawyer is working it!
Here is the plan: build sympathy to a crescendo with hunger strikes and gestures of remorse, and THEN confess. That is guaranteed to cut years and years off of his sentence. He has no defense, only a PR strategy.
Very cynical, but it worked for Noripi, why not this guy?
0
zlin1828
Darn, gone are the dayz of public execution by the firing squad at the football stadium where the mob cheers. All we get are people dressed in black covering up criminals of heinous crimes and set them free back to our society. What a wonderful world of justice, welcome to the reality....
0
AEROCASTER
At this point in time, who gives a ra tsass about what Ichihashi wants. If mom and dad want to come for a visit all the power to them. They may have some sway over their skunk of a son and help this to a quicker resolution.
0
nandakandamanda
I can see the next headline coming: "Ishihashi doesn't want to be in Police custody".
0
nandakandamanda
Wow, 6-8 hours of empty tapes every day! Can they use them again, or do they have to keep the empty silent video tapes labelled as evidence?
Back to top