UK police in bath death meetings

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6766175.stm

Version 0 of 1.

British police are travelling to Tokyo to meet Japanese officers investigating the murder of a British teacher whose body was found in a bath of sand.

It is understood that the UK family liaison officers will also meet British embassy officials in preparation for a visit by relatives of Lindsay Hawker.

Japanese police are hunting a missing man, Tatsuya Ichihashi, 28, who owned the flat where Miss Hawker was found.

The 22-year-old, of Brandon, Warwickshire, had been suffocated.

A post-mortem examination, following the discovery of her body on a Tokyo apartment balcony on 27 March, also showed that her neck had been broken. She also suffered severe injuries to her face and arms.

Single suspect

Her parents, Bill and Julia, and one of her sisters are expected to make an appeal on Japanese television to raise the profile of the case.

It is believed Miss Hawker went to Mr Ichihashi's apartment for the first time on 25 March to teach him English.

The suspect fled when police arrived at his apartmentMr Ichihashi fled when police arrived to question him. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

BBC correspondent Chris Hogg says that the only suspect has not been seen since and that "the trail appears to have gone cold".

Miss Hawker had been teaching English at Koiwa school in Tokyo, after graduating from Leeds University last year.