Parents make Japanese TV appeal

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The parents of a Warwickshire teacher murdered in Tokyo have appeared on a special Japanese television show appealing for help to catch her killer.

Lindsay Ann Hawker, 22, of Gaydon, was found buried in a bathtub full of sand on 27 March at the flat of Tatsuya Ichihashi, who is still on the run.

She had been teaching English in Japan after graduating from Leeds University.

Her parents watched a reconstruction of the case on the "Power of Television" programme, watched by 28m viewers.

Bill and Julia Hawker are now heading back to the UK after travelling to Japan in a bid to help catch her killer.

'Left in peace'

Mrs Hawker said: "We just felt as her mum and dad and her sisters that we owed her this, at least to raise the profile of the case in Japan and we feel that that programme did hit the right audience.

"We've been informed that there were approximately 28 million viewers and if that's the case that's an awful lot of time saved in trying to distribute any posters.

Tatsuya Ichihashi is still on the run

"We feel that if Ichihashi could be apprehended we could be left in peace to mourn Lindsay and to remember the happy times and the happy memories."

Mr Ichihashi has not been seen since he fled police when they turned up at his apartment to interview him.

There has been speculation that he may have committed suicide, but police are investigating Miss Hawker's death on the assumption that he is still alive.

Mr Hawker said: "Police have told us that at three months this is a critical part of any murder inquiry because the suspect could become more confident and emerge from where he is hiding.

"But I personally believe that somebody is helping him."

Japanese police have taken the unusual step of putting up a reward of one million yen (£4,047) for information on Mr Ichihashi.

Police have issued a new wanted poster, while the Hawkers have produced T-shirts featuring Mr Ichihashi's picture.

A post-mortem examination found Miss Hawker had been suffocated and had suffered severe injuries to her face and arms.