CCTV footage in Japan murder hunt

CCTV images showing British teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker with the man suspected of killing her have been broadcast on Japanese television.

The footage is said to show Miss Hawker of Brandon, Warwickshire, with Tatsuya Ichihashi just hours before her death.

The body of the 22-year-old was found in a bath of sand on an apartment balcony in Ichikawa City, near Tokyo.

At the weekend Miss Hawker's father appealed to the Japanese public for help in catching his daughter's killer.

Japanese police said post-mortem examination results suggested Miss Hawker had been strangled or asphyxiated. She had also suffered severe injuries to her face and arms.

Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Mr Ichihashi, who fled when officers turned up to question him.

It is believed Miss Hawker had gone to his apartment for the first time on 25 March to teach him English.

The security camera footage shown on television was taken at a cafe earlier in the day.

The grainy CCTV footage appears to show the pair together in a coffee shop near Tokyo. Miss Hawker is dressed in a knee-length white coat and Ichihashi appears in dark clothes with a grey hat and is shown chatting at the counter.

The young teacher is shown leaving the shop and the suspect is seen to pay before following her out.

Police in Japan released the images to the Nippon Television Network in the hope it would move their investigation forward.

At the weekend a statement from Miss Hawker's father was read to reporters in Tokyo by the British ambassador to Japan, Sir Graham Fry.

In it William Hawker said: "My daughter's killer has now brought shame on your country. He must be caught, he cannot be allowed to hide away...

"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."