Prosecutors seek life term in Hawker case
Source: Agencies |
July 13, 2011, Wednesday
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JAPANESE prosecutors demanded life imprisonment yesterday for a man who has admitted raping and killing a British woman and then evading a nationwide manhunt for more than two years.
The death of 22-year-old Lindsay Hawker, whose body was found in a dirt-filled bathtub on the balcony of Tatsuya Ichihashi's apartment in 2007, is one of Japan's highest-profile killings.
Ichihashi even wrote a book about his time on the run and the extensive and sometimes grisly cosmetic surgery he underwent to evade capture.
Ichihashi said when the murder trial began on July 4 that he had enticed Hawker into his apartment, raped and then strangled her because he feared her screams would prompt neighbors to call the police. Although he confessed to causing her death, he said he did not plan to murder Hawker and that he did not remember when he actually strangled her.
Prosecutors have argued that he did intend to kill her, and presented evidence they say suggests he had prepared for that scenario.
Hawker's parents, who flew to Japan to attend the trial, had said they hoped Ichihashi would be given the strongest punishment possible. That could have meant death by hanging.
Japanese media reported that the prosecution yesterday requested a life sentence.
The trial is being held in Chiba, east of Tokyo. As is customary, court officials refused to comment on the reports of the sentencing demand.
A verdict in the case is expected on July 21.
Ichihashi evaded police for more than two years despite the intense manhunt, a reward of 10 million yen (US$123,000) and wanted posters plastered across the country.
In his book "Until the Arrest," Ichihashi described scissoring off his lower lip and digging two moles out of his cheek with a box cutter. He said he wore surgical masks to cover his face and lived in constant fear of being identified.
He doesn't describe the crime or his motives in the book.
His attempts to change his appearance eventually backfired. The staff at a clinic where he had surgery on his nose became suspicious and reported him to police.
The death of 22-year-old Lindsay Hawker, whose body was found in a dirt-filled bathtub on the balcony of Tatsuya Ichihashi's apartment in 2007, is one of Japan's highest-profile killings.
Ichihashi even wrote a book about his time on the run and the extensive and sometimes grisly cosmetic surgery he underwent to evade capture.
Ichihashi said when the murder trial began on July 4 that he had enticed Hawker into his apartment, raped and then strangled her because he feared her screams would prompt neighbors to call the police. Although he confessed to causing her death, he said he did not plan to murder Hawker and that he did not remember when he actually strangled her.
Prosecutors have argued that he did intend to kill her, and presented evidence they say suggests he had prepared for that scenario.
Hawker's parents, who flew to Japan to attend the trial, had said they hoped Ichihashi would be given the strongest punishment possible. That could have meant death by hanging.
Japanese media reported that the prosecution yesterday requested a life sentence.
The trial is being held in Chiba, east of Tokyo. As is customary, court officials refused to comment on the reports of the sentencing demand.
A verdict in the case is expected on July 21.
Ichihashi evaded police for more than two years despite the intense manhunt, a reward of 10 million yen (US$123,000) and wanted posters plastered across the country.
In his book "Until the Arrest," Ichihashi described scissoring off his lower lip and digging two moles out of his cheek with a box cutter. He said he wore surgical masks to cover his face and lived in constant fear of being identified.
He doesn't describe the crime or his motives in the book.
His attempts to change his appearance eventually backfired. The staff at a clinic where he had surgery on his nose became suspicious and reported him to police.
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