Lindsay Hawker’s Japanese killer jailed

Tatsuya Ichihashi, 32, did not move as his sentence was read out in court in Japan.

Mr Ichihashi was living in the apartment where 22-year-old Lindsay Ann Hawker’s body was found in 2007, and sparked a massive manhunt when he fled the scene as police arrived to question him.

He was on the run for three years, even mutilating his face to avoid capture. Police conducted a nationwide search, offering a reward of up to 10m yen ($127,000) for information leading to his arrest.

Mr Ichihashi was eventually caught when he visited a plastic surgeon in 2009. The doctor contacted police and he was caught at a port in western Japan, where he was waiting for a ferry to the southern island of Okinawa.

He admitted raping Ms Hawker and causing her death at the beginning of the trial – but said he did not intend to kill her.

Ms Hawker’s parents came from Britain to hear the verdict. Her mother wiped away tears from her face as Mr Ichihashi was sentenced, nodding several times.