NOVA British female teacher murdered

[Iron Chef]

I did a cursory seach around the boards but didn't see this mentioned anywhere. If there is an existing thread, I apologize in advance. I saw this on the news last night and thought it was worth mentioning. Condolences to her family and friends, hopefully the police will get their act together long enough to catch this guy.

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/401891/all

Some interesting excerpts:

The naked body of Lindsay Ann Hawker, 22, was found buried in sand in a bathtub on the balcony of a fourth-floor condominium unit in Chiba Prefecture on Monday night.

Hawker was employed as an English teacher at the Nova English school in Koiwa, also in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.

Ichihashi, who escaped from the scene despite the presence of several police officers, is being sought on a charge of abandoning her body.

The bathtub contained a large amount of sand that completely covered the body except for part of a hand, and she had what appeared to be several assault wounds to the face and arms, according to investigations. The exact cause of death is unknown at this stage.

[jte23]

Apparently she left a message on her boyfriend's facebook profile on 20th March
"Love u lots don't worry abt the gut (guy) who chased me home, its jus crazy Japan. miss u xxx."
It's very sad indeed. Heartfelt condolenses to the family and friends.

One thing that slightly bothers me though is the treatment it's getting in the British press.

Parallels are being drawn with the murder in 2000 of a British bar hostess and the whole "crazy Japan" stereoptype is being drafted in, which is quite ironic, as the crime rate in Japan (including homicide) is significantly lower than the UK.

[Arlet]

This is sooo sad, why would anyone do that?

[Ranpyon]

This is so sad. I cant understand why people sometimes go crazy and do this kind of bad things... Too bad.
It reminds me of Lucy, the hostess that was killed ages ago by a Korean (but Japanese citizen) man.

[made of stone]

Parallels are being drawn with the murder in 2000 of a British bar hostess and the whole "crazy Japan" stereoptype is being drafted in, which is quite ironic, as the crime rate in Japan (including homicide) is significantly lower than the UK.

Very very sad news indeed.

The parallels being drawn with Lucie Blackman are inevitable so far, I think. Alas, younger folk the world over (and probably quite a few who should be older and wiser) seem to take unnecessary risks while abroad - though that's not clear yet in this case.

I haven't seen anything about a Japanese stereotype in the British media so far. I even visited the home of British media jingoism - The Sun online, and it seemed fairly balanced (for once).

Let's hope the killer is caught asap.

[Glenn]

According to his high school classmates he was pretty easy to snap, and once he did he seemingly couldn't be stopped. Sounds like a sick person to me, perhaps psychopathic.

[SushiShin]

There are fools in this world i hope the killer will be caught! and that the law punish him very hard!

[misa.j]

I read this upsetting article last night. My deepest condolences to her family and friends.

The fact that the Japanese police didn't mange to arrest the suspect who was bare-footed bothers me as well as the fact that he hasn't been caught yet.

[KirinMan]

My condolences to the family, her father has come here to Japan to take home her remains. My heart goes out to him and his family.

I pray that he can find peace in his heart somehow.

[undrentide]

I saw her father and her fiance on TV. Her father explained how she was happy to come to Japan and her fiance told that he was planning to come to Japan to teach English and live with her... It is so sad.
My heart goes out to her family, fiance and friends.

According to his high school classmates he was pretty easy to snap, and once he did he seemingly couldn't be stopped. Sounds like a sick person to me, perhaps psychopathic.

What scares me is that recently many people (not only young people) easy to snap, some tend to attack others on impulse - and sometimes end up killing them.

[Elizabeth]

I read this upsetting article last night. My deepest condolences to her family and friends.
The fact that the Japanese police didn't mange to arrest the suspect who was bare-footed bothers me as well as the fact that he hasn't been caught yet.
They will solve this case because it is big, high-profile and their world wide image is at risk. Tales of police incompetence or lack of dedication, resources etc in normal crimes I'm not the least surprised at.

The observation by her father that she was murdered for being so kind, caring and helpful is heartbreaking. My deepest condolences to the family in their struggle to survive this unbearably difficult time.

[JimmySeal]

As far as I can tell, the Asahi Shimbun has yet to cover this story at all. I am sure that if a foreigner had murdered a Japanese person, it would be plastered all over the front page of every publication in the country.

[Karamuucho]

As far as I can tell, the Asahi Shimbun has yet to cover this story at all. I am sure that if a foreigner had murdered a Japanese person, it would be plastered all over the front page of every publication in the country.

As it is being done in England.



My thoughts go out to those affected, but I'm not quite understanding the need to relate the story so much to the case of Lucy Blackman. Besides the nationalities of the victims/criminals, the cases really aren't all that similar. I guess it is inevitable though.

[leonmarino]

My thoughts go out to those affected, but I'm not quite understanding the need to relate the story so much to the case of Lucy Blackman. Besides the nationalities of the victims/criminals, the cases really aren't all that similar. I guess it is inevitable though.I believe there was a bathtub involved, just like in the Lucie Blackman case (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,108848,00.html).. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucie_Blackman), the court case isn't finished yet and a ruling will be handed down in April 24, 2007..

[pipokun]

As far as I can tell, the Asahi Shimbun has yet to cover this story at all. I am sure that if a foreigner had murdered a Japanese person, it would be plastered all over the front page of every publication in the country.
Yes, they do.

[QUOTE]浴槽に遺棄の英国人女性、不明当日に殺害か　千葉・市川
2007年03月30日07時58分
この記事の関連情報
市橋容疑者、店で接触し後を追う　英女性講師殺害(03/29)
英国人女性殺害　遺棄容疑者、数日前に知り合う(03/28)
英国女性講師変死で２８歳男に逮捕状　死体遺棄容疑(03/28)
ベランダに女性の変死体　浴槽の中、砂に埋もれ　市川(03/27)
http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0330/TKY200703290330.html
[/QUOTE

[aliceinwonderland]

I was so upset and shocked to see this story on the news the other day, it is so sad and i cant understand some of the things that go on in the world today.

It came as a great shock to me and gave me a horrible feeling as i am planning to do exactly the same thing and go to teach with Nova next year. i know that Japan is a very safe place to live and terrible things happen in every country and much more than japan but it has just put a shadow on my application the Nova. i have read several articles about japanese men being obsessed and fascinated by white women and as i am white and going to be teaching japanese men i am a little wary. i am going to teach in japan with my boyfriend so i feel a little safer about that but i do not want to be scared about going out alone when i am there as it will spoil the experienece. i have viststed japan twice an d always felt very safe , although i did notice people looking at me but i assume that this is becauase i am not japanese and i am with me boyfriend who is chinese.

just thought i would put my worries down on here and see if anyone could offer any advice or words of wiseness. id be so greatful.
thank you

[pipokun]

All I can say is the murderer gives us not shame, but sorrow like you have.

[Mr Man]

Sounds as though she had some guy chase her home one night before she was murdered. I wonder if it was him....
I hope they find him soon....He may have killed himself though

[Glenn]

I was so upset and shocked to see this story on the news the other day, it is so sad and i cant understand some of the things that go on in the world today.

It came as a great shock to me and gave me a horrible feeling as i am planning to do exactly the same thing and go to teach with Nova next year. i know that Japan is a very safe place to live and terrible things happen in every country and much more than japan but it has just put a shadow on my application the Nova. i have read several articles about japanese men being obsessed and fascinated by white women and as i am white and going to be teaching japanese men i am a little wary. i am going to teach in japan with my boyfriend so i feel a little safer about that but i do not want to be scared about going out alone when i am there as it will spoil the experienece. i have viststed japan twice an d always felt very safe , although i did notice people looking at me but i assume that this is becauase i am not japanese and i am with me boyfriend who is chinese.

just thought i would put my worries down on here and see if anyone could offer any advice or words of wiseness. id be so greatful.
thank you

Here's a piece of advice I was told about from a former NOVA employee: never accept a private lesson at either your place or the student's place. Always go somewhere public.

[aliceinwonderland]

thanx, ill take that advise on borad. so would you say it is safe for a white foreigner in japan?

[Elizabeth]

Here's a piece of advice I was told about from a former NOVA employee: never accept a private lesson at either your place or the student's place. Always go somewhere public.
I'm not blaming her, but it really is common sense. This could have happened to anyone taking on private lessons in a stranger's home. He wasn't a NOVA student and, at least what we know so far, this doesn't have any relevance whatsoever to her employment at an eikaiwa.

@aliceinwonderland -- They'll look at you no matter what. Whether you're alone, with your boyfriend, Japanese or white friends....The important thing is to remember you ARE in a very safe country and keep going on your way. If you ignore any weird behavior I'm sure you'll be fine. I've never been obsessed after but maybe that is just my average features. :p Good luck and have fun with NOVA ! Let us know how it turns out ! :wave:

[epigene]

I've just heard in the news that the woman gave the guy private English lesson at a restaurant the day before she was murdered. She must have taken precautions in that way.

I wonder how that guy managed to get her into his apartment?

My deepest condolences to her family and friends...

[MeAndroo]

This kind of story makes me wonder if Japan lulls people into a false sense of security. I think we can all agree that Japan is generally safer than many western countries, but did that mindset perhaps play a role in how long she allowed this guy to hang around? The suspect, Ichikawa, was already "stalking her," but she gave him a lesson in a restaurant the day of the murder? If Ichikawa indeed comitted the crime, I would have to wonder if the "Japan is safe" mentality prevented her from searching for police intervention.

What makes a case like this really scary to me is that I have friends that had numerous REPEAT encounters with people who would be classified in the US as sexual offenders. Guys masturbating near their dorms, harassing them at work, etc. It really freaks me out when I think something like this could happen so easily.

[leonmarino]

This kind of story makes me wonder if Japan lulls people into a false sense of security.Well this is indeed a point. Criminal rates only tell half the story or even less; the criteria of an act classified as a crime are different from country to country, and whether people report it or not. Here's an interesting article about it from JapanFocus (http://www.japanfocus.org/products/details/2340).

PS: I do think that this "lulling" is done unintentionally. Different countries have different cultures and different ways of handling things.

[pipokun]

...
Guys masturbating near their dorms
You mean, on the street? It is a crime, just tell her call the police.

[made of stone]

This kind of story makes me wonder if Japan lulls people into a false sense of security. I think we can all agree that Japan is generally safer than many western countries, but did that mindset perhaps play a role in how long she allowed this guy to hang around?

Yes, I think the comparative safety of life in Japan in many ways may lead to some foreigners becoming a little too incautious at times.

I also think perhaps there's a sort of 'pendulum' effect at work. When we first go to live abroad, or for an extended period, most of us are super-cautious and question everything. Once we relax, discover it's pretty safe, and get used to our surroundings, we may become a little too over-confident imho.

It's too early to say if either of these possibilities were factors in this case, I think.

One thing confusing me right now is the latest suggestion that the suspect lured Lindsay back to his apartment after their 'lesson', while initial reports said that she'd left his address at home before even going out to meet him.

Anyway, let's hope for a breakthrough very very soon.

[thistle]

I have been following this story closely, maybe we will never know how he lured her into his apartment. The part that worries me most is that he may never be found, the Japanese police are so incompetent. Perhaps they need to bring a few detectives from the U.K. to help them along with this.

It made me think back to when I did some private lesson in Tokyo, most people (myself included) live in a small room, so I only once gave lessons there, and that was to a couple. Most people, like she did, gave them in a public place.

My heart goes out to her family, and I know I cried when I saw that picture of her father weeping in the newspaper.

[misa.j]

The part that worries me most is that he may never be found, the Japanese police are so incompetent.
I know. When a crime like this happens, I would expect the police to be all over the surrounding areas searching for the suspect.

I don't get enough media information to know how it's been handled except I read that the photos of the suspect are shown on TV several times; it does make me wonder what kind of investigation they are doing.

[KirinMan]

I know. When a crime like this happens, I would expect the police to be all over the surrounding areas searching for the suspect.

I don't get enough media information to know how it's been handled except I read that the photos of the suspect are shown on TV several times; it does make me wonder what kind of investigation they are doing.

I think you may find that the police do not divulge as much information here about their ongoing investigations as they sometimes do in the states.

Sure there are updates on the news programs but they don't give out the details. Just because there is a "lack" of information doesn't mean the police are not doing their jobs.

You know the Japanese police are noted for catching their suspects/crimminals. I wouldn't go so far as to brand the entire police agency here as incompetent, there are a few rotten apples, but what police force doesn't.

[thistle]

No, not completely incompetent, but I did not think they were noted for catching their criminals, certainly not speedily.

What I'm wondering, and this was also mentioned on Japan Today, is how surprising it is that the suspect's family has not been on the news much.
Although I have to confess I don't watch Japanese T.V. much anymore,normally the japanese media are hounding them.

[thistle]

Interesting article I found through a different group I belong to,
here is the link:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article1613834.lece

I found I agree with most of it except, where he said that break-in's in Japan are rare, there may be more just don't have the article in front of me right now.

well, that didn't come out right, let me try again:bluush:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article1613834.lece

[thistle]

okay, it should say 'life(underscore) and (underscore) style' in the middle.

[made of stone]

I wonder if anyone in Japan can tell me if there's been any small news in the papers or on TV in the last week or so about this case?

There's been absolutely nothing heard here in the UK, and I can't seem to find anything new from the internet at all...

I'm guessing there must have been at least a little something in the Japanese Press, if only to say 'there's been no progress'?

Many thanks.

[epigene]

I wonder if anyone in Japan can tell me if there's been any small news in the papers or on TV in the last week or so about this case?
There's been absolutely nothing heard here in the UK, and I can't seem to find anything new from the internet at all...
I'm guessing there must have been at least a little something in the Japanese Press, if only to say 'there's been no progress'?
Many thanks.
We're not hearing anything much, either, except for some sporadic programs focused on the English language teaching business and how female teachers try to protect themselves.

No news on the killer. Rumors are circulating in 2ch that his parents (doctors by profession) have sent him off somewhere to go into hiding. But, I personally think he's killed himself somewhere, since the police hasn't found any trace of his leaving the country, etc.

[made of stone]

So many thanks for the update, epigene-san.

I'm very sad to hear there's been no progress at all, but things sometimes work like that, of course. All we can do is hope that the killer is reprimanded as soon as possible.

I do hope also that the media haven't been too sensationalist about the dangers of teaching in Japan - I met many many hundreds of female teachers while I was there, through my work, and I would still say that generally Japan is a much safer place than some of our Western nations.

[Dutch Baka]

Well a lot of other teachers are coming up with their stories about stalkers. I found this article for you, maybe an interesting read:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=447621&in_page_id=1879

[maushan3]

I don't know much about Japanese media and how much amount of time they talk about a subject, so... would this happen, the case not receiving many media attention because she is a foreigner killed by a Japanese?

Mauricio

[Dutch Baka]

I think there was more media attention about this murder, than any other murder like this "because she is a foreigner killed by a Japanese".

[happy gaijin]

It is very sad to hear about this, my condolences go out to the family.

Let's just prey this man is caught and does his time. However, it still won't bring back Lindsay Hawker. :(

[made of stone]

Well a lot of other teachers are coming up with their stories about stalkers. I found this article for you, maybe an interesting read:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=447621&in_page_id=1879

Many thanks for that Dutch, I appreciate it.

Actually, i'd already read that one - it was the only thing i'd seen here in the UK recently. Are there others? You wrote 'a lot' but like I say, that's the only one I've been able to find so far.

My interest in is that I hope any such reports are fairly balanced and not sensationalised for shock-value.

[Dutch Baka]

More:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070417zg.html

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070410zg.html

[diceke]

Well a lot of other teachers are coming up with their stories about stalkers. I found this article for you, maybe an interesting read:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=447621&in_page_id=1879
Perverted Japanese males are now world-famous! :D :D

[Dutch Baka]

That's also something that makes this murder look even more worse, the british and other media are taking a closer (maybe to close, zoom it in) on the Japanese society of crazy Japanese males.

[made of stone]

That's also something that makes this murder look even more worse, the british and other media are taking a closer (maybe to close, zoom it in) on the Japanese society of crazy Japanese males.

Thanks for the links, Dutch. They were pretty interesting reading.

The Japan Times is published in Japan, isn't it? As I said, as far as I know there's been absolutely nothing in the British press whatsoever since the link you gave from the Daily Mail, so I don't really think the British media have focused on this case at all since it happened.

Perhaps that'll all change today or tomorrow, though, with the Lucie verdict on its way.

[made of stone]

Well the verdict on Obara was handed-down yesterday (a link from the main BBC story):

Man cleared over death of Lucie (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6241831.stm)

I do hope and pray that the years of fighting to no avail by the Blackmans to gain justice for Lucie won't put off Lindsay's family, but it's hard to think they'll be anything but greatly demotivated by the result of that trial...

Surely, they must now fear that even if the suspect's caught, without a confession he may not be found guilty?

[basuotoko]

Has this guy still not been caught? I recently saw on TV some security camera footage of him alone in the elevator of some building. You could see him obsessively fretting over his clothing and hair in the reflection of the elevator door, but I didn't catch whether it was recently captured or not. I find it nearly unbelievable that in a country like Japan someone can go on the run like this for so long without being caught. What's even more amazing is the police let him escape from the scene of the crime.

[Ewok85]

Wouldn't be too hard - grow your hair out, or cut it short. Grow a tash or beard. Wear completely different clothes. Its not too hard to attain a new identity in Japan if you are Japanese either.