Ichihashi denies intent to kill British woman

The Yomiuri Shimbun

A man who has been indicted on charges of raping and killing a British woman in 2007, denied at a court session Monday that he intended to kill the victim.

During the first pretrial procedure to narrow down points of dispute at the Chiba District Court, Tatsuya Ichihashi said he did not intend to kill Lindsay Ann Hawker, an English conversation school teacher whose body was found in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture.

Ichihashi, who is unemployed and has no fixed address, was indicted on charges of murder, rape resulting in death, and abandoning a body.

The trial will be presided over by Judge Shinya Hotta and a panel of lay judges.

According to Ichihashi's lawyer, the defendant attended the session and expressed his intention to deny the murder charge, saying he did not intend to kill Hawker.

After the session, Ichihashi complained about his detention, saying, "I've been discriminated against. For example, I wasn't allowed to keep my personal belongings in the detention center."

The victim's father and other relatives expressed their desire to attend the trial.