17 seconds ago 2009-11-27T12:50:03-08:00
TOKYO (AFP) – The only suspect in the murder of a 22-year-old British woman in Japan worked on a building site for over a year to pay for plastic surgery, a news report citing investigation sources said Monday.
Tatsuya Ichihashi, 30, is wanted in connection with the killing of Lindsay Ann Hawker, an English-language teacher found dead in a sand-filled bathtub on the balcony of his apartment near Tokyo in March 2007.
Wanted posters for Ichihashi have been plastered on walls in police and train stations across Japan ever since, but police have so far failed to catch the man who is officially wanted on charges of abandoning a body.
But recent reports said Ichihashi visited a clinic in central Nagoya city on October 24 for plastic surgery to his nose and eye-lids.
Police, who later released a post-operation image, now believe Ichihashi was employed as a construction worker in Osaka city for 13 months until October 11 this year, the Yomiuri daily's evening edition said Monday.
Investigators found Ichihashi's fingerprints in the company dormitory where he had been staying, disguising his appearance with eye-glasses and a red cap, said the report citing an unnamed prosecution source and former co-workers.
Prosecutors think he spent part of the money he earned on plastic surgery to alter his appearance, the report said.
Hawker's family have repeatedly visited Japan, most recently in March, when they voiced frustration at police for failing to catch the suspect.
Police in June raised to more than 100,000 dollars the cash reward for information leading to Ichihashi's arrest.
