PRESS ASSOCIATION -- A Japanese court has sentenced a man to life in prison for the rape and murder of British teacher Lindsay Hawker.
Chiba District Court sentenced Tatsuya Ichihashi to life behind bars for killing the 22-year-old in 2007 at his apartment.
After committing the crime, Ichihashi evaded a nationwide police search for two-and-a-half years.
Ms Hawker's body was found in a dirt-filled bath on the balcony of Ichihashi's apartment just outside Tokyo.
After his arrest in 2009, Ichihashi wrote a book about his time on the run and the extensive cosmetic surgery he underwent to change his appearance. The case became one of Japan's highest-profile killings.
Speaking after the sentencing, Miss Hawker's father Bill said: "We've waited four-and-a-half years to get justice for Lindsay. We have achieved that today, and we are very pleased."
Thanking the Japanese authorities for persisting in their efforts to catch the killer, he said: "Lindsay loved Japan and you have not let her down."