CCTV footage of murdered British teacher Lindsay Hawker with the main suspect just hours before her death has been broadcast. Police in Japan have issued an arrest warrant for 28-year-old Tatsuya Ichihashi, who fled a Tokyo apartment as officers arrived and discovered Miss Hawker's body in a bath of sand on the balcony on March 26.

Miss Hawker, 22, from Brandon near Coventry, had been badly beaten before being strangled. The grainy CCTV footage shows the pair together in a coffee shop near Tokyo just hours before the young teacher was murdered, according to the Kyodo News agency. Miss Hawker, wearing a knee-length white coat, and suspect Ichihashi, dressed in dark clothes with a grey hat, are seen chatting at the counter.

Miss Hawker seems relaxed before making her way from the store as Ichihashi pays and then follows her. Police released the images to the Nippon Television Network in the hope it would move their investigation forward. The body of Miss Hawker was found last Monday. It is still unclear if the English language teacher was sexually assaulted. Japanese police launched a manhunt as soon as Miss Hawker's body was found but so far have been unable to track down their prime suspect.