Joanna Yeates’s parents encounter killer Vincent Tabak in court

Dutch engineer, who has admitted manslaughter of Yeates but denies murder, attends pre-trial hearing in person The parents of landscape architect Joanna Yeates have come face to face for the first time in court with their daughter’s killer. David and Teresa Yeates were at Bristol crown court for a pre-trial hearing for Vincent Tabak. The couple have not seen Tabak in person in court before as the defendant has appeared by video link from prison at the previous hearings they attended. The couple arrived and left court hand in hand, accompanied by two police officers. Tabak, a Dutch engineer, has admitted the manslaughter of Yeates, 25, but denies her murder. The charge states that Tabak “unlawfully killed” Miss Yeates between December 16 and December 19. Four security guards escorted Tabak into the dock of courtroom six. The greying 33-year-old wore glasses, a white shirt, blue tie and dark suit for the 30-minute hearing before Judge Martin Picton. Yeates’s parents sat in the second row of the public gallery and Mrs Yeates occasionally looked over her shoulder towards Tabak. Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones, who led the Avon and Somerset investigation, sat behind the barristers and immediately in front of the defendant. Tabak, who sat hunched in the dock, spoke only once. The clerk asked him: “Are you Vincent Tabak?” He replied: “Yes I am.” The hearing was being held to finalise arrangements for the four-week trial, which is due to begin on October 4 before Mr Justice Field. The case was adjourned until the trial and Tabak was remanded into custody. Miss Yeates, who lived in Clifton, Bristol, disappeared on December 17 after going for Christmas drinks with colleagues. Her body was found on a verge in a lane in Failand, north Somerset, on Christmas Day. Joanna Yeates Steven Morris guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 20, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.