20 Oct 2011

Tabak to describe Yeates death in own words

Vincent Tabak, the man accused of murdering Joanna Yeates, will tell a jury in his own words how he strangled the architect last year.

Yeates - Getty

The 33-year-old, who admits manslaughter but denies murder, will give his own version of events in a bid to explain claims he did not intend to kill her.

Amid heavy security at Bristol Crown Court, Tabak is expected to say the death of Joanna Yeates was “pure chance”.

Tabak claims he misread his next-door neighbour‘s signals after she invited him in for a drink.

He says he put his hand to his 25-year-old’s throat after she protested at his advances.

Defence QC William Clegg said Ms Yeates‘s death was misfortune.

Tabak “completely misread the situation” before “Joanna went limp”, Mr Clegg claimed.

“It was pure chance that Vincent Tabak and Joanna Yeates ever met on 17 December last year,” the barrister told jurors on Wednesday.

Ms Yeates is said to have invited Tabak into her flat after smiling at him as he walked past her kitchen window, Mr Clegg said.

Mr Clegg said Ms Yeates and Tabak were strangers – but were both at loose ends at their flats in Clifton.

He added that he would not try to justify Tabak’s actions after her death, saying his client was “living a lie” by attending dinner parties and attempting to carry on his life as normal.

He said it was “frankly disgusting” that Tabak had tried to hide the body and “did everything he could to cover his tracks”.

But he urged the jury to focus on what happened in Ms Yeates’s flat as Tabak takes to the stand.

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