Jury Visits Flat Where Joanna Was Killed

The jury in the trial of the man accused of killing Joanna Yeates has visited her flat, where prosecutors say she was murdered.

The judge and lawyers joined the jurors for the trip to Clifton to retrace the 25-year-old's final steps before she was killed on December 17.

Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak is accused of Miss Yeates' murder and is standing trial at Bristol Crown Court.

The jury spent around 20 minutes in the flat Miss Yeates shared with her boyfriend Greg Reardon.

Mr Reardon had returned to collect his possessions but Miss Yeates's clothes, belongings and furniture remained, the jury was told.

Inside they saw make-up, photos and preparations for Christmas, including tinsel, wrapping paper and an unopened box of crackers.

Miss Yeates' size five Asics running shoes had been left stacked in the yellow-painted entrance hall alongside her snow boots.

There were also two cat litter trays for the couple's pet.

Afterwards the group visited Tabak's neighbouring flat, which he shared at the time with his girlfriend.

Jurors also saw the site three miles away in Failand, north Somerset, where Miss Yeates' body was found by dog walkers on Christmas Day.

Tabak, 33, opted not to exercise his right to join the visit.

On Tuesday Tabak's QC William Clegg told jurors to concentrate on four key areas during the visit.

Mr Clegg said he wanted them to consider the time and distance it would take to walk from the Hophouse pub where Miss Yeates had been drinking with friends to her home at 44 Canynge Road.

He also asked them to consider carefully the view from the kitchen window inside her flat.

The defence said it is through that window that Miss Yeates and Tabak first saw each other on the night of the killing.

Mr Clegg also asked the jury to cross over Canynge Road to number 53 where witnesses claim to have heard a scream.

"We would like you to go there and have in mind, having already been to No 44, whether in your judgment you think it possible that the scream that was made inside the flat of No 44 could possibly be heard if you are standing outside No 53?," he said.

"The defence are going to suggest that it was by no means certain that the scream that was heard was connected to this event at all because of the distance involved."

Finally, Mr Clegg asked jurors to walk the short distance to Percival Court, which lies at the rear of Miss Yeates's flat.

On Tuesday the jury at Bristol Crown Court heard that Miss Yeates suffered 43 injuries after being attacked at her flat in Clifton.

The prosecution has described Tabak as a "cold and calculated killer" who accused police of creating false evidence and denied knowing Miss Yeates.

Prosecutors claim he denied his crime for more than six weeks before confessing to a prison chaplain in February.

Tabak has admitted manslaughter but denies murder.