Vincent Tabak Breaks Down In Tears As He Tells Court How He Strangled Joanna Yeates

Vincent Tabak broke down in tears in court and said he was sorry for the death of Joanna Yeates as he gave evidence for the first time today in the trail.

Tabak took to the stand this morning to explain how he killed Joanna Yeates on 17 December last year, explaining: "I was responsible for her death. I'm so sorry"

The jury at Bristol Crown Court heard how the 33-year-old Tabak tried to kiss Miss Yeates in her flat after she made a "filthy" comment on the night of her death.

Tabak told the court "I decided to make a pass at her... I got the impression she wanted to kiss me."

When asked what he did on the night of 17 December, Tabak said how he left his flat and took his "usual route" past Flat 1. Tabak said as he left his flat the security light outside Jo's flat came on and he looked in and saw Joanna in the kitchen.

"I waved to her and she waved back," Tabak told the court.

"She was friendly, she was going to open the front door. She invited me in...I took it (coat) off and hung it on the coat rack."

Tabak and Joanna then went into the kitchen and talked for roughly 10 minutes about how both their partners were away. Tabak then said how Jo "made a flirty comment that the 'cat went into places it shouldn't go, a bit like me.'"

"I decided to make a pass at her. I got the impression she wanted to kiss me...she had been friendly and offered me a drink.

"I leaned forward and I put one of my hands on her back and tried to kiss her.

"She started to scream quite loudly," says Tabak. "I put one hand on her mouth and the other on her neck... I had no intention to harm her in any way. I was just trying to calm her down to stop her from screaming." Tabak said that he had his hand on Miss Yeates' neck for a "short, short time."

Clegg then asked: "Did you mean to kill her?" Tabak: "No".

Clegg: "Did you intend to cause serious harm?" Tabak: "No."

"She went limp, she fell to the floor. I was in a state of panic, shock, I couldn't believe, I still can't understand what happened, said Tabak.

Tabak then explained how picked up her body and placed it on her bed and returned to his flat, hoping she was still alive. When he returned moments later and realised she wasn't, he proceeded to move her to his flat and place he in his spare bedroom.

Tabak decided to put her body in his plastic bicycle cover, explaining it was "difficult."

"I didn't want anyone to find out what had happened. I decided to put it in the boot of my car."

Tabak told the court how he returned to Jo's flat, turned off the oven and TV and took a pizza and one of her socks that fell off as he was transporting the body back to his flat. When asked why he decided to do all this, Tabak answered "I wasn't thinking straight."

He then returned to his flat and "picked up her body and put it in the boot of the car."

Tabak made two attempts before he managed to put Miss Yeates' body in the boot his car. He described it as "difficult."

Once the body was in the cat, Tabak then proceeded to drive to Asda at 22:13. When asked why he drove to Asda, Tabak replied "I can't believe I did that. I wasn't thinking straight."

"I was responsible for her death. I'm so sorry."

When asked what happened at Longwood Lane, where Tabak dumped Miss Yeates' body, he answered, "I did something horrendous. I decided to leave her body there.

"I put it on the roadside verge in the grass, I took Joanna's out of the cover and put the cover back in the car.

"I tried to hide the body by lifting it over the wall. I tried a couple of times." Tabak then said this must be how his DNA onto Miss Yeates' chest.

"I'm so sorry for doing that. I put Joanna's parents and Greg through a week of hell... I still can't believe that I did that.

"I quickly gathered some leaves and covered her body so she couldn't be seen."

Tabak the returned home after dumping the body at about 00:10 on December 18. Once home, he then disposed bicycle cover from his car and the pizza and sock that he left in his flat.

"I was constantly checking the news and read that police were sifting through rubbish. I was afraid they would find the pizza," said Tabak.

Tabak then checked his email to try and distract himself before leaving to pick up his girlfriend at Bristol Explorer.

"I was not paying much attention to the roads. I was more thinking of everything that had happened. What I had done," said Tabak.

Tabak told the court that until 17 December he did not know Miss Yeates or Mr Reardon by name and had only seen the pair in passing.