GUILTY UK - Joanna Yeates, 25, Clifton, Bristol, 17 Dec 2010 #12

Missjones said:

Yes the LL is still a suspect too. I have read that the defence will only find out the full details of evidence in May at the next court hearing. Not sure if that is true. If VT doesnt know the exact evidence against him how can he plead innocent of guilty, but has to wait 4 months to find out? Does anyone know if this is true?

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Lynn R said:

We dont know EXACTLY what the alibi is - well I have never heard the police say what it is. BUT I am assuming its the timings regarding his visit to his brothers up north and possibly cctv/mobile phone reception etc. I dont think the police would step over him to arrest/suspect/charge the neighbours if his alibi wasn't solid.

When we had the press conference from the police where they stated that he was not a suspect - were they at that point able to analyse the DNA?

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Lynn R said:

I noticed last night on court serve that Vincent Tabak was going to be via video link from Long Lartin in Worcestershire but any references made by the press, that I could find anyway, said that he had been moved to a prison in Gloucester. Now, even a Scot like me knows that Gloucester is in Gloucestershire (isn't it???)

Again another example of the press talking mince.

BTW I wonder why he appeared via video link. Is this the new way to save money etc? is it optional or would there have been some other reason?

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Published: 27 Jan 2011

Tabak was charged last Saturday with murdering Jo, 25, and remanded to Bristol's Horfield prison.

But officials moved him from the city for his own safety due to the high-profile case.

The 6ft 4in architectural engineer was taken to Gloucester but then transferred to Long Lartin, near Evesham, Worcs.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...es-murder-put-on-suicide-watch-in-prison.html

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Missjones said:

Thanks Lynn R, if that were so then why didnt the LE state that he was not a suspect because of partial DNA, phone records etc, this was only reported by the press not by the LE. Would have made GRs life a lot easier if they had.

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enzeder said:

Hope this helps.

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goldielox said:

His defence is paid for from public funds ("interests of justice rule").

He won't be asked to plead until the May 4th hearing. By then his defence team will have been given a bundle by the CPS (called the "depositions") which is basically evidence they have against him - forensics, autopsy, his own police interview transcripts, witness statements, police statements, phone records etc etc. A copy of the depositions is then given to VT too.

I think it was said in court today the "depts" should be provided around 1st April. If his defence team get them then (sometimes they're late), then they have them to peruse for up to a month before VT is due to plead so by May 4th they'll have an idea of the strength ..or weakness...or the case against VT.

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Luna15 said:

To be fair, if he is innocent, he should be pleading as such, now matter what evidence the police allege to have.
FAO: Otto Yes I agree but it appears he isnt allowed to until 4th May ( for the grace of God go I) you have to wait 4 months
]

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Missjones said:

Luna15 said:

To be fair, if he is innocent, he should be pleading as such, now matter what evidence the police allege to have.
FAO: Otto Yes I agree but it appears he isnt allowed to until 4th May ( for the grace of God go I) you have to wait 4 months
]

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Do we know if this is the case? I was surmising in my post.

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Phillb said:

Here's a bit of help regarding posting images to forums.

http://www.ibdguy.com/posting.shtml

You need to host your images onto a photo hosting website like flickr, photobucket, or Image Shack. They generate an image IMG code you embed in this comment section.
Lots of different ways to do it really. Forum tags if you use Firefox for example.

It looks a bit confusing at first, but is easy enough with a bit of practice.

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Luna15 said:

Front page of The Sun tomorrow

Jo's dad: We feel so sorry for McCanns.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK...wspaper_Front_Pages_Tuesday,_February_1,_2011

:silenced::silenced::silenced:

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Lynn R said:

Missjones said:

Do we know if this is the case? I was surmising in my post.

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We can only surmise from what the family have said, and this is a good indication I think (if true of course)

On Monday, staff and students at Eindhoven Technical University, where Mr Tabak studied architectural engineering, announced the creation of a fighting fund to aid his defence.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...nt-Tabak-enjoyed-normal-family-Christmas.html

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enzeder said:

:silenced:​

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Luna15 said:

Lynn R said:

We can only surmise from what the family have said, and this is a good indication I think (if true of course)

On Monday, staff and students at Eindhoven Technical University, where Mr Tabak studied architectural engineering, announced the creation of a fighting fund to aid his defence.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...nt-Tabak-enjoyed-normal-family-Christmas.html

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Ah sorry I was referring to the point where the defence 'have' to wait a certain amount of time before entering a plea

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Missjones said:

If VT doesnt know the exact evidence against him how can he plead innocent of guilty,

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goldielox said:

99.9% sure he'll plead not guilty. I'll use a theoretical scenario to give an indication of why.

Joe Bloggs is arrested and charged with rape.

The police's case against him is that, armed with a gun, he went to Jane Doe's home one night intent on raping her, and knowing her partner was away that weekend.

Joe Bloggs version of events is that yes he did have a gun. It was in his pocket and fell out as he was leaving the house. He went to the house to see Jane's partner not Jane, not knowing Jane would even be at the house that night. Finding Jane alone on the spur of the moment he committed the offence.


To plea "guilty" means, whether everything is true or not in the police's version, he is pleading guilty to the police's version of events. All of it. Whilst he may get a reduction in sentence for the guilty plea there are aggravating features about the offence (gun, pre-planned, offence occured in her own home etc) that would likely cancel out that reduction and could in fact mean he gets a bigger sentence.

By going "not guilty" instead his defence can test the evidence in court. It could then be that it is shown to be false that he used the gun to threaten Jane, that he did really go there on the spur of the moment and really had been trying to find Jane's partner. He's still in the ***** conviction and sentence wise but with less aggravating features now to be taken into consideration his sentence could be no worse than it would be for the guilty plea...and of course there's always the chance he gets off with it completely and is acquitted or gets off on a technicality.


For murder the maximum reduction in sentence for a guilty plea is five years, or one sixth of the original sentence that would have been imposed. If there are any aggravating features to be taken into consideration (planning in advance, abduction/concealing of the body, sexual motive ..to name a few) the sentence would be more severe and likely to cancel out any reduction for a guilty plea anyway, so there is very little incentive to plead "guilty" and rarely does it happen in murder cases.

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Lynn R said:

Not sure if this has been highlighted already:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/2011/0...costs-a-small-fortune-to-run-115875-22838073/
'But it yesterday emerged pictures from Clifton Suspension Bridge’s CCTV – one of the best hopes of a breakthrough in Jo Yeates’ murder hunt – could be too dim to show her killer or their car registration.

The tourist attraction provides the most direct route from the 25-year-old’s flat to the roadside verge three miles away where her body was dumped.

According to toll-keepers though, the bridge’s shoddy pictures will not identify the strangler’s face because the landmark’s 3,000 LED lights cause a glare which greatly reduces CCTV quality.

They will also be unlikely to pick out registration plates of every motorist. It will be a huge blow to desperate detectives hoping for their first major development in the hunt for Jo’s murderer.'

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Missjones said:

I get the scenario, but in VTs case we have no motive, he is not a rapist has a good clean record in Holland as well as in the UK, worked hard to get the PHd and good job, got a new life with lovely GF spending Christmas with her parents from 24 till 26 Dec then goes home to his family in Holland till 2 Jan, goes back to work, why kill JY, why throw it all away, his family are so shocked and love him too . I cant think of another murdered who didnt have something in their background to make them a killer if not at the least some motive

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Lynn R said:

BTW I wonder why he appeared via video link. Is this the new way to save money etc? is it optional or would there have been some other reason?

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Cherwell said:

Probably to avoid the scrummage of photographers outside the courts.

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