Murder of Joanna Yeates
Encyclopedia
Joanna Clare "Jo" Yeates (19 April 1985 – 17 December 2010) was a landscape architect
from Hampshire
, England, who went missing
on 17 December 2010 in Bristol
after an evening out with colleagues. Following a highly publicised appeal for information on her whereabouts, and enquiries by police, her body was discovered on 25 December 2010 in Failand
, North Somerset
; post-mortem analysis determined that she had died from strangulation
.
The murder inquiry, named "Operation Braid", became one of the largest police investigations in the Bristol area. The case dominated news coverage in the United Kingdom as Yeates' family reached out through social network service
s and press conferences for assistance from the public. Rewards totalling £60,000 were offered for information leading to those responsible for Yeates' death. The police initially suspected Yeates' landlord, who lives in the same building, and arrested him, but soon released him on bail.
Vincent Tabak, a 32-year-old Dutch
engineer and neighbour of Yeates, was arrested on 20 January 2011. Media attention at the time centred on the filming of a re-enactment of her disappearance for the BBC
's programme, Crimewatch
. After two days of questioning, he was charged on 22 January 2011 with Yeates' murder. On 5 May 2011, Tabak pleaded guilty to Yeates's manslaughter
, but denied murdering her. On 20 September he appeared at Bristol Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing, attending in person having previously appeared from prison via videolink. His trial started on 4 October 2011. Tabak was found guilty of murder on 28 October 2011, and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a tariff of 20 years.
The nature in which some aspects of the case were reported by the British media led to the instigation of legal proceedings against several newspapers. The Daily Mirror and The Sun were found guilty of contempt of court
for reporting information that could prejudice a trial. The Sun, the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror
, the Daily Record
, the Daily Mail
, the Daily Express
, the Daily Star and The Scotsman
were also successfully sued for libel over their coverage of the arrest of Yeates' landlord.
The prosecutions added weight to proposed legislation being discussed in Parliament
by MP Anna Soubry
to prohibit the naming of suspects prior to the formal filing of charges. She withdrew the proposal on 4 February after the government opposed it.
, England. She was privately educated at Embley Park
near Romsey
. Yeates studied for her A-levels
at Peter Symonds College
and graduated with a degree in landscape architecture
from Writtle College
. She received her Master's degree in landscape architecture
at University of Gloucestershire
.
In December 2008, Yeates met then-25-year-old fellow landscape architect Greg Reardon, at the firm Hyland Edgar Driver in Winchester
. The couple moved in together in 2009 and settled in Clifton, Bristol
when the company relocated to that area. Yeates later moved jobs to work at the Building Design Partnership
in Bristol.
to find Yeates absent from their flat on Canynge Road, Clifton. Reardon had been trying to contact her by phone
and text
, but did not find it "completely out of character" that she did not respond. While waiting for Yeates to return home, Reardon found that her personal items had been left behind and that their cat appeared to have been neglected. When he tried to call her again, her mobile phone rang from a pocket of her coat at the flat. Around midnight, Reardon contacted the police and then Yeates' parents to report her missing.
Investigators determined that Yeates had spent the evening of 17 December 2010 with colleagues at the Bristol Ram pub on Park Street
, leaving around 8.00 pm to make the 20-minute walk home. She reportedly told friends and colleagues that she was looking forward to spending the weekend alone while baking and shopping for Christmas. Yeates was spotted on closed-circuit television
(CCTV) at around 8.10 pm in a Waitrose
supermarket without purchasing anything. She then phoned her best friend, Rebecca Scott, at 8.30 pm to arrange a meeting on Christmas Eve. The last known footage of Yeates recorded her buying a pizza
from a Tesco Express that evening at around 8.40 pm. She had also picked up two small bottles of cider
at a Bargain Booze nearby.
s to help look for her. On 21 December 2010, Yeates' parents and Reardon made a public appeal through a police press conference for her safe return. In another press conference broadcast live on 23 December 2010 via Sky News
and BBC News
, Yeates' father David commented on her disappearance: "I think she was abducted after getting home to her flat ... I have no idea of the circumstances of the abduction because of what was left behind ... I feel sure she would not have gone out by herself leaving all these things behind and she was taken away somewhere". Her keys, phone, purse and coat were left behind at her flat. Detectives retrieved a receipt
for a pizza, but found no sign of the pizza itself nor its packaging. Both bottles of cider were found in the flat, one of them partially consumed. As there was no evidence
of forced entry
or a struggle, investigators began to pursue the scenario that Yeates may have known her abductor.
and next to the entrance of a quarry
in Failand
, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) from her home. The body was identified by police as that of Yeates. Reardon and the Yeates family visited the site of the discovery on 27 December 2010. David Yeates said that the family "had been told to prepare for the worst" and expressed relief that his daughter's body had been recovered. Grief counselling
was offered to Yeates' co-workers to help them cope with her death. Funeral arrangements were delayed as investigators wished to retain the body "for a while". The pathologist Dr Nat Carey consented to the release of the body of the deceased on 31 January 2011.
s and civilian staff under the direction of Detective Chief Inspector
Phil Jones. It became one of the largest police operations in the history of the Avon & Somerset Constabulary jurisdiction. Jones urged the public to come forward with any information to help catch the killer, especially from potential witnesses who were in the vicinity of Longwood Lane in Failand during Yeates' disappearance. He stated that the investigation was seeking the driver of a "light-coloured 4x4 vehicle
" for questioning.
Jones said that officers had been "inundated with thousands of calls" and are "exhausting every lead and avenue that we are provided with." Police were examining over 100 hours of surveillance footage along with 293 tonnes of rubbish seized from the area around Yeates' flat. Refuse collection had been suspended in that part of Clifton since 23 December 2010. Crime Stoppers offered a £
10,000 reward
for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her murderer. Authorities advised residents to take precautions and warned local women not to walk alone after dark.
immediately treated Yeates' death as "suspicious", and investigated similarities with the unsolved cases of Glenis Carruthers, Melanie Hall and Claudia Lawrence
. The possibility of such connections has since been downplayed by authorities. The police gathered surveillance video from Clifton Suspension Bridge
as it is the most direct route across the Avon Gorge
between the crime scene and where Yeates was last seen alive. The poor quality of much of the footage was unable to clearly distinguish individuals or car registration numbers. Investigators are also aware that the perpetrator could have used an alternative bridge across the River Avon less than a mile to the south to avoid CCTV coverage.
A post-mortem examination
began on 26 December 2010, though results were delayed due to the frozen condition of the body. Police initially thought it possible that Yeates froze to death in the winter outdoors as her body showed no visible signs of injury. Investigators announced on 28 December 2010 that the case had become a murder inquiry as the coroner determined that Yeates had died by strangulation. The post-mortem also indicated that she had died "several days before being discovered" on 25 December 2010. The examination also confirmed that Yeates did not eat the pizza she had purchased. Detective Chief Inspector Jones stated that the investigation found "no evidence to suggest that Joanna was sexually assaulted". The police searched Reardon's laptop computer and mobile phone as part of standard procedure. Reardon was ruled out as a suspect and is being treated as a witness.
A young woman attending a party at a neighbouring home on Canynge Road on the night of Yeates' disappearance recalled hearing two loud screams shortly after 9.00 pm from the direction of Yeates' flat. Another neighbour who lived behind Yeates' home said that he heard a high-pitched woman's voice scream "Help me". Officers removed the front door to Yeates' flat to check for clothing fibres and DNA evidence. Investigators were examining the possibility that the perpetrator was already inside the flat when Yeates returned home.
, who had previously been involved as a criminal profiler
in other high profile murder cases, joined the investigation to help narrow down the number of potential suspects. Senior officers from the investigation had asked for assistance from the National Policing Improvement Agency
, a centre which provides expertise for difficult cases. Jones stated that his officers were checking through 1,300 tips and pieces of information from the public and have established over 1,000 lines of inquiry, 239 of them considered "high priority".
On 5 January 2011, Detective Chief Inspector Jones announced that Yeates was missing one of her socks when she was found dead and it was not found at the crime scene nor in her home. Jones stated that the sock was a long, ski-style size five. Psychologist Glenn Wilson
, who is not associated with the police investigation, commented that the killer might have used the sock to strangle Yeates or kept it as a trophy. Hours after the press conference, an elderly man turned in a sock for police evidence. However, the dark sock was not believed to match the one sought by investigators. Another piece of evidence that police were investigating was a pizza label with a note mentioning Yeates that was received by the Bristol Ram pub on 27 December 2010, after her body was found. Investigators determined the note to be a hoax
as the label was not from Tesco, and stated, "We take any reports of information in relation to this inquiry seriously."
Police launched a national advertising campaign
to appeal for witnesses through Facebook, which had been viewed nearly 250,000 times since 4 January 2011. CCTV footage of Yeates had been viewed 120,000 times on YouTube. The Sun offered a £50,000 reward to "bring a longed-for breakthrough" in the case.
On 9 January 2011, Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy
endorsed the idea of a public DNA screening process if the police would find it useful. The Avon and Somerset Constabulary had previously conducted mass DNA screening during the 1995 investigation into the disappearance of then-18-year-old Louise Smith. McCarthy suggested that the screening process should be extended beyond Clifton to the wider Bristol area. Saliva that had been found on Yeates' body was tested for a potential DNA profile. Detectives arranged to interview up to 20 out of the 924 registered sex offenders living within the jurisdiction of the force.
of the case was filmed on location in Bristol for broadcast in the 26 January edition of Crimewatch
. A firm that had been involved in the production of the Harry Potter films
was contracted to reproduce the snowy conditions at the time of Yeates' disappearance. Within 24 hours of news coverage about the production on 18 January, over 300 people contacted the police. A breakthrough led investigators to believe that Yeates' body may have been transported in a large holdall
or suitcase.
On the morning of 20 January, the Avon and Somerset Constabulary arrested a 32-year-old man, who was detained at an undisclosed location. At first the authorities declined to reveal additional details while the suspect was being interrogated due to concerns over past media coverage. The arrest reportedly followed an anonymous tip from a female caller, hours after a televised appeal by Yeates' parents on the Crimewatch programme. Canynge Road was closed by police while scaffolding was constructed around Yeates' home; officers sealed off the adjacent flat of 32-year-old Dutch
engineer Vincent Tabak. Investigators also searched the nearby townhouse of a friend, where Tabak was believed to have been staying, about a mile away. Tabak had previously been ruled out as a suspect during an earlier stage of the investigation, and had returned to England from a holiday trip visiting his family in the Netherlands
.
Following Tabak's arrest, the BBC cancelled its plans to air the Yeates re-enactment on Crimewatch. On 31 January, Yeates' family publicly released photos of her that previously had been scheduled to be broadcast on the programme.
because of fears for his safety. He was placed under suicide watch
at Long Lartin Prison
near Evesham
, where staff were ordered to check on him every 30 minutes throughout the day and night. Tabak's family and friends in the Netherlands
started to raise a fund for his defence in court.
On 5 May 2011, Vincent Tabak pleaded guilty to the manslaughter
of Yeates, but denied murdering her. Tabak's guilty plea was rejected by the Crown Prosecution Service. On 20 September, Tabak appeared in person at a pre-trial hearing at Bristol Crown Court
. Appearances at previous hearings had been made via videolink from prison.
, but denied murder, and claimed that the killing had not been sexually motivated. He told the court that he had killed Yeates while trying to silence her after she screamed when he tried to kiss her. He claimed that Yeates had made a "flirty comment" and invited him to take a drink with her. He said that when she screamed he held his hand over her mouth and around her neck in an attempt to silence her.
The prosecution case was that Yeates had resisted him, and would have been in great pain, although Tabak denied there was a struggle. The trial was told that Tabak – around 1 foot (0.3048 m) taller that Joanna Yeates – had used his superior height and build to overpower her. During the ensuing struggle Joanna Yeates had suffered 43 separate injuries to her head, neck, torso and arms, and it was said that "sufficient force was used" to kill her. Luckley told the court that the struggle would have been lengthy and death would not have been instantaneous. It was also said that DNA
swabs taken from Joanna Yeates' body provided a match with Tabak.
The jury were sent out to deliberate on 26 October, and returned with a verdict two days later. On 28 October 2011 Tabak was found guilty of Joanna Yeates' murder by the jury which convicted him by a majority of 10 to 2. He was jailed for life, with a tariff term of 20 years. In passing sentence at Bristol Crown Court
, Mr Justice Field referred to a "sexual element" to the killing. Following the trial it was disclosed that Tabak had used his computer to view Internet pornography
depicting scenes of violence against women. However, details of this were not included in the prosecution's case since the Judge felt it did not prove that Tabak had acted with premeditation
in killing Joanna Yeates.
, the Attorney General for England and Wales
, stated on 31 December 2010 that he was contemplating taking action under the Contempt of Court Act to remind the media of their obligation not to prejudice a possible future trial. Criminology
professor David Wilson
commented on the resonance of the murder case with the national news media: "The British public loves a whodunnit
... It's a particularly British thing. We were the first nation to use murder stories to sell newspapers and that culture is more ingrained here than elsewhere." Wilson called Yeates, a white female professional
, an "ideal victim" for the media.
Following a television news report on 4 January 2011, that criticised the handling of the investigation, ITN reporters were banned by the Avon and Somerset Constabulary from attending a press conference convened to give updates on the murder case. ITN accused the police of attempting "to censor what information we can broadcast" while the constabulary filed a complaint with the Office of Communications
, calling the broadcast "unfair, naïve and irresponsible reporting". The police have since lifted the sanctions against ITN, but said that they would "not hesitate to adopt similar tactics in the future." Legal action was also considered over a Tweet
revealing that Tabak had viewed internet pornography
of erotic asphyxiation
and bondage
.
On 12 May 2011, the High Court of England and Wales granted the Attorney General
permission to bring a case for contempt against The Sun
and the Daily Mirror for the way they had reported on the arrest of Yeates' landlord, Chris Jefferies. On 29 July, the Court ruled that both newspapers had been in contempt of court, fining the Daily Mirror £50,000 and The Sun £18,000. On the same day, Jefferies accepted "substantial" damages
for defamation
from eight newspapers in connection with articles relating to his arrest.
In an interview following Tabak's conviction, Jefferies commented: "It has taken up a whole year virtually of my life, that period of time has meant that everything else that I would normally be doing has been in abeyance." He also criticised the government's plans to change the law on legal aid
, which he said would prevent people with limited means from taking action against newspapers. He later gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry
, an inquiry established by Prime Minister David Cameron
to investigate the ethics and behaviour of the British media following the News of the World phone hacking affair. Jefferies told the hearing how reporters had "besieged" him after he was questioned by the police. In a statement to the inquiry he said: "It was clear that the tabloid press had decided that I was guilty of Miss Yeates's murder and seemed determined to persuade the public of my guilt. They embarked on a frenzied campaign to blacken my character by publishing a series of very serious allegations about me which were completely untrue."
examined a private member's bill
that would impose a six-month sentence on any journalist who names a suspect who has not yet been charged. The legislation was introduced into the House of Commons
in June 2010, i.e. before the murder, by Anna Soubry
of Broxtowe
, who is herself a former journalist and criminal law barrister. She withdrew the proposal on 4 February after the government opposed it. Both Labour and Conservative MPs criticised the press coverage. Mike Freer
, referring to "the landlord in Bristol", said "it was the castigation, the crawling over of that gentleman's background, the questioning of his looks, his eccentricity and his sexuality that were abhorrent and that will follow him around for ever." Soubry replied "What we saw in Bristol was, in effect, a feeding frenzy and vilification. Much of the coverage was not only completely irrelevant, but there was a homophobic tone to it which I found deeply offensive. The slurs on the man were out of order." Robert Flello
said that many members had alluded to "the media's dreadful treatment of her landlord". The shameful way in which that man was portrayed in the press-from "weird-looking" to "strange", and with questions raised about his sexuality, his teaching practices and even his hairstyle-should embarrass and shame our media.
However, Philip Davies
, the MP for Shipley
, countered that the news media functions as a "great control on potential abuse by the police". Bob Satchwell of the Society of Editors said that "this cure is far worse than the disease" and would lead to "speculation during criminal inquiries and great unfairness." Satchwell, citing the example of people who disappeared under Latin American dictators, argued that the ability to name suspects serves to protect them by drawing out new evidence. The bill failed to complete its second reading but Crispin Blunt
promised the Attorney General would examine the area of concern.
Dan Clark led a memorial service for Yeates at Christ Church
in Clifton on 2 January 2011. Her boyfriend, Greg Reardon, started a charity website in Yeates' memory to raise funds on behalf of families of missing people. Yeates' employers, Building Design Partnership, and the local NHS trust
plan to commemorate her with a memorial in a garden she had been designing for a new £430 million hospital in Southmead
, Bristol. Other planned memorials include a garden of remembrance at the BDP firm's studio in Bristol, a published anthology of Yeates' work, and an annual landscape design prize named in her memory for students of the University of Gloucestershire
, where she had once studied. BDP will dedicate a charity cycle ride between its offices on its 50th anniversary, with proceeds to go towards charities selected by her family. Yeates left behind an estate valued at £47,000, which included an amount set aside to purchase a home with Reardon. As she had not written
a will
, the sum will be inherited by her parents.
Following the release of her body on 31 January 2011, Yeates' family arranged to hold her funeral at St Mark's of Ampfield
, Hampshire and have her interred in the churchyard. Yeates was buried on 11 February, with about 300 people attending the service led by Vicar Peter Gilks.
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
from Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England, who went missing
Missing person
A missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
on 17 December 2010 in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
after an evening out with colleagues. Following a highly publicised appeal for information on her whereabouts, and enquiries by police, her body was discovered on 25 December 2010 in Failand
Failand
Failand is a village in Somerset, England. It lies within the civil parish of Wraxall and Failand and the unitary authority area of North Somerset....
, North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
; post-mortem analysis determined that she had died from strangulation
Strangling
Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and as the auxiliary lethal mechanism in hangings in the event the neck does not break...
.
The murder inquiry, named "Operation Braid", became one of the largest police investigations in the Bristol area. The case dominated news coverage in the United Kingdom as Yeates' family reached out through social network service
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
s and press conferences for assistance from the public. Rewards totalling £60,000 were offered for information leading to those responsible for Yeates' death. The police initially suspected Yeates' landlord, who lives in the same building, and arrested him, but soon released him on bail.
Vincent Tabak, a 32-year-old Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
engineer and neighbour of Yeates, was arrested on 20 January 2011. Media attention at the time centred on the filming of a re-enactment of her disappearance for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's programme, Crimewatch
Crimewatch
Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
. After two days of questioning, he was charged on 22 January 2011 with Yeates' murder. On 5 May 2011, Tabak pleaded guilty to Yeates's manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
, but denied murdering her. On 20 September he appeared at Bristol Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing, attending in person having previously appeared from prison via videolink. His trial started on 4 October 2011. Tabak was found guilty of murder on 28 October 2011, and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a tariff of 20 years.
The nature in which some aspects of the case were reported by the British media led to the instigation of legal proceedings against several newspapers. The Daily Mirror and The Sun were found guilty of contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
for reporting information that could prejudice a trial. The Sun, the Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
, the Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
, the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
, the Daily Star and The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
were also successfully sued for libel over their coverage of the arrest of Yeates' landlord.
The prosecutions added weight to proposed legislation being discussed in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
by MP Anna Soubry
Anna Soubry
Anna Mary Soubry is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Broxtowe since the 2010 general election. She is a single mother of two children....
to prohibit the naming of suspects prior to the formal filing of charges. She withdrew the proposal on 4 February after the government opposed it.
Joanna Yeates
Joanna Clare Yeates was born on 19 April 1985 to David and Teresa Yeates in HampshireHampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England. She was privately educated at Embley Park
Embley Park
Embley Park near Romsey, Hampshire was the family home of Florence Nightingale from 1825 until her death in 1910. It is also where Florence Nightingale claimed she had received her divine calling from God...
near Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
. Yeates studied for her A-levels
GCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
at Peter Symonds College
Peter Symonds College
Peter Symonds College is a sixth form college in Winchester, Hampshire, in the south of England. It is one of the largest sixth form colleges in Britain.-Admissions:...
and graduated with a degree in landscape architecture
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
from Writtle College
Writtle College
Writtle College is one of the largest land-based university colleges in the UK; it is also one of the oldest. Writtle, previously known as Writtle Agricultural College, is a Partner Institution of the University of Essex and teaches FE and HE programmes.- Writtle :The college has diversified over...
. She received her Master's degree in landscape architecture
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
at University of Gloucestershire
University of Gloucestershire
The University of Gloucestershire is a university primarily based in Gloucestershire, England, spread over four campuses, three in Cheltenham and one in Gloucester...
.
In December 2008, Yeates met then-25-year-old fellow landscape architect Greg Reardon, at the firm Hyland Edgar Driver in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. The couple moved in together in 2009 and settled in Clifton, Bristol
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
when the company relocated to that area. Yeates later moved jobs to work at the Building Design Partnership
Building Design Partnership
Building Design Partnership is a firm of architects and engineers employing over 1200 staff in the UK and internationally.-Foundation:The firm was founded in 1961 by George Grenfell Baines with architects Bill White and John Wilkinson, quantity surveyor Arnold Towler and eight associate partners:...
in Bristol.
Disappearance
At around 8.00 pm on 19 December 2010, Reardon returned home from a weekend visit to SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
to find Yeates absent from their flat on Canynge Road, Clifton. Reardon had been trying to contact her by phone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
and text
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
, but did not find it "completely out of character" that she did not respond. While waiting for Yeates to return home, Reardon found that her personal items had been left behind and that their cat appeared to have been neglected. When he tried to call her again, her mobile phone rang from a pocket of her coat at the flat. Around midnight, Reardon contacted the police and then Yeates' parents to report her missing.
Investigators determined that Yeates had spent the evening of 17 December 2010 with colleagues at the Bristol Ram pub on Park Street
Park Street, Bristol
Park Street is a main street in Bristol, England, linking the city centre to Clifton. It forms part of the A4018.The building of Park Street started in 1761 and it was Bristol's earliest example of uniformly stepped hillside terracing. The street runs from College Green up a steep incline...
, leaving around 8.00 pm to make the 20-minute walk home. She reportedly told friends and colleagues that she was looking forward to spending the weekend alone while baking and shopping for Christmas. Yeates was spotted on closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
(CCTV) at around 8.10 pm in a Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
supermarket without purchasing anything. She then phoned her best friend, Rebecca Scott, at 8.30 pm to arrange a meeting on Christmas Eve. The last known footage of Yeates recorded her buying a pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
from a Tesco Express that evening at around 8.40 pm. She had also picked up two small bottles of cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
at a Bargain Booze nearby.
Search and public appeal
Reardon and Yeates' friends set up a website and used social network serviceSocial network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
s to help look for her. On 21 December 2010, Yeates' parents and Reardon made a public appeal through a police press conference for her safe return. In another press conference broadcast live on 23 December 2010 via Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
and BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, Yeates' father David commented on her disappearance: "I think she was abducted after getting home to her flat ... I have no idea of the circumstances of the abduction because of what was left behind ... I feel sure she would not have gone out by herself leaving all these things behind and she was taken away somewhere". Her keys, phone, purse and coat were left behind at her flat. Detectives retrieved a receipt
Receipt
A receipt is a written acknowledgment that a specified article or sum of money has been received as an exchange for goods or services. The receipt is evidence of purchase of the property or service obtained in the exchange.-Printed:...
for a pizza, but found no sign of the pizza itself nor its packaging. Both bottles of cider were found in the flat, one of them partially consumed. As there was no evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
of forced entry
Forced Entry
Forced Entry may refer to:*Forced entry or forcible entry, entering into property, lawfully or unlawfully, by use of forceIn film:*Forced Entry , a pornographic film starring Harry Reems...
or a struggle, investigators began to pursue the scenario that Yeates may have known her abductor.
Discovery of body
On 25 December 2010, a fully clothed body was found in the snow by a couple walking their dogs along Longwood Lane near a golf courseGolf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
and next to the entrance of a quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
in Failand
Failand
Failand is a village in Somerset, England. It lies within the civil parish of Wraxall and Failand and the unitary authority area of North Somerset....
, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) from her home. The body was identified by police as that of Yeates. Reardon and the Yeates family visited the site of the discovery on 27 December 2010. David Yeates said that the family "had been told to prepare for the worst" and expressed relief that his daughter's body had been recovered. Grief counselling
Grief counseling
Grief counseling is a form of psychotherapy that aims to help people cope with grief and mourning following the death of loved ones, or with major life changes that trigger feelings of grief ....
was offered to Yeates' co-workers to help them cope with her death. Funeral arrangements were delayed as investigators wished to retain the body "for a while". The pathologist Dr Nat Carey consented to the release of the body of the deceased on 31 January 2011.
Murder investigation
The investigation, called "Operation Braid", comprised 80 detectiveDetective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
s and civilian staff under the direction of Detective Chief Inspector
Chief inspector
Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:...
Phil Jones. It became one of the largest police operations in the history of the Avon & Somerset Constabulary jurisdiction. Jones urged the public to come forward with any information to help catch the killer, especially from potential witnesses who were in the vicinity of Longwood Lane in Failand during Yeates' disappearance. He stated that the investigation was seeking the driver of a "light-coloured 4x4 vehicle
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
" for questioning.
Jones said that officers had been "inundated with thousands of calls" and are "exhausting every lead and avenue that we are provided with." Police were examining over 100 hours of surveillance footage along with 293 tonnes of rubbish seized from the area around Yeates' flat. Refuse collection had been suspended in that part of Clifton since 23 December 2010. Crime Stoppers offered a £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
10,000 reward
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her murderer. Authorities advised residents to take precautions and warned local women not to walk alone after dark.
Post-mortem and initial enquiries
Detectives from the Avon and Somerset ConstabularyAvon and Somerset Constabulary
Avon & Somerset Constabulary is the territorial police force in England responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of Somerset, the city & county of Bristol and the unitary authorities of South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset; before 1996 these districts...
immediately treated Yeates' death as "suspicious", and investigated similarities with the unsolved cases of Glenis Carruthers, Melanie Hall and Claudia Lawrence
Disappearance of Claudia Lawrence
The disappearance of Claudia Lawrence is a missing person case concerning a then-35 year old British chef at the University of York. The last confirmed sighting of her was on 18 March 2009, in Melrosegate, Heworth, York.-Last known whereabouts:...
. The possibility of such connections has since been downplayed by authorities. The police gathered surveillance video from Clifton Suspension Bridge
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Brunel died in 1859, without seeing the completion of the bridge. Brunel's colleagues in the Institution of Civil Engineers felt that completion of the Bridge would be a fitting memorial, and started to raise new funds...
as it is the most direct route across the Avon Gorge
Avon Gorge
The Avon Gorge is a 1.5-mile long gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles from the mouth of the river at Avonmouth. The gorge forms the boundary between the unitary authorities of...
between the crime scene and where Yeates was last seen alive. The poor quality of much of the footage was unable to clearly distinguish individuals or car registration numbers. Investigators are also aware that the perpetrator could have used an alternative bridge across the River Avon less than a mile to the south to avoid CCTV coverage.
A post-mortem examination
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
began on 26 December 2010, though results were delayed due to the frozen condition of the body. Police initially thought it possible that Yeates froze to death in the winter outdoors as her body showed no visible signs of injury. Investigators announced on 28 December 2010 that the case had become a murder inquiry as the coroner determined that Yeates had died by strangulation. The post-mortem also indicated that she had died "several days before being discovered" on 25 December 2010. The examination also confirmed that Yeates did not eat the pizza she had purchased. Detective Chief Inspector Jones stated that the investigation found "no evidence to suggest that Joanna was sexually assaulted". The police searched Reardon's laptop computer and mobile phone as part of standard procedure. Reardon was ruled out as a suspect and is being treated as a witness.
A young woman attending a party at a neighbouring home on Canynge Road on the night of Yeates' disappearance recalled hearing two loud screams shortly after 9.00 pm from the direction of Yeates' flat. Another neighbour who lived behind Yeates' home said that he heard a high-pitched woman's voice scream "Help me". Officers removed the front door to Yeates' flat to check for clothing fibres and DNA evidence. Investigators were examining the possibility that the perpetrator was already inside the flat when Yeates returned home.
Further enquiries
On 4 January 2011, a clinical forensic psychologistForensic psychology
Forensic psychology is the intersection between psychology and the criminal justice system. It involves understanding criminal law in the relevant jurisdictions in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges, attorneys and other legal professionals...
, who had previously been involved as a criminal profiler
Offender profiling
Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is a behavioral and investigative tool that is intended to help investigators to profile unknown criminal subjects or offenders. Offender profiling is also known as criminal profiling, criminal personality profiling, criminological profiling,...
in other high profile murder cases, joined the investigation to help narrow down the number of potential suspects. Senior officers from the investigation had asked for assistance from the National Policing Improvement Agency
National Policing Improvement Agency
The United Kingdom's National Policing Improvement Agency is a non-departmental public body established to support police by providing expertise in such areas as information technology, information sharing, and recruitment.-Background:...
, a centre which provides expertise for difficult cases. Jones stated that his officers were checking through 1,300 tips and pieces of information from the public and have established over 1,000 lines of inquiry, 239 of them considered "high priority".
On 5 January 2011, Detective Chief Inspector Jones announced that Yeates was missing one of her socks when she was found dead and it was not found at the crime scene nor in her home. Jones stated that the sock was a long, ski-style size five. Psychologist Glenn Wilson
Glenn Wilson (psychologist)
Glenn Daniel Wilson is a psychologist best known for his work on attitude and personality measurement, sexual attraction, deviation and dysfunction, partner compatibility, and psychology applied to performing arts.In 2001, Wilson was ranked among the 10 most frequently cited British psychologists...
, who is not associated with the police investigation, commented that the killer might have used the sock to strangle Yeates or kept it as a trophy. Hours after the press conference, an elderly man turned in a sock for police evidence. However, the dark sock was not believed to match the one sought by investigators. Another piece of evidence that police were investigating was a pizza label with a note mentioning Yeates that was received by the Bristol Ram pub on 27 December 2010, after her body was found. Investigators determined the note to be a hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
as the label was not from Tesco, and stated, "We take any reports of information in relation to this inquiry seriously."
Police launched a national advertising campaign
Advertising campaign
An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication...
to appeal for witnesses through Facebook, which had been viewed nearly 250,000 times since 4 January 2011. CCTV footage of Yeates had been viewed 120,000 times on YouTube. The Sun offered a £50,000 reward to "bring a longed-for breakthrough" in the case.
On 9 January 2011, Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy
Kerry McCarthy
Kerry Gillian McCarthy is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Bristol East since 2005.-Early life:...
endorsed the idea of a public DNA screening process if the police would find it useful. The Avon and Somerset Constabulary had previously conducted mass DNA screening during the 1995 investigation into the disappearance of then-18-year-old Louise Smith. McCarthy suggested that the screening process should be extended beyond Clifton to the wider Bristol area. Saliva that had been found on Yeates' body was tested for a potential DNA profile. Detectives arranged to interview up to 20 out of the 924 registered sex offenders living within the jurisdiction of the force.
First arrest and release
On 30 December 2010 Yeates' landlord, Christopher Jefferies, who lives in the same building, was arrested shortly after 7.00 am on suspicion of Yeates' murder and was taken to a local police station for questioning while forensic investigators inspected his flat. Investigators were granted a 12-hour extension on 31 December for additional questioning, and released him on bail the following day. On release he retained the legal services of Stokoe Partnership to assist in clearing his name. On 4 March 2011, Yeates' landlord was released from bail and the police stated he was no longer a suspect. Jeffries was paid a "substantial" undisclosed sum in libel damages by eight tabloid newspapers in July 2011 after over 40 defamatory articles were published following his arrest.Crime reconstruction and second arrest
In January 2011, a dramatic reconstructionCrime reconstruction
Crime scene reconstruction is the use of scientific methods, physical evidence, deductive reasoning, and their interrelationships to gain explicit knowledge of the series of events that surround the commission of a crime. It is a disciplined and principled approach towards objectively understanding...
of the case was filmed on location in Bristol for broadcast in the 26 January edition of Crimewatch
Crimewatch
Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
. A firm that had been involved in the production of the Harry Potter films
Harry Potter (film series)
The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
was contracted to reproduce the snowy conditions at the time of Yeates' disappearance. Within 24 hours of news coverage about the production on 18 January, over 300 people contacted the police. A breakthrough led investigators to believe that Yeates' body may have been transported in a large holdall
Holdall
In American English, a holdall, or gym bag is a large bag made of cloth or leather typically with a rectangular base and a zippered opening at the top...
or suitcase.
On the morning of 20 January, the Avon and Somerset Constabulary arrested a 32-year-old man, who was detained at an undisclosed location. At first the authorities declined to reveal additional details while the suspect was being interrogated due to concerns over past media coverage. The arrest reportedly followed an anonymous tip from a female caller, hours after a televised appeal by Yeates' parents on the Crimewatch programme. Canynge Road was closed by police while scaffolding was constructed around Yeates' home; officers sealed off the adjacent flat of 32-year-old Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
engineer Vincent Tabak. Investigators also searched the nearby townhouse of a friend, where Tabak was believed to have been staying, about a mile away. Tabak had previously been ruled out as a suspect during an earlier stage of the investigation, and had returned to England from a holiday trip visiting his family in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Following Tabak's arrest, the BBC cancelled its plans to air the Yeates re-enactment on Crimewatch. On 31 January, Yeates' family publicly released photos of her that previously had been scheduled to be broadcast on the programme.
Legal proceedings
Murder charge and plea
After questioning during 96 hours of detention, Tabak was charged on 22 January with the murder of Joanna Yeates. He made a brief appearance at Bristol Magistrates' Court on 24 January and was remanded in custody. Tabak, who was legally represented by Paul Cook, declined to request bail during a subsequent hearing on the following day. Tabak was moved from Bristol PrisonBristol (HM Prison)
HMP Bristol is a Category B men's prison, located in the Horfield area of Bristol. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
because of fears for his safety. He was placed under suicide watch
Suicide watch
Suicide watch is an intensive monitoring process used to ensure that an individual does not die by suicide. Usually the term is used in reference to inmates in a prison, hospital, psychiatric hospital, or military bases...
at Long Lartin Prison
Long Lartin (HM Prison)
HM Prison Long Lartin is a Category A men's prison, located in the village of South Littleton in Worcestershire, England. Long Lartin Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.-History:...
near Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
, where staff were ordered to check on him every 30 minutes throughout the day and night. Tabak's family and friends in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
started to raise a fund for his defence in court.
On 5 May 2011, Vincent Tabak pleaded guilty to the manslaughter
Manslaughter in English law
In the English law of homicide, manslaughter is a less serious offence than murder, the differential being between levels of fault based on the mens rea . In England and Wales, the usual practice is to prefer a charge of murder, with the judge or defence able to introduce manslaughter as an option...
of Yeates, but denied murdering her. Tabak's guilty plea was rejected by the Crown Prosecution Service. On 20 September, Tabak appeared in person at a pre-trial hearing at Bristol Crown Court
Bristol Crown Court
The Crown Court at Bristol is a Crown Court venue in Bristol, England. It is located at the Law Courts in Small Street.The building which was known as the Bristol Guildhall was built in the 1840s by Richard Shackleton Pope. The assize courts were attached to the rear of the Guildhall between...
. Appearances at previous hearings had been made via videolink from prison.
Trial
The trial of Vincent Tabak started on 4 October 2011. His counsel in the trial was William Clegg QC, while the case was prosecuted by Nigel Lickley QC. Tabak pleaded guilty to manslaughterManslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
, but denied murder, and claimed that the killing had not been sexually motivated. He told the court that he had killed Yeates while trying to silence her after she screamed when he tried to kiss her. He claimed that Yeates had made a "flirty comment" and invited him to take a drink with her. He said that when she screamed he held his hand over her mouth and around her neck in an attempt to silence her.
The prosecution case was that Yeates had resisted him, and would have been in great pain, although Tabak denied there was a struggle. The trial was told that Tabak – around 1 foot (0.3048 m) taller that Joanna Yeates – had used his superior height and build to overpower her. During the ensuing struggle Joanna Yeates had suffered 43 separate injuries to her head, neck, torso and arms, and it was said that "sufficient force was used" to kill her. Luckley told the court that the struggle would have been lengthy and death would not have been instantaneous. It was also said that DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
swabs taken from Joanna Yeates' body provided a match with Tabak.
The jury were sent out to deliberate on 26 October, and returned with a verdict two days later. On 28 October 2011 Tabak was found guilty of Joanna Yeates' murder by the jury which convicted him by a majority of 10 to 2. He was jailed for life, with a tariff term of 20 years. In passing sentence at Bristol Crown Court
Bristol Crown Court
The Crown Court at Bristol is a Crown Court venue in Bristol, England. It is located at the Law Courts in Small Street.The building which was known as the Bristol Guildhall was built in the 1840s by Richard Shackleton Pope. The assize courts were attached to the rear of the Guildhall between...
, Mr Justice Field referred to a "sexual element" to the killing. Following the trial it was disclosed that Tabak had used his computer to view Internet pornography
Internet pornography
Internet pornography is pornography that is distributed by means of various sectors of the Internet, primarily via websites, peer-to-peer file sharing, or Usenet newsgroups...
depicting scenes of violence against women. However, details of this were not included in the prosecution's case since the Judge felt it did not prove that Tabak had acted with premeditation
Premeditated murder
Premeditated murder is the crime of wrongfully causing the death of another human being after rationally considering the timing or method of doing so, in order to either increase the likelihood of success, or to evade detection or apprehension.State laws in the United States vary as to definitions...
in killing Joanna Yeates.
Media coverage
Dominic GrieveDominic Grieve
Dominic Charles Roberts Grieve, QC MP is a British Conservative politician, barrister and Queen's Counsel.He is the Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield and the Attorney General for England and Wales and the Advocate General for Northern Ireland.-Early life:Grieve was born in Lambeth, the son of...
, the Attorney General for England and Wales
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
, stated on 31 December 2010 that he was contemplating taking action under the Contempt of Court Act to remind the media of their obligation not to prejudice a possible future trial. Criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
professor David Wilson
David Wilson (Criminologist)
David Wilson is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Birmingham City University.Wilson studied at the University of Glasgow , Selwyn College, Cambridge, and at the Cambridge Institute of Criminology, where he gained a PhD in 1983. He joined Her Majesty's Prison Service as a junior...
commented on the resonance of the murder case with the national news media: "The British public loves a whodunnit
Whodunit
A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader or viewer is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final...
... It's a particularly British thing. We were the first nation to use murder stories to sell newspapers and that culture is more ingrained here than elsewhere." Wilson called Yeates, a white female professional
Missing white woman syndrome
Missing white woman syndrome or missing pretty girl syndrome is a term used by some media and social critics to describe the seemingly disproportionate degree of coverage in television, radio, newspaper and magazine reporting of a misfortune, most often a missing person case, involving a young,...
, an "ideal victim" for the media.
Following a television news report on 4 January 2011, that criticised the handling of the investigation, ITN reporters were banned by the Avon and Somerset Constabulary from attending a press conference convened to give updates on the murder case. ITN accused the police of attempting "to censor what information we can broadcast" while the constabulary filed a complaint with the Office of Communications
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
, calling the broadcast "unfair, naïve and irresponsible reporting". The police have since lifted the sanctions against ITN, but said that they would "not hesitate to adopt similar tactics in the future." Legal action was also considered over a Tweet
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
revealing that Tabak had viewed internet pornography
Internet pornography
Internet pornography is pornography that is distributed by means of various sectors of the Internet, primarily via websites, peer-to-peer file sharing, or Usenet newsgroups...
of erotic asphyxiation
Erotic asphyxiation
Erotic asphyxiation or breath control play is the intentional restriction of oxygen to the brain for sexual arousal. The sexual preference for that behavior is variously called asphyxiophilia, autoerotic asphyxia, hypoxyphilia. Colloquially, a person engaging in the activity is sometimes called a...
and bondage
Bondage (sexual)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
.
On 12 May 2011, the High Court of England and Wales granted the Attorney General
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
permission to bring a case for contempt against The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
and the Daily Mirror for the way they had reported on the arrest of Yeates' landlord, Chris Jefferies. On 29 July, the Court ruled that both newspapers had been in contempt of court, fining the Daily Mirror £50,000 and The Sun £18,000. On the same day, Jefferies accepted "substantial" damages
Damages
In law, damages is an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury; grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.- Compensatory damages :...
for defamation
English defamation law
Modern libel and slander laws, as implemented in many Commonwealth nations as well as in the United States and in the Republic of Ireland, are originally descended from English defamation law...
from eight newspapers in connection with articles relating to his arrest.
In an interview following Tabak's conviction, Jefferies commented: "It has taken up a whole year virtually of my life, that period of time has meant that everything else that I would normally be doing has been in abeyance." He also criticised the government's plans to change the law on legal aid
Legal aid
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.A number of...
, which he said would prevent people with limited means from taking action against newspapers. He later gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry
Leveson Inquiry
The Leveson Inquiry is an ongoing public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal. On 6 July 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron announced to Parliament that a public government inquiry would convene to further...
, an inquiry established by Prime Minister David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
to investigate the ethics and behaviour of the British media following the News of the World phone hacking affair. Jefferies told the hearing how reporters had "besieged" him after he was questioned by the police. In a statement to the inquiry he said: "It was clear that the tabloid press had decided that I was guilty of Miss Yeates's murder and seemed determined to persuade the public of my guilt. They embarked on a frenzied campaign to blacken my character by publishing a series of very serious allegations about me which were completely untrue."
Legislation
Secretary of State for Justice Kenneth ClarkeKenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of...
examined a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
that would impose a six-month sentence on any journalist who names a suspect who has not yet been charged. The legislation was introduced into the House of Commons
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
in June 2010, i.e. before the murder, by Anna Soubry
Anna Soubry
Anna Mary Soubry is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Broxtowe since the 2010 general election. She is a single mother of two children....
of Broxtowe
Broxtowe
Broxtowe is a local government district with borough status in Nottinghamshire, England, west of the City of Nottingham. It is part of the Greater Nottingham metropolitan area...
, who is herself a former journalist and criminal law barrister. She withdrew the proposal on 4 February after the government opposed it. Both Labour and Conservative MPs criticised the press coverage. Mike Freer
Mike Freer
Michael Whitney Freer MP is a British politician. A Conservative, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Finchley and Golders Green at the 2010 general election...
, referring to "the landlord in Bristol", said "it was the castigation, the crawling over of that gentleman's background, the questioning of his looks, his eccentricity and his sexuality that were abhorrent and that will follow him around for ever." Soubry replied "What we saw in Bristol was, in effect, a feeding frenzy and vilification. Much of the coverage was not only completely irrelevant, but there was a homophobic tone to it which I found deeply offensive. The slurs on the man were out of order." Robert Flello
Robert Flello
Robert Charles Douglas Flello is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent South since 2005.-Early life:...
said that many members had alluded to "the media's dreadful treatment of her landlord". The shameful way in which that man was portrayed in the press-from "weird-looking" to "strange", and with questions raised about his sexuality, his teaching practices and even his hairstyle-should embarrass and shame our media.
However, Philip Davies
Philip Davies
Philip Andrew Davies is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Shipley in West Yorkshire.-Early life:...
, the MP for Shipley
Shipley (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Elections in the 1970s:-Elections in the 1910s:...
, countered that the news media functions as a "great control on potential abuse by the police". Bob Satchwell of the Society of Editors said that "this cure is far worse than the disease" and would lead to "speculation during criminal inquiries and great unfairness." Satchwell, citing the example of people who disappeared under Latin American dictators, argued that the ability to name suspects serves to protect them by drawing out new evidence. The bill failed to complete its second reading but Crispin Blunt
Crispin Blunt
Crispin Jeremy Rupert Blunt is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for the Reigate constituency in Surrey, and since May 2010 he has been the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Youth Justice within the Ministry of Justice.He first entered...
promised the Attorney General would examine the area of concern.
Aftermath and memorials
Associate VicarVicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
Dan Clark led a memorial service for Yeates at Christ Church
Christ Church, Clifton Down
Christ Church is a popular church in Clifton, Bristol, England.It was built in 1841 by Charles Dyer. The steeple, which reaches 65 m , was built 1859 by J Norton, and the aisles in 1885 by William Basset Smith....
in Clifton on 2 January 2011. Her boyfriend, Greg Reardon, started a charity website in Yeates' memory to raise funds on behalf of families of missing people. Yeates' employers, Building Design Partnership, and the local NHS trust
NHS Trust
A National Health Service trust provides services on behalf of the National Health Service in England and NHS Wales.The trusts are not trusts in the legal sense but are in effect public sector corporations. Each trust is headed by a board consisting of executive and non-executive directors, and is...
plan to commemorate her with a memorial in a garden she had been designing for a new £430 million hospital in Southmead
Southmead
Southmead is a northern suburb and council ward of Bristol, in the southwest of England. The town of Filton , and the Bristol suburbs of Monks Park, Horfield, Henleaze and Westbury on Trym lie on its boundaries....
, Bristol. Other planned memorials include a garden of remembrance at the BDP firm's studio in Bristol, a published anthology of Yeates' work, and an annual landscape design prize named in her memory for students of the University of Gloucestershire
University of Gloucestershire
The University of Gloucestershire is a university primarily based in Gloucestershire, England, spread over four campuses, three in Cheltenham and one in Gloucester...
, where she had once studied. BDP will dedicate a charity cycle ride between its offices on its 50th anniversary, with proceeds to go towards charities selected by her family. Yeates left behind an estate valued at £47,000, which included an amount set aside to purchase a home with Reardon. As she had not written
Intestacy
Intestacy is the condition of the estate of a person who dies owning property greater than the sum of their enforceable debts and funeral expenses without having made a valid will or other binding declaration; alternatively where such a will or declaration has been made, but only applies to part of...
a will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
, the sum will be inherited by her parents.
Following the release of her body on 31 January 2011, Yeates' family arranged to hold her funeral at St Mark's of Ampfield
Ampfield
Ampfield is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Test Valley in Hampshire, England, between Romsey, Eastleigh, and Winchester. It had a population at the 2001 census of 1,474....
, Hampshire and have her interred in the churchyard. Yeates was buried on 11 February, with about 300 people attending the service led by Vicar Peter Gilks.
External links
- Help Find Jo
- Jo Yeates tribute at the Building Design PartnershipBuilding Design PartnershipBuilding Design Partnership is a firm of architects and engineers employing over 1200 staff in the UK and internationally.-Foundation:The firm was founded in 1961 by George Grenfell Baines with architects Bill White and John Wilkinson, quantity surveyor Arnold Towler and eight associate partners:...
- Joanna Yeates murder / video reconstruction at BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
CrimewatchCrimewatchCrimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One... - Full statement by Jo Yeates' boyfriend at the Southern Daily EchoSouthern Daily EchoThe Southern Daily Echo, commonly known as the Daily Echo or simply The Echo, is a local newspaper that covers the area of south-central Hampshire, England, including the city of Southampton...
- Full statement by Jo Yeates' family at the Southern Daily Echo
- Vincent Tabak fact file at Murder UK