Joanna Yeates

[BwfcDan]

I think I remember from General Manerhiem last year saying she was a colleague of his and she'd gone missing? I may be wrong?

Anyway, the b*stard that killed her is gonna serve at least 20 years behind bars for it. Scum. Hopefully, this is some sort of closure for her family and friends.

[Bruce Rioja]

I think I remember from General Manerhiem last year saying she was a colleague of his and she'd gone missing? I may be wrong?

Anyway, the b*stard that killed her is gonna serve at least 20 years behind bars for it. Scum. Hopefully, this is some sort of closure for her family and friends.

It was The General, Dan, you're quite correct.

"Some sort" of closure is possibly as much as they can hope as, you'll see form their statement here, they'll neither be forgiving nor forgetting anytime soon.

We attended the trial of Jo's murderer not to see justice handed out to him but to find out as much as we could about what really happened from the time Jo disappeared to when Jo's murderer was arrested.

We never considered this trial as a process of justice for Jo. The last four weeks have been more stressful and intense than we ever imagined.

Although we've been made aware of the nature of much of the evidence against Jo's killer, some of the details which came out were a surprise.

There was never any doubt in our minds that Jo had been murdered and that we fully expected him to lie when he went into the witness box.

We came here with little hope or expectation of hearing what happened on 17 December but needed to see him and to hear what he had to say first-hand.

We saw no emotion or remorse or regret for what he did to Jo. We felt all emotion expressed by him was false. All we heard were words of self pity.

For us it is with regret that capital punishment is not a possible option for his sentence. The best we can hope for him is that he spends the rest of his life incarcerated where his life is a living hell, being the recipient of all evils, deprivations and degradations that his situation can provide.

For ourselves, this trial has had little effect on our lives. We've still lost our daughter and our son has lost his sister.

Our main sorrow is that Jo was not allowed to start her own family, have children and achieve her potential. We will never get over our loss, how she was murdered and the total lack of respect with which her body was treated.

We still miss hearing her happy voice and seeing her living life to the full.

Ever since Jo was first reported missing, we have received many cards and letters, mostly from people we have never met giving us support and well wishes.

We thank all of those people for their thoughts and for the time and trouble they've taken to actually get in contact with us.

It has touched us to the core, the physical tributes that have been made to remember Jo: from Jo's university friends; a tree at Writtle College where Jo obtained her degree; from the Landscape Institute at Hilliers Gardens, an area in the Hilliers Gardens near our home dedicated to Jo; from BDP, where she was working at the time of her death; a number of tributes including an annual award in her name at the University of Gloucestershire and from HED a flowering cherry tree. Thank you all for your thoughts.

We would like to thank the police liaison officers, Emma and Russ, for their consideration towards us and as far as they could keeping us informed of developments.

We would also like to express our appreciation to the members of Operation Braid for giving up their time, especially over the festive period, and their efforts in apprehending Jo's killer.

Lastly, we would like to thank the media for not pestering us and giving us space to try and start coming to terms with our loss.

We would ask you to continue to give us the same consideration and respect that you've given us since when Jo first went missing. Thank you.

Why would anyone disagree with the emboldened part?

[Gail Platz]

He's 33, 20 years is not enough. I can bet he'll get the life of luxury in prison too. This country is too soft, scumbags like him should be worked to the ground, cleaning the streets.

[Zulus Thousand of em]

Why would anyone disagree with the emboldened part?

I'm sure that someone will be along in a minute.

[Worthy4England]

Why would anyone disagree with the emboldened part?

I'm sure that someone will be along in a minute.

Aye, usual suspects. Fred just murdered someone, but that's ok, we'll try and rehabilitate them. Sure he didn't mean it...

[Prufrock]

I disagree with the first half of it, I disagree with the death penalty full stop, though I can completely see why the family want it, and are calling for it. Not much to argue with the rest of the emboldened bit.

[Hoboh]

Their daughter hopefully is now at peace her poor parents have to live through the hell this piece of sh*t caused them for the rest of their lives, the scum should hang tomorrow.

[General Mannerheim]

yeah, i knew Jo and Greg quite well. i obviously been following the story very closely over the last few weeks, (basically putting her name into Google news search and reading every article, every day!) i know one or two of the ones who gave evidence too, all very surreal.

The whole event is one ill never forget. I wasnt in the Ram the night she went missing but was on other occasions, thing is when i worked in Bristol i'd usually try and do my weekly hours in 4 days then drive home after work on a thursday, and thats what i did the day before Jo went missing. The following monday at work was when we all first got emails asking if we'd seen or heard from Jo as she hadnt been seen since friday night, then panic grew day by day, and this was the week we were breaking up for xmas! That thursday i set of home for crimbo, and obviously she was found on xmas day.
I was questioned by the police in the new year, we all were. and we had to give fingerprints, n'all that carry on too. A funny (for want of a better word) twist was that on that thursday before xmas journey, id broken down on my way home near Gloucester and the car was a total write off (it was just some crap old banger id bought solely for this commute) and id literally run it into the ground, so that went to the crusher and i got the train... The police were very interested to know why the car id had when she went missing, was in the meantime suddenly disposed of!? but alas, they obviously had bigger fish! we also knew she was dead by now so it wasnt a pleasant place to be, Greg was back too and news crews were camped out side the office, coming up to us in the pubs or cafes etc. horrible.

What gets me now is the press saying how clever and calculated Tabak is, intelligent and highly educated - aye alright, he strangled his next door neighbour, put her in the boot of his car and dumped her by the side of a road!? then goes on the internet and searches 'body decomposition time', what time the bins get emptied, and the difference in sentence between manslaughter and murder, in between wanking over strangulation porn!!?... fecking idiot if you ask me.

anyway, I am relieved to finally know the truth now, and hopefully Jo can rest in peace.

[jaffka]

Horrible incident and I remember it very well when it first come to light, well done the General as well for showing such restraint in all that time, especially seeing as you knew the victim personally.

As a side note maybe this thread is not the place to discuss capital punishment.

RIP Jo and may your family and friends find peace.

[wovlad]

Cheers for that, General. Must be a very difficult subject for you to comment on as you were so close to the victim, but you did it well.

RIP Jo.