The man accused of murdering Joanna Yeates has spoken in court for the first time saying he "still can't believe" he killed the blonde architect.
Yeates' family watched as Vincent Tabak gripped the witness box and told the court how he panicked after the 25-year-old rebuffed his advances. Tabak described how he leant in for a kiss 10 minutes after Yeates invited him in for a Christmas drink.
"I got the impression she wanted to kiss me. She had been friendly", he said.
When asked by his barrister, William Clegg QC, why he put his hand around the back of her throat, Tabak said he wanted to "stop her screaming".
"I panicked and I put one of my hands over her mouth" he told the court. "I said something like 'I'm sorry, it's OK. Please stop'. I wanted to calm her down.
"I can't believe I did that," he told the jury. "I was not thinking straight."
Tabak also confirmed he had Yeates' body in his car when he drove to Asda to buy crisps and beer.
The court heard how the 33-year-old moved to Bath in September 2007 after studying architecture for seven years at Eindhoven University, Holland. He met his girlfriend Tanja Morson on a dating website and they moved to their flat on Canynge Road in 2009.
On the morning of the day Yeates was killed, Tabak and his girlfriend exchanged texts. When asked about his relationship with Morson, he lost his composure, looked down at the witness box and took a deep breath before continuing.
Tabak described how he felt "lonely" and was "bored" without his girlfriend, who had gone to a Christmas work party. He texted Morson at 9.25pm saying he "missed her loads", and then left to go to Asda to buy some "small treats".
As he walked towards his car, Tabak passed Flat One, setting off the security light. The Dutchman looked into the lit kitchen and saw Yeates.
"I waved to her and she waved back", he said, despite earlier admitting he did not know either Yeates or her boyfriend Greg Reardon by name.
"She was friendly", Tabak told the jury, "She was going to open the front door."
After prompts from his barrister, the defendant detailed how Yeates invited him in and he hung his coat on a rack. The two talked for "roughly 10 minutes", and told each other their partners were away. Tabak told Yeates he "was bored".
"I leaned forward and I put one of my hands on her back and tried to kiss her", Tabak told the court.
"Did you kiss her?" Clegg asked.
"No", replied Tabak. "She started to scream quite loudly," he added. "I panicked and put one of my hands over her mouth. I said something like I am sorry."
When Tabak took his hand away from her mouth, Yeates started screaming again and so he put one hand on her mouth and another on her neck.
After Clegg asked Tabak if he intended to kill or cause serious harm to Yeates, the Dutchman replied "No definitely not", and that he had his hand on her neck for a "short, short time".
"I was in a state of panic, shock, I couldn't believe it", Tabak told the courtroom. "I still can't understand what happened."
According to Tabak, he put Yeates in her bedroom and went back to his flat next door, hoping when he returned she would be alive. She wasn't.
Tabak carried Yeates' body to his flat, but had to put her down halfway as she was "too heavy". After moving her body to the spare bedroom in his Clifton flat, he put Yeates into the plastic cover he used for his bicycle.
He told the court it was "difficult", but he did it so no-one would find out what had happened.
"I went back there [to Yeates' flat]. I switched off the oven, the TV and picked up a pizza that was in the kitchen." Tabak also retrieved one of her socks which had come off as he moved her body.
"Why did you take the pizza off?" asked Clegg.
"I was in a state of panic", Tabak replied, adding he was not thinking straight. He said he "could not believe" he went to Asda with Yeates' body in his car boot. "I just picked the original plan."
Tabak confirmed he texted his girlfriend while he was in Asda, and apologised to the court.
"I'm so sorry. I wanted to reach out to her - Tanja. To get support, hear her voice, anything. I was in a state, not believing what had happened - that I was responsible for her [Yeates'] death."
Tabak described dumping Yeates' body in Longwood Lane as "something horrendous".
"I put [Yeates' body] on the roadside verge in the grass, I took Joanna's [body] out of the cover and put the cover back in the car.
"I tried to hide the body by lifting it over the wall. I tried a couple of times", he added, explaining Yeates' breast was exposed when he moved her body.
"I'm so sorry for doing that. I put Joanna's parents and Greg through a week of hell."
After leaving Yeates' body on a grass verge and covering her body with leaves, he texted his girlfriend and returned home. When he realised he still had the bicycle cover, pizza and Yeates' sock, he disposed of them in a recycle bin near Victoria Square in Clifton.
"I was constantly checking the news and read that police were sifting through rubbish. I was afraid they would find the pizza," Tabak added.
He continued to recount his moments after dumping Yeates' body saying he picked his girlfriend up and went to a burger bar. After Yeates' death he started drinking vodka every night, explaining he expected to be arrested at "any moment" and treated every day "like his last".
"I took it day by day", he told the court. "What I should have done was called the police. I had ample opportunity to call the police. I was in a state of total despair. I thought of jumping off the bridge.
"I was stupidly hoping they [the police] didn't have enough evidence to link me to what I did."