The man accused of murdering landscape architect Jo Yeates is angry that police have taken away his glasses for forensic tests.
Vincent Tabak, 32, has been given a replacement pair but he says they were poor quality and he was unable to see who was speaking to him at the hearing.
“He was taken to court as almost a blind man,” said Tabak family spokesman Paul Vermeij.
It has been revealed that Tabak went to Holland three days after Jo was found strangled on Christmas Day to celebrate New Year’s Eve with his family.
The family rented cottages for six days, a common family gathering in the Netherlands.
The accused’s girlfriend Tanja Morson has told Tabak’s relatives that she will stand by him.
“They would have been walking in the park, eating out, partying and playing family games. It was a big family celebration,” added Vermeij.
“Nobody noticed him acting any differently from usual. He was his normal, happy self. They are completely convinced he is innocent.”
Tabak did not enter a plea at his first brief appearance at Bristol Magistrates’ Court.
He was unshaven and handcuffed to a female prison, who he towered over as he is 6ft 4in tall.
After confirming his address – next door to where Jo lived with her boyfriend Greg Reardon, prosecutor Ann Reddrop asked for him to be remanded in custody.
A preliminary hearing will be held on January 31, while a bail hearing at Crown Court is set for today, although it is not known whether Tabak wishes to make an application for bail.
