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A man accused of helping to cover up the alleged murder of Melbourne woman Isla Bell has joked with prison staff during his first court appearance.
Eyal Yaffe, 57, of Hampton, faces a charge of assisting an offender with murder.
He appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday hours after his mate and alleged killer Marat Ganiev, 53, faced a murder charge at the same court.
Placed behind protective bullet-proof glass in the court’s prison dock, Yaffe was seen laughing with a security guard during his brief appearance.
Seated before him at the front of the court appeared to be members of his family, whom he smiled and attempted to communicate with.
A woman was seen crying as the court heard an intended bail application could not be held due to delays in the matter being called on.
Yaffe is being represented by top Melbourne barrister Ian Hill – an elite Kings Counsel who helped clear convicted cop killer Jason Roberts after years behind bars.
Mr Hill will return to court on Friday where he will fight to have Yaffe released from custody.
Eyal Yaffe appeared jovial within the confines of the prison dock on Wednesday. He is accused of helping the man who allegedly murdered Isla Bell conceal his crime
Social media accounts show the pair were friends on Facebook, with Ganiev’s profile picture seemingly containing a text alert from Yaffe in a bizarre profile picture.
Yaffe is accused of helping his heroin addict mate conceal the murder of Ms Bell, whose body was found in a rubbish tip more than month after she vanished.
Ganiev is charged with murdering the 19-year old on October 7 at St Kilda East. She had last been seen by her family on October 4.
On Wednesday, her heartbroken mother Justine Spokes issued a gut-wrenching statement in memory of her daughter as Ganiev faced court.
‘I am so, so sorry my darling daughter,’ she said. ‘I could not protect you from your complex illnesses and this cruel world.’
Dressed in black and appearing gaunt, Ganiev, of St Kilda, looked visibly unwell as the short filing hearing took place.
His lawyer, Adrian Lewin, told the court his client was in desperate need of his methadone medication – a drug used by addicts attempting to get off heroin.
The court heard Ganiev required 70mg of the medication, which he had not received for the past two days.
It remains unknown how or why police allege Ganiev killed the teenager, who was reported missing in October.
Two men have been charged after police found suspected human remains in their search for 19-year-old Isla Bell
Marat Ganiev, 53, of St Kilda appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday charged with murdering Ms Bell
Ms Bell was last seen leaving her Brunswick home, in Melbourne, at about 6pm on October 4, just days before her 20th birthday.
Her remains were found at a tip at Dandenong on Tuesday evening and are yet to be formally identified.
Ms Spokes paid a touching tribute to her ‘kind and adventurous’ daughter on Wednesday.
‘I was so proud of your choices this year, your strength to endure despite your suffering,’ she said.
‘All you ever wanted was to create, make and nurture life, to love and be loved.
‘We were so much looking forward to being reunited as a family again; my heart aches and cannot reconcile that’s not going to happen.’
She said Isla was, ‘the gentlest soul, the kindest human and free spirited.
‘I will connect to you in spirit my care bear and no one can take that connection away from us,’ she added.
Victoria Police are investigating whether Ms Bell’s remains had been placed into a household rubbish bin before they ended up at the tip.
Ms Bell was last seen leaving her Brunswick home, in Melbourne’s inner city, about 6pm on October 4
Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad arrested three men after executing search warrants at two properties in Bentleigh East and Mulgrave.
A 63-year-old Mulgrave man was released pending further enquiries.
The Missing Persons Squad formally took over the investigation in late October.
Shortly after her disappearance, Ms Bell’s best friend revealed their last conversation took place on October 7 – three days after she was reportedly last seen and the day police allege she was killed.
During that conversation, Ms Bell was keen to talk about a recent night out and a new friend.
‘She was just about to tell me all about her night. She abruptly stopped replying before giving me any more details,’ the anonymous friend said.
‘She was very eager and excited to tell me all about it, then radio silence.’
Another friend said Ms Bell had struggled with mental health issues and did sometimes disappear for days at a time, but her recent disappearance was out of the ordinary.
‘The messages to her friend the night she disappeared were really sus, real dodgy crowd,’ they said.
‘The police have been pinging her and such but to not much immediate avail.’
Ms Bell’s mother, Justine Spokes, also shared her worries online.
‘My girl is missing and dearly missed,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘She leaves an impression, she’s hard to forget. She has a fighting spirit, sometimes it’s loud and sometimes it’s soft, always enduring.
‘We’re here for you bub. I love you my care bear.’
Ms Spokes later revealed the family had been planning to visit the Great Barrier Reef for Ms Bell’s 20th birthday and became alarmed when they couldn’t reach her.
‘Hey bub. We’re looking forward to our reef trip for your birthday coming up,’ her mum wrote in a public message after she vanished.
‘We’ve been trying to call you to book flights. Let us know your thoughts.
‘We love you my darling.’
