Second man faces court over alleged murder of teen Isla Bell as he JOKES with prison staff while being accused of covering up her death

A man accused of covering up the alleged murder of Melbourne woman Isla Bell has joked with prison staff during his first court appearance.

Eyal Yaffe, 57, of Hampton, is charged with assisting an offender in murder.

He appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday after his partner and alleged killer Marat Ganiev, 53, was charged with murder at the same court.

Placed behind protective bulletproof glass in the courthouse’s jail dock, Yaffe was seen laughing with a guard during his brief appearance.

In front of him at the front of the court sat members of his family, with whom he smiled and tried to communicate.

A woman was seen crying as the court heard that a proposed bail application could not be held due to delays in the case under appeal.

Yaffe is represented by Melbourne’s top lawyer Ian Hill, an elite Kings Counsel who helped exonerate 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.

Social media accounts show the pair were friends on Facebook, with Ganiev’s profile picture apparently featuring a text message alert from Yaffe in a bizarre profile photo.

Yaffe is accused of helping his heroin-addicted friend cover up the murder of Mrs Bell, whose body was found in a rubbish dump more than a month after her disappearance.

Ganiev is accused of murdering the 19-year-old on October 7 in St Kilda East. She was last seen by her family on October 4.

On Wednesday, her heartbroken mother Justine Spokes released a heartbreaking statement in memory of her daughter as Ganiev stood in court.

“I am so very sorry, my dear daughter,” she said. “I couldn’t protect you from your complex diseases and this cruel world.”

Ganiev, from St Kilda, dressed in black and looking thin, looked visibly unwell as the brief 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 trying to get off heroin.

The court heard Ganiev needed 70mg of the medication, which he had not received in the past two days.

It remains unknown how and why police allege Ganiev killed the teenager, who was reported missing in October.

Two men have been charged after police found suspected human remains during their search for 19-year-old Isla Bell

Marat Ganiev, 53, from St Kilda appeared in the Melbourne District Court on Wednesday charged with Ms Bell’s murder

Ms Bell was last seen leaving her home in Brunswick, Melbourne, about 6pm on October 4, just days before her 20th birthday.

Her remains were found at a landfill in Dandenong on Tuesday evening and have yet to be formally identified.

Mrs Spokes paid a moving tribute to her ‘kind and adventurous’ daughter on Wednesday.

“I was so proud of your choices this year, of your strength to persevere despite your suffering,” she said.

“All you ever wanted was to create life, to create and cherish it, to love and be loved.

‘We were so looking forward to being reunited as a family; my heart aches and I can’t bear to think that won’t happen.’

She said Isla was “the gentlest soul, the kindest person and free-spirited.”

“I will connect with you in my mind, my care bear, and no one can take that connection away from us,” she added.

Victoria Police are investigating whether Ms Bell’s remains were placed in a household rubbish bin before ending up in the landfill.

Ms Bell was last seen leaving her home in Brunswick, inner-city Melbourne, 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 inquiries.

The Missing Persons Squad formally took over the investigation in late October.

Shortly after her disappearance, Ms Bell’s best friend revealed that their last conversation took place on October 7 – three days after she was reportedly last seen and the day police allege she was murdered.

During that conversation, Mrs. Bell was eager to talk about a recent night out and a new friend.

‘She was just about to tell me all about her evening. She abruptly stopped answering before giving me more details,” the anonymous friend said.

“She really wanted to tell me all about it, then radio silence.”

Another friend said Ms Bell struggled with mental health problems and would sometimes disappear for days, but her recent disappearance was extraordinary.

“The messages to her friend the night she disappeared were really sussed, a really unreliable audience,” they said.

“The police pinged her and such, but without much immediate results.”

Ms Bell’s mother, Justine Spokes, also shared her concerns online.

“My girl is missing and dearly missed,” she wrote on Facebook.

‘She leaves an impression, she is difficult to forget. She has a fighting spirit, sometimes loud and sometimes soft, always persistent.

“We’re here for you, buddy. I love you, my care bear.”

Mrs Spokes later revealed the family had planned to visit the Great Barrier Reef for Mrs Bell’s 20th birthday and became alarmed when they could not reach her.

“Hey rascal. Looking forward to our reef trip for your birthday coming up,” her mother wrote in a public post after she disappeared.

‘We tried calling you to book flights. Let us know your opinion.

“We love you, my love.”