Breivik back in court as relatives visit Utoya

Relatives and close friends of victims arrive at the scene of the massacre on Utoya island yesterday (REUTERS)

The first of hundreds of relatives and close friends of victims of Norway's worst massacre have travelled to the island of Utoya to identify where their loved ones were killed.

The visit came as a court told Anders Breivik, who confessed to killing 77 people in a bomb and shooting attacks, that he would have to spend another four weeks in isolation to prevent him from tampering with evidence.

Some 1,500 people are expected to travel to Utoya. The visit is designed to help families come to terms with the deaths, Norway's general director of health, Bjoern-Inge Larsen, said. The police officer taking care of each family would take them to the place where their relative's body was found. "Of course, that will be a very difficult day for the people coping out there, but in the long run we know that seeing the scene of where these murders were taking place is actually helpful," Dr Larsen said.

Mr Breivik, 32, appeared in court yesterday at a closed hearing under heavy police protection. His request to wear a long black evening jacket was rejected by the Oslo court, which described it as "unnecessarily disturbing and provocative". A lawyer representing the victims, Sigurd Klomsaet, said Mr Breivik appeared to lack any humility. "His comprehension for the pain and the hurt he has caused others is completely absent. Instead, he is fully occupied with his own situation."

AP