Florida killer apologises to victim's family

The killer of Trayvon Martin has apologised to his parents over the death of their son.

Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton were in court in Florida and watched as George Zimmerman said sorry for their loss.

The 28-year-old is accused of second-degree murder after shooting the unarmed black teenager dead, in what he says was self-defence, after claiming he had been attacked.

He glanced in their direction as he made his brief statement.

Zimmerman was in court to try and get himself freed on bail, with the prosecution determined that he should remain in custody.

His lawyer had requested a bond of no more than $15,000 but the judge granted bail at ten times that amount, although prosecutors had suggested it should be set at $1 million.

His wife, father and mother told the court that he was not a violent person and they would help ensure he did not flee the country if released.

They were allowed to testify by telephone to protect their privacy after receiving hate mail.

Outside court, the lawyer for Trayvon's family, Benjamin Crump, said they were 'devastated' that Zimmerman might soon be free on bail, claiming that he had only made the apology to help his chances of making bail.

George Zimmerman's release from Seminole County Jail could still take several days.

Prosecutors and defence lawyers need to work out agreements on how to protect his privacy, in a case that has sparked racial debate across the United States.

Civil rights activists say racial prejudice played a role not just in the killing, but also in the initial decision by police not to arrest Zimmerman.

The judge has set a number of conditions including electronic monitoring that he said would prevent Zimmerman from being released immediately.

He is also barred from making any contact with his victim's family.