Greste parents give up on Egypt's courts

The Brisbane-based parents of jailed Australian journalist Peter Greste were shocked to see holiday photos of themselves displayed during an Egyptian trial against their son.

Juris and Lois Greste viewed their son's fifth Cairo court hearing via live Twitter feeds on Thursday night, bracing for damning new evidence.

But they said the prosecution produced no video footage linking him to the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood movement and no evidence that he had broadcasted misrepresentations of Egypt's political crisis.

Juris Greste said he braced himself for the prosecution's "killer blow" and was shocked to see family holiday photos presented as evidence.

"Up comes a picture of Lois and me - standing in front of my old primary school in Germany - that Peter took about 18 months ago," he told reporters on Friday.

"It was the weirdest experience of my life. It can never be topped."

The court was also shown footage taken from computers allegedly belonging to Greste and two of his Al Jazeera's English service colleagues, who have been detained with him for four months.

The footage included a Sky News Arabia report on Egyptian tourism, Greste's award-winning BBC documentary from Somalia, and pictures of his parents.

Judge Mohamed Nagi Rushdy dismissed footage found in Greste's possession of a Kenyan official after a militant attack, telling prosecutors that it had nothing to do with the case.

Mrs Greste said she was exasperated and heartbroken as Egyptian authorities struggled to make a case against her son.

"To us, of course, the hearing was farcical," she said.

"I don't know what Egypt will do. I have no idea. There is no logic to it."

Mr Greste said his son appeared to be in good spirits but was desperate to hear about the family.

"You're busting to take your mind outside, beyond the walls," he said.

Greste would have spent 116 days in jail when he is due to appear in court again on April 22.