GREAT BRITIAN • APRIL JONES - 5 yo - / Accused: Mark Bridger - Machynlleth, North Wales

Bridger ‘probably responsible’ for April death, says lawyer


By HARRY HAWKINS


Missing ... April last seen on October 1st

THE lawyer of the man suspected of the murder of April Jones has said he is "probably responsible" for her death.

However Mark Bridger, 46, denied murdering the schoolgirl at a court hearing this morning.

But Brendan Kelly, defending, told the court his client’s defence involves him “conceding that he probably killed the child”.

Bridger of Mount Pleasant farmhouse in the village of Ceinws, near Machynlleth, north Wales, faced April's parents at Mold Crown Court.

He is charged with abducting and murdering April, and of unlawfully disposing of and concealing her body with intent to pervert the course of justice.

But he denied all charges against him.

April’s parents were led into the court before Bridger was brought up.

Mrs Jones, wearing a black cardigan, pink T-shirt and black trousers, and Mr Jones, wearing a salmon pink shirt, sat to the side of the dock, just 10ft away from Bridger.

The defendant, with short cropped hair and goatee beard, was then brought in and confirmed his name to the court.

Both parents stared at Bridger as the charges were read to him.

Bridger stood, his arms behind his back, and looked forward as he entered not guilty pleas to abducting and murdering April and a further charge of perverting the course of public justice.

At one point Bridger, wearing a navy blue jumper with a pair of spectacles tucked into his collar, appeared to be making an effort to compose himself as he entered his pleas and looked up towards the ceiling as he entered his final not guilty plea.

At one point during the hearing, Mrs Jones wiped tears from her eyes with a tissue.

April was last seen playing out on her bike on Machynlleth’s Bryn-y-Gog estate, where she lived, on the evening of October 1 last year.

Bridger was arrested the following day, but the search for April’s body goes
on.
The case sparked an outpouring of support for April’s parents, with hundreds of people joining the search for their daughter and offering assistance.

Dyfed-Powys Police resumed the search to find April Jones on January, following a two-week break for the Christmas period.

Currently there are 16 search teams involved in the operation, the force said.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4743176/mark-bridgers-denies-april-jones-murder.html


I have been watching this case off and on since October.  They have still not found little April and she is presumed dead.  This might still be a missing case but someone is charged with her murder.  My heart is sad for her family.  Here's a few more pictures and links to other stories.  You can also go to "The Sun" and search for "April Jones"  William




http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4707299.ece


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4694398.ece




http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4657648.ece


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4573450.ece

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4587871.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/article4612519.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4575084.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4675239.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4568805.ece

Here's a few more stories. They still have not found the little girl. They are assuming that her body washed out to see. I have not seen any more updates on the assuser. William

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4743176.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4707299.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4657648.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4573450.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4694398.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4576659.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4575991.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4577747.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4626070.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4567164.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4578561.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4572769.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4575594.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4568830.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4570670.ece
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4579236/.html
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4588030.ece

Fresh torment for April Jones parents as murder trial is delayed

Tragic ... April Jones

By VINCE SOODIN Published: 25th February 2013
Former lifeguard Mark Bridger’s trial was due to begin today but was halted after defence lawyers successfully argued for more time “to make further inquiries”.

Five-year-old April’s parents Coral and Paul sat just 10ft from Bridger, 47.

They arrived in court wearing pink ribbons - April’s favourite colour - which they have worn since the schoolgirl vanished while playing on her bike.

Mum-of-three Coral, 40, and hubby Paul, 43, listened intently during the 30-minute hearing.

In the dock, ex-slaughterman Bridger - wearing an open-neck blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves and jeans - made no eye contact with April’s parents.

Mr Justice Griffith Williams, sitting at Mold Crown Court, North Wales, said: “This trial has been adjourned at the defence’s request.”

He agreed to the adjournment to ensure Bridger received a fair trial. The judge ruled that the reasons for the delay could not be reported.

April has not been seen since she vanished while playing with friends - just 200 yards from her home in Machynlleth, Mid Wales, on October 1.

Last month Bridger pleaded not guilty to kidnap, murder and perverting the course of justice by unlawfully disposing of, destroying or concealing April’s body.

The disappearance of cerebral palsy sufferer April sparked a massive outpouring of support for her family, with hundreds of people joining the search.

The youngster’s body has never been found despite a major operation led by Dyfed-Powys Police - costing up to £2.5million.

A new trial date has been set for April 29.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article4812432.ece

Such a gorgeous little angel. I wish they would find her to give her parents some closure. To bad they don't have the death penality. William

Search for missing April Jones set to finally come to an end
THE massive search for missing schoolgirl April Jones is finally being called off - six months after she disappeared.

The painstaking hunt for the five-year-old, described as “unprecedented” in British criminal history, will stop at the end of next month.
April vanished as she played on her bike with friends near her home in Machynlleth, north Wales, on October 1 last year.

Seventeen specialist search teams have been scouring the surrounding countryside ever since.

Hundreds of officers have conducted finger-tip explorations of hills, rivers and gorges involving helicopters, dogs, and divers.

A Dyfed Powys Police spokeswoman said: “A massive search area of 60 kilometres square has been searched, with over 300 specific search areas.

“The terrain is extremely challenging. The mountains, gorges, streams and waterfalls mean extra care has to be taken and specialist safety equipment has to be worn.
The teams have worked through a detailed plan that was based on information from the investigation and UK best practice guidance.”

A team of specialist officers will be available from the end of April to respond to any new information received.

Cops previously made a commitment to search for the youngster until "all viable lines of enquiry were complete."

Local man Mark Bridger, 47, has been charged with murder, abduction and disposing of her body.

He is due to stand trial on April 29.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4862154/Search-for-missing-April-Jones-set-to-finally-come-to-an-end.html



Sad that they can't find her. At least a body would give the family some closure. William

April Jones Murder Trial: Bridger In Court

12:14pm UK, Monday 29 April 2013
The trial of the former lifeguard accused of murdering schoolgirl April Jones is due to get under way.

Mark Bridger, 47, was arrested the day after five-year-old April vanished while playing on her bike near her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, last October.

Wearing a short-sleeved pale blue shirt, a blue striped tie and grey trousers, he appeared in the dock at Mold Crown Court flanked by two prison officers.

Trial judge Mr Justice Griffith Williams told 50 potential jurors: "I don't know whether you have been reading the papers or listening to the news but if you have, you have probably worked out by now that I am about to start the trial which arises out of the alleged murder of April Jones in Machynlleth last October.
"The defendant's name is Mark Bridger, he is obviously sitting in the dock. It may be as well that you have a look at him just to make sure he is not somebody who you know or who you think you know."

Hundreds joined the search for April, who suffered from cerebral palsy, following her disappearance.

Her body has never been found despite a major operation led by Dyfed Powys Police.

Bridger, of Ceinws, is charged with abducting and murdering April, and of unlawfully disposing of and concealing her body with intent to pervert the course of justice.

He has pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

Jury selection has been taking place, with the first day expected to be occupied with legal matters and the trial expected to open later this week.

There will be nearly 60 witnesses called throughout the trial, which is expected to last until the middle of June.

http://news.sky.com/story/1084357/april-jones-murder-trial-bridger-in-court

They have also called off the search for her body. Sad, no closure for family. William

‘Blood of April Jones and bone fragments found in Mark Bridger’s home’ By HARRY HAYDON
BLOOD from April Jones and bone fragments were found at the home of the man accused of murdering the tragic five-year-old, a court heard today.

Mark Bridger, 47, denies abducting and murdering the tot who vanished while playing on her bike near her home in Machynlleth, Mid Wales, on October 1 last year.

Prosecutor Elwen Evans QC told the jury at Mold Crown court blood found at Bridger's home matched the DNA of the schoolgirl - whose body has never been found.

Miss Evans said Bridger - a former abattoir slaughterman - has played a "cruel game" by pretending he did not know what he had done with her body in order to "try and save himself".
The court heard that Bridger's computer showed he had an interest in child sex abuse, rape and murder. They also showed he had an interest in child murder cases.

The jury heard some of the search terms found on Bridger’s laptop included “Naked young five-year-old girls” and “nudism five-year-old” and “France: British schoolgirl raped and murdered”.

Miss Evans also told the court that the defendant's laptop also contained images of Soham murder victims Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

The court heard that on the day April was abducted Bridger had looked at images of young girls and a pornographic cartoon apparently depicting rape.

The same day, a girlfriend had finished with Bridger and there was an exchange of final text messages.
Evans said that text messages from Bridger showed he then contacted a number of women to try and get them to go out with him.

A police search found that Bridger had carried out an “extensive clean up” - but failed to get rid of all the evidence.

Traces of blood were found in the living room, hallway and bathroom - and it matched April’s DNA.

There was a concentration of blood found around the wood burner in the living room.

Around the wood burner were a number of knives, including a boning knife, which was badly burnt.

Miss Evan told the jury that Bridger had been seen putting April in his Land Rover.

She said: “It’s the defendant’s case that he admits that he drove her away. He admits that April is dead. He accepts that he killed her or probably killed her.

“He accepts that he must have got rid of her body.”

But Miss Evans said Bridger has not told police where the body is.

She said: “He says to us that he does not know, that he cannot remember.

“The prosecution case is this: That Mark Bridger abducted April. That he murdered her and that he went to enormous lengths to try to cover up what he had done.

“It’s our case that the defendant’s actions - abduction, murder, covering up what he has done - that his actions were sexually motivated.”

Miss Evans added: “He has played, we say, a cruel game in pretending not to know what he has done to her.
“It’s a game to try and save himself and try to manipulate his way out of his full responsibility in what he has done.”

During the evidence today April’s brave parents Coral, 43, and Paul, 41, sat holding hands tightly as they heard how their little daughter died.

Bridger, wearing a light blue short-sleeved shirt and striped tie, sat staring ahead as he listened to the evidence.

A large snake tattoo could be seen on his left forearm and he wore headphones to help him hear the proceedings.

The disappearance of April, who had cerebral palsy, sparked a massive outpouring of support for her family, with hundreds of people joining the search.

Bridger, of Ceinws, denies abducting and murdering April, and unlawfully disposing of and concealing her body with intent to pervert the course of justice.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4909108/Blood-of-April-Jones-and-bone-fragments-found-in-Mark-Bridgers-home.html

There always a slim hope that she was alive some where. At least now the family knows she's not alive and have some closure on that part. William

THE man accused of kidnapping and murdering April Jones invited another girl to a sleepover at his home on the same day, a jury has been told.

Father-of-six Mark Bridger, 47, approached the ten-year-old girl outside a school parents evening which was also attended by April’s parents.

But the court heard the girl turned down his invitation made two hours before April was taken — because she had not arranged the sleepover with Bridger’s daughter.

Prosecutor Elwen Evans QC said: “Shortly after leaving the school in his vehicle, he approached a couple of girls who were playing in the local area."

She said the girls were aged eight and 10 and were riding their bicycles on the Bryn y Gog estate.

Miss Evans added: “He wound the window down and there was a discussion during which the defendant invited one of the girls to a sleepover with his daughter.

“She declined and he drove off.”

Later that evening Bridger is accused of kidnapping April by luring her into his grey Land Rover, then murdering her in a “sexually motivated” crime.
April’s body has not been found despite Britain's biggest police search, but her blood and bone fragments were found at his whitewashed cottage three miles from April's home in Machynlleth, Wales.

Mold Crown Court heard how former abbatoir worker and lifeguard Bridger had broken up with his girlfriend Vicky Fenner by text on the morning of October 1, the day April went missing.

He then went into the village to collect his benefits then returned home to look at child abuse images on his laptop, the jury was told.

Just before midday, he was on Facebook and sent a message to a woman asking if she fancied meeting up, “no strings”.

Miss Evans said: “More than two hours later, he contacted another woman on Facebook saying: “Hadn’t realised you were single as I am.

“Do you fancy a drink... see how you feel and let me know."


COURT told the accused Mark Bridger asked another girl to his house on the day five-year-old April disappeared


The court heard he later sent a Facebook message to another woman: “Do you fancy a drink and a chat some time, no strings okay.”

Later he sent another text to Ms Fenner saying: “Well didn’t take you long to tell everyone and move on.”

The jury was also shown the last images of little April alive at 5.39pm as she left a local swimming pool with her mum, sister and best friend.
The morning after the five-year-old vanished, three witness saw Bridger carrying a black bin liner in a field near his home, the court heard.

Miss Evans said: “We ask you, what was Mark Bridger doing at that location? What was in that black bin bag?”

Bridger later claimed that he was in the field because he had to stop to “go for a wee”, the court heard.

On the second day of opening the case for the prosecution, Miss Evans took the jury through the story Bridger told when he was arrested on October 2 last year, which including him wanting to “say sorry” to April’s family.

The jury heard Bridger told officers: “It was an accident. I crushed her with the car. I don’t know where she is. As I was going to drive away two girls on bikes came across me.

“I then got out and saw a little girl lying under my car.”

Miss Evans said that Bridger told cops he then got drunk and did not know what had happened to April’s body.

She added: “He was now coming up with a story to try and explain away April’s disappearance and his role in that.

"The prosecution case is that the defendant’s account is a lie.”
The court also heard a statement Bridger made to police in which he tried to give an “excuse” if they were to find April’s DNA on his privates.

Miss Evans said no DNA evidence was found there — but traces of April’s DNA were in fact found “inside the front crotch area” of Bridger’s tracksuit bottoms.

the prosecutor told how police went into Bridger’s home searching for April, half an hour before he was arrested.

She said: “When they went in there they stated that the house was uncomfortably hot, that there was a strong smell of detergent, and a smell of cleaning products, air freshener and washed clothes.”

Bridger denies abducting April, murdering her and disposing of her body to pervert the course of justice.

The trial continues.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4910699/april-jones-accused-invited-another-girl-to-sleepover-at-his-house-on-same-day.html

He sure had been lying a lot in this trial. But DNA blood evidence can't be lied away. William

Kidnapped April was ‘happy’ and smiling as she was driven away
APRIL Jones was smiling and had a ‘happy face’ when she was snatched, her best friend has told a court.

The seven-year-old pal of the tragic schoolgirl was playing with April on the night of her disappearance.

And she said her friend didn’t seem upset when she climbed into a Land Rover.

Speaking at Mold Crown Court, where Mark Bridger, 47, is on trial for April’s abduction and murder, the unnamed schoolgirl told how April appeared happy as she was driven away.

In the tape recording, she said: “We were just going to go home and it was a bit dark.

“I said: 'April, come on,' I looked around because I thought she might have dropped something.

“Then I saw her next to the Land Rover van. I saw her next to the person waiting by the van.

“April didn’t say she was going to go in it, (and) the man didn’t take her in the van.

“She got into the van with a happy face and she wasn’t upset.”

April's close friend told the court that the tragic schoolgirl's brother arrived to collect her just moments after she was snatched.

She said she told April's older sibling that she had been driven off in a vehicle and the pair then raced to raise the alarm.

The schoolgirl appeared on a video link clutching a white teddy bear and a cup of juice as the evidence was played back to the court.

The interview was recorded on October 2 — the day after April went missing near to her home in Machynlleth, Wales.
The court has heard Bridger claims that the schoolgirl’s account is a “fabrication”.

Former slaughterhouse worker Bridger, of Ceiws, claims he accidentally killed April with his Land Rover and cannot remember what he did with the body.

He denies abduction, murder and perverting the course of justice.

The trial continues.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4918156/april-jones-was-happy-and-smiling-as-she-was-kidnapped.html

I'd believe the little girls account more than this lying monster any day. Hopefully the jury will see though all the lies. William

April Jones ‘lay drained of blood’
Trail 'in suspect's cottage'

SCHOOLGIRL April Jones lay in a cottage “with blood draining out of her”, a court heard yesterday.

Crime scene investigators said April, five, lost a “considerable amount” by Mark Bridger’s fireplace.

A bloodied axe handle, a “scorched” boning knife and fragments of a child’s skull were found nearby.

CSI Andrew Parry said a “pooling” of blood by Bridger’s wood-burning stove was “consistent with April being on the floor, blood seeping from an injury, through the carpet”.

Experts found her blood in the living room, a trail on the hall carpet, on the bathroom door and on the shower curtain.

Her parents, Coral and Paul, were in Mold Crown Court as the jury were told that DNA from their daughter’s toothbrush revealed it was a “billion to one” chance the blood was not April’s.

No sign of her has been found since she vanished in Machynlleth, West Wales, last October.

Dad-of-six Bridger, 47, denies kidnap, murder and perverting justice. The trial continues.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4926537/April-Jones-lay-in-a-cottage-with-blood-draining-out-of-her.html

Vanished ... 5-year-old schoolgirl April Jones

Well that monster can't get out of it now. He'll probably try insanity. Too bad they don't have the death penalty. William

April Jones case: Jury retires to consider verdict
A jury has retired to consider its verdict in the trial of a man accused of murdering April Jones.

Mark Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, Powys, denies abducting and murdering five-year-old April, who went missing near her Machynlleth home on 1 October 2012.

He has told Mold Crown Court he accidentally ran her over with his car but the prosecution says he murdered her and lied to cover it up.

The judge told the jury to "take as long as you need".

Mr Bridger said he "panicked" after knocking over April - who had mild cerebral palsy - and cannot remember what he did with her body.

The court has heard April's blood was found in several locations at his home and fragments from a human skull were in his fire.

The judge Mr Justice John Griffith Williams continued his summing up of the case on Wednesday morning before the jury went out at 13:54 BST.

He went through the prosecution's evidence first and started with the
background of the case, reminding the jury of April's family history and that of the defendant.

He also reminded jurors of the evidence from April's mother Coral that her daughter would probably have known Mr Bridger by sight but would not have got into his vehicle knowingly.
The judge mentioned that the defendant worked in a slaughterhouse in Llanidloes and was skilled in the use of knives for boning and skinning.

He said Mr Bridger had never served in the armed forces despite his previous claims.

Moving on to key evidence, he began by detailing text messages sent and received by Mr Bridger on the morning April disappeared.

The judge said at 12:11 the defendant accessed a pornographic cartoon "and you need no reminder of what that showed" and spoke of him sending Facebook messages to women, asking them for drinks.

Describing April's movements on the day, he reminded the jury she came home from school and had her dinner, then went to the leisure centre for a swimming lesson.

Later, she returned home and the judge said the evidence that her parents - who were again in the public gallery - gave in and let her go out to play would have "struck a chord with many parents".

The judge reminded them of the evidence surrounding the parents' evening and how the defendant later drove to Bryn-Y-Gog, the estate where April lived, then around the local area.

Mr Bridger, looked straight at the judge during his summing up, was seen in or around the estate by several witnesses on the evening of 1 October, before April's disappearance.

The judge reminded the jury of the evidence of the 10-year-old girl who was invited by Mr Bridger to a sleepover with his daughter.

Moving on to the seven-year-old friend April was playing with when she went missing, the judge said: "In her interview she said that when they were near the BT van she told April to 'come on'... she said that she called her to tell her to get home because it was getting dark.

"April was talking to a man who was standing between the Land Rover and the BT van... she could see their mouths moving.

"She said the man got out of the Land Rover... it was as if he was waiting for someone... she said she didn't know why April wanted to go... but April got in through the driver's door."

He added that in the girl's words: "He was inside the van when April was going to get in..."

The judge reminded the jury of what the girl had said in cross-examination by defence counsel Brendan Kelly QC. When Mr Kelly asked the girl whether she had seen April on the floor, the judge said the girl replied: "She was talking, but she was standing up when she was talking to the man..."
The judge then told the jury how April's brother had later run home and said: "Someone's taken April."

The 999 call was placed and by 20:13 a police road block had been set up on the nearby Dyfi bridge.

The judge went on to remind the jury that police examined CCTV footage taken between 19:00 on 1 October and midnight. "The defendant's Land Rover was not to be seen," he said.

Moving on to 2 October, the judge talked about the evidence of a woman who saw the defendant carrying a black bin bag. Her impression was there was something in it although it was not very big.

He also reminded the jury of Insp Gareth Thomas, who was in charge of the searches, who said if April had been in the area searched she would have been found.

The moment of arrest was also discussed when Mr Bridger said: "It was an accident, I crushed her with the car."

The judge said the jury had heard evidence the defendant was an "emotional wreck".
Later, the judge went on to review evidence at Mount Pleasant, Mr Bridger's home.

He said some experts agreed the carpet appeared to have been cleaned, adding that blood matching April's DNA was found and there was "no issue this is April's blood".

One expert had described what appeared to be a trail of blood spots in the house.

The judge said the court had also heard that a large area of blood staining by the fireplace indicated "prolonged contact" with the source of April's blood which, it was believed, had come from April herself.

He also referred to evidence from a crime scene investigator who said the woodburner showed signs of having been wiped down.

The expert had noticed this by looking at pictures recently and did not notice at the time. On this evidence, the judge said: "My advice, ladies and gentleman, is to put it to one side."
The jury was also reminded there was no evidence of blood on knives and other tools around the fireplace.

One expert had said there was no blood or other biological material relating to April found inside Mr Bridger's Land Rover and no evidence of a large-scale clean-up. Fingerprint tests were inconclusive.

There was also nothing to indicate anyone had been run over by the vehicle. Similarly, no evidence of a collision was found on the bicycle April was riding.

Moving on to computer evidence, the jury has been reminded that images of April's older sister and two older half-sisters were on Mr Bridger's computer. April could also be seen in some of the pictures.

There were also images of serious sexual abuse.

The judge later talked about bone evidence from the fire saying the experts concentrated on five fragments and were satisfied they had been subjected to heat.

He told jurors to concentrate on these five rather than the other 12 that were found which could not be identified as human or non-human.
The judge said the jury would "want to have regard to the objectivity of those witnesses", adding they relied very much upon their individual experiences in the field.

One expert concluded that four of the fragments were "more likely to be human than non-human" and it was not possible to determine either way in the case of the fifth.
The jury was reminded that Prof Sue Black, described by the judge as "probably the highest qualified" of the experts, could not conclude whether the fragments were human or cranial bone.

Turning to Mr Bridger's police interview, the judge said blood and urine tests taken nearly six hours after his arrest showed no alcohol content.

The defendant had also spoken at length about the manner of the possible disposal of April's body, saying he would not have put her in water because he was scared of drowning.

Mr Bridger also spoke of the possibility of April's body being burned but his fire training taught him flesh, like pork, would smell.

After lunch the judge began summing up the defence's case, saying Mr Bridger had a number of previous convictions for a variety of offences but had always pleaded guilty. He has no convictions for sexual offences.

The jury was told that Mr Bridger, who said he was a registered alcoholic, worked at a slaughterhouse for some time which involved some cutting of meat but was primarily focused on the testing side.

The defendant had said he saved pictures of April's sister and half-sisters on his computer because he was asked to do so by his children. He said he did not know that April was in some of the pictures.
The judge reminded the jury that the defendant said he cooked dinner for his children, including chicken in a wok, on the Saturday before April disappeared and anything left over was thrown into the fire.

On viewing images of a 14-year-old girl, the judge said Mr Bridger believed the girl may have been his daughter.
The defendant had said he was not sober at his daughter's parents' evening but believed he was able to hold a conversation. Later that evening he was not sober, the court had heard.

He parked near a BT van on the estate where April lived because he had wanted to see his ex-partner that night, the defendant had said.

The judge described how Mr Bridger claimed he had tried to drive away when his vehicle rose up and he saw a child "who was limp".

He had remembered checking her chest and pulse but there was no response. As he was driving it came to him there was no A&E at Machynlleth hospital.

The judge said the defendant claimed he later "panicked" and had no recollection of getting back to his cottage.

The defendant said he could not explain how April's blood got into his house but over the last few months it came back to him that he had laid April on the carpet.

The judge also told the jury that when Mr Bridger was asked about images on his computer he "denied he was a paedophile".

Mr Bridger also denies intending to pervert the course of justice.
The case continues.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22687906

There were a few other stories I did not post. Here's links to a few. They did find a large amount of April's blood (confirmed by DNA) on his carpet at his home. Hopefully the jury will see through his lies. William

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22403116
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22454123
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22463165
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22483804
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22510575
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22522856
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22541605
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22572665
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22596503
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22611116
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22625012
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22625014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22644007
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22644008
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22655883
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22687907

One final journey to the prison cell where he'll rot: Paedophile and pathological liar Mark Bridger leaves court after judge says he will never be released for the abduction and murder of little April

'Evil' Mark Bridger was told today he would never be released from prison after he was found guilty of abducting, murdering and disposing of schoolgirl April Jones.

The judge at Mold Crown Court this afternoon gave the former abattoir worker a whole life sentence, calling him a 'pathological and glib liar', and a 'paedophile who for some time harboured sexual and morbid fantasies about young girls.'

Justice Griffith-Williams also asked him to reveal what he did with April's body for the sake of her parents Paul and Coral, who sat just feet away from him as he was jailed.

On October 1 last year Bridger snatched and murdered April, five, on the Bryn-Y-Gog estate, in Machynlleth, Powys, before 'lying through his teeth' by claiming he accidentally hit her with his car and was so drunk he did not know what happened to the body.

But after a five-week trial it took the jury just four hours to decide father of six Bridger was a fantasist, obsessed with child murder and child pornography, who had lured disabled April into his car, before killing her.

The 47 year old still refuses to reveal what he did with her body, but it is believed he burned her in his fire and dumped some of her remains in a river close to his home.

As Bridger was dragged to a waiting prison van outside Mold Crown Court to begin his life term, there were shouts of 'b******'' aimed at him from a waiting crowd.


Jailed: Sexual predator and murderer Mark Bridger is taken from court this afternoon to start his whole life sentence in jail

'What prompted you to live out one of those fantasies is a matter for speculation, but it may have been a combination of the ending of one sexual relationship and your drinking.

'Whatever, you set out to find a little girl to abuse. I am not sure you targeted April specifically - it was probably fortuitous that she can be seen on some of the images which you stored on your laptop of her older sister - but you were on the prowl for a young girl.'

Earlier today the jury agreed there was 'overwhelming' evidence that the former abattoir worker had snatched and killed the five year old in a 'sexually motivated' attack last October.

After the sentencing Coral Jones, April's mother said: 'We are relieved that Mark Bridger has today been found guilty of the murder of our beautiful daughter April.

'April will be forever in our hearts and we are so moved by the overwhelming support we have had from so many people all over the world.'

In court earlier, a statement read on behalf of April's parents revealed they still cannot enter her bedroom at home or sort through her clothes because they are so heartbroken.

They also felt deep guilt for letting April go out to play on her bike on the evening she was abducted by her killer.


Mother and daughter: Coral Jones cuddles smiling April tightly, and today described how the family will never recover from her death


Fantasist: Mark Bridger, who is 'pathological liar and cold-blooded killer', will never leave jail and waiting people yelled 'b******' as he was taken in cuffs to the man


Brave: April Jones's mother Coral spoke outside court today, beside her husband Paul, and said they were relieved that Mark Bridger was found guilty


Trial: Mark Bridger faces life in prison for the murder of April Jones, after the jury accepted compelling evidence he had abducted and murdered her in a 'sexually motivated' attack

Today Bridger stood in the dock as he was found guilty, he looked up to sky, trembling, with his faced screwed up, and even appeared to nod his head.

As the jury returned the guilty verdicts, April's parents Paul and Coral sat in dignified silence, holding hands.

Coral then wiped a tear from her eye while Paul put his hand to his face and wrapped his arms around April's teenage half-sister. The family, all wearing pink ribbons in memory of their murdered daughter.

Bridger is a 'cold-hearted murderer' who 'spun a web of lies and half-truths' to try to get away with his 'truly horrific' crime, prosecutors said after the verdict.

Ed Beltrami, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wales said after the verdict: 'Mark Bridger has relentlessly spun a web of lies and half-truths to try and distance himself from the truly horrific nature of the crime he perpetrated. He has refused to take responsibility for what he did to April and has stopped at nothing to try and cover his tracks.'


Happier times: Paul and Coral Jones, hold April and their other children on their wedding day, before their 'beautiful daughter' was taken from them

April disappeared as she was playing with her best friend near their homes on the Bryn-Y-Gog estate, Machynlleth, Powys, on October 1 last year.

Bridger, a former slaughterhouse worker from Ceinws, denied abduction, murder and intending to pervert the course of justice.

The child killer's refusal to confess - either to murdering April or to where he had hidden her body - forced the child's grieving parents to endure five weeks of harrowing evidence, causing her mother, Coral, to flee the courtroom on various occasions, distraught and in tears.


Brave: Paul and Coral Jones, the parents of April Jones arrive at Mold Crown Court, where they have been every day during their daughter's killer's murder trial

Bridger's heartless lies have also had a huge financial cost, with months of painstaking police searches, forensics, legal work and the money involved in providing him with security and transport to court each day of the trial costing the public as much as £9million.

During his five-week trial he repeatedly wept at Mold Crown Court as he painted himself as a man who had 'accidentally' run over a child and then panicked before blacking out due to alcohol.

He said he killed April when he accidentally 'crushed' her with his Land Rover but claimed he can't remember what he did with the body because he was drunk and panicking.

But it was all lies and it emerged:

Bridger was an impotent alcoholic who was bitter after being dumped by his girlfriend He stalked local teenage girls on Facebook who searched for horrific images of child sexual abuse on the internet He used the fact that five-year-old April would have known him as being the father of a girl she knew at school to lure her into his car and later kill her

Killer confessed to prison priest after his arrest that he disposed of the schoolgirl in a river, evidence kept from jury reveals


Tragic: April Jones was abducted while she played on her bike (pictured), probably lured by Bridger into his car with the promise of a sleepover with his daughter

Experts said today getting Mark Bridger to crack and finally reveal what he did to April Jones could take years.

He has rigidly tried to stick to his fanciful story that he “accidentally” killed cerebral palsy sufferer April - and could not remember what he did with her.

Nottingham Trent University senior psychology lecturer Serena Simmons said: 'He clearly is deluded and has a distorted view of the world. He certainly displays this mentality of "if I keep stalling then eventually things will blow over". But that is far from the case.

“He definitely knows what he has done to April Jones and how she came to her death.

'The cracks in his story have already started to show during his trial. He will face more questions while in prison from his psychiatrist.

'Whether he chooses to engage with that process is a different matter, but I fear finding out the full extent of what he did could take a very long time.


Cold-blooded: Killer Mark Bridger had pictures of himself holding this gun on his Facebook profile


Grim discovery: Mark Bridger's burnt knife recovered from his property in Ceinws, where April may have died

After viewing child pornography and a rape scene on television at home, Bridger decided to abduct April, which kick-started the biggest missing person hunt in police history.

She has never been found but police say they would try again if Bridger came clean about her death.

As hundreds scoured streets and countryside in the desperate hope of finding April safe and well, Bridger was cleaning her blood from his house and trying to remove DNA evidence - but he failed.

Later he shed tears over the ‘terrible news’ of her disappearance and helped volunteers to look for her, but was seen close to a river with a black bin liner, but said he was 'going for a wee' in a lay-by.


Arrival: The media watch as Mark Bridger arrives in a prison before he is found guilty of killing the five-year-old

In an emotionally-charged month-long trial the jury was shown the last, poignant image of five-year-old April Jones before she was killed. It was taken from CCTV footage at her local leisure centre as she came out of the changing rooms from her regular Monday evening swimming lesson. The time on the film was 5:29pm.
(see video on web link)
They were also shown Mark Bridger's Land Rover Discovery driving away from town at 7:19pm.

April would already have been in the passenger seat after Bridger abducted her from outside her home nearby.


Upsetting: April Jones was shown on CCTV inside her local leisure centre after going swimming. The time shows almost 5.30pm and within two hours she had disappeared


Video: April is then seen heading through the doors after swimming with her sister and best friend - the last image that exists of the missing schoolgirl

The next morning, while hundreds scoured streets and countryside around the mid-Wales market town of Machynlleth, Bridger calmly went out for a walk with his dog.

He was captured on film by a police helicopter above the cottage in which the Crown says April lay bleeding on the hearth.

Smoke billowed from his chimney, which prosecutors suggested was a way of disposing of evidence.

Half an hour before his arrest, police officers went into Bridger's white-washed cottage searching for April.

They said the house was uncomfortably hot, there was a strong smell of detergent, and a smell of cleaning products, air freshener and washed clothes as he tried to hide his crime.

The only trace of the innocent blonde schoolgirl would emerge the next day - her blood in the ex-slaughterman's home, found with fragments of a child's skull among the ashes of his fireplace.

Detective Superintendent Andy John, who led the hunt for April's killer, said: 'Mark Bridger is an evil and manipulative individual. I think we have clearly identified during the course of our inquiries and during the course of the investigation that he is somebody who fantasises, he is somebody who likes to be in control and clearly believes that what he says is the true version of events.

'He is somebody that can't be trusted and, ultimately, he is somebody who has committed the most horrific of crimes.'




Images: The jury were show Mark Bridger leaving his house and walking his dog on the day after he took April Jones


Filmed: Bridger was first filmed as he left his cottage on October 2, before they zoomed on him walking down the hill from his home. He had probably already disposed of her body


Footage: A camera at a garage spotted Bridger's car, which probably contained April at the time

Police believe Bridger, who was experienced in 'survival and bushcraft', dismembered April in his lounge before getting rid of her body in the forests and waterways in the hills surrounding his home.

Mr John said: 'I think that the body has been dismembered and various parts of the remains have been placed in different areas and possibly those remains have been so small and damaged that that's why we have had such difficulty in locating them.'

'He knows the geography of the area. We've got the rivers close by and the rivers were fast flowing and at the time this offence occurred they would have been very high.

'We can't rule out that body parts may have gone into the river. We can't rule out that certain parts would have been burnt.'


Lounge: This is Mark Bridger's living room, where forensics found blood and bone fragments, a room which was shown to jurors


Bathroom tiles: The green arrows denote where police say they found April's blood following Mark Bridger's arrest

Mr John said he believed the attack was sexually motivated but that he did not think April was 'specific target'.

He said Bridger's life was spiralling out of control after he had been dumped by his girlfriend and he was also having financial difficulties.

'I think that April Jones happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and as a result was abducted,' he said.

The youngster's blood was found all over Bridger's cottage and a boning knife - obtained from his time as a skilled slaughterman - was found to have been burned in the fire to apparently eradicate any DNA evidence.

Bridger, who the prosecution said was 'forensically aware' had cleaned his Mount Pleasant cottage in the tiny Welsh hamlet of Ceinws from top to bottom.


Horror: Floral tributes and a single candle burns outside Bridger's white-washed cottage, where he watched violent films and child pornography


In court Bridger, who could be seen with a large snake tattoo on his forearm, often wept when describing what he said happened to April. He wept most when he felt a piece of testimony or evidence might be backing up his wild claims.

When one forensic scientist said he could not say for sure that an assault took place in Mount Pleasant, Bridger openly wept and nodded.

But when the same scientist added that this did not mean an assault did not take place outside the house and Bridger brought April inside, he regained his composure.

The jury heard he had researched serial killer Ted Bundy on the FBI’s most wanted website, and also read about the James Bulger murder and was ‘volunteering’ information he knew about other murdered children, including Caroline Dickinson, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

His laptop had child porn on it, as well as files of pictures of local children, including April, grabbed off Facebook.

MARK BRIDGER'S PATH TO MURDER: HOW APRIL'S ABDUCTION UNFOLDED

Monday, October 1

17.20 After spending morning watching child porn, Mark Bridger attends parents evening at Machynlleth Junior School. One teacher thinks he may have had a 'couple of drinks'

17:55 - 19:10 numerous sightings of Bridger on the Bryn-y-Gog estate in his car, including by a 10-year-old girl who was asked by Bridger if she wanted to go on a 'sleepover' at his house.

Around 19:00 April Jones is playing on her bike with friends near her home on the Bryn-Y-Gog estate when she goes missing. According to a child witness, she is taken away in a van or a four-wheel drive vehicle and there are no apparent signs of a struggle or an accident.

19:19 Camera sees what is believed to be Bridger's vehicle at the war memorial in Machynlleth and then past a nearby garage with April probably inside.

22:40 Dyfed-Powys Police issue a statement saying they are "increasingly concerned" for April.

Tuesday, October 2

08.42 Bridger spotted carrying a rolled up plastic binbag on a riverbank or in Ceinws.

10:42 Police helicopter footage shows him walking a dog. Footage also focuses on his house. There is smoke coming from his chimney. The jury was told that fragments from a 'juvenile skull' were found in his wood burner.

14.10 Bridger joins a group of 20 people who are searching for April telling them he had been searching all morning near his home for her.

15.00 Police search his house, finding it had been cleaned from 'top to bottom' and the heating cranked up

15:30 Bridger is arrested walking on the road between Ceinws and Machynlleth in connection with April's abduction and is later charged with her murder.

‘You are a paedophile who has harboured sexual and morbid fantasies about young girls’: What the sentencing judge told Bridger

Mark Bridger was described as a paedophile and a 'pathological and glib liar' as he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail by Mr Justice Griffith Williams (right).

Here are the judge's sentencing remarks in full:

'The sentence for murder is life imprisonment but I have to decide the length of the minimum term you must serve.

'Schedule 21 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 provides that if the court considers the seriousness of the offence is exceptionally high, the appropriate starting point should be a whole life order and that the cases which would normally fall within that category include the murder of a child which involves the abduction of the child or sexual or sadistic motivation.

'While I am satisfied that the seriousness of your offending is exceptionally high, I must nonetheless consider whether a substantial minimum term, in excess of a starting point of 30 years, would be sufficient to reflect the gravity of these offences.

'For the last four weeks, the court has listened to compelling evidence of your guilt, evidence which has also demonstrated that you are a pathological and glib liar. There is no doubt in my mind that you are a paedophile who has for some time harboured sexual and morbid fantasies about young girls, storing on your laptop not only images of pre-pubescent and pubescent girls, but foul pornography of the gross sexual abuse of young children.

'What prompted you on Monday October 1 to live out one of those fantasies is a matter for speculation but it may have been the combination of the ending of one sexual relationship and your drinking. Whatever, you set out to find a little girl to abuse. I am not sure you targeted April specifically - it was probably fortuitous that she can be seen on some of the images, which you stored on your laptop, of her older sister - but you were on the prowl for a young girl.

'April would not have been afraid of you, partly because you have some charm and she may well have seen you about the estate and probably because you let her know your son was a friend of her brother (just as you had tried to charm her sister into allowing you to be her Facebook friend by mentioning your links to her parents). And so it was that, innocently and trustingly, April got into your Land Rover smiling and happy.

'What followed is known only to you but this much is certain - you abducted her for a sexual purpose and then murdered her and disposed of her body to hide the evidence of your sexual abuse of her, which probably occurred on the way from the estate to your home because there is some 60 minutes of your time which cannot be accounted for.

'I cannot infer from the evidence where you murdered her but if she was alive when you took her to the house, she died there.

'How you disposed of her body must remain a mystery. It will serve no purpose for me to speculate as to what happened but all the indications are that you burnt at least a part of her in the wood burner.

'The grief of April's parents cannot be over-stated. They lived with the torment of a missing daughter, praying that she would be found alive and then, following your arrest, with the knowledge that you were providing the police with no assistance at all as to her whereabouts. To add to that torment, they have had to endure the spectacle of your hypocritical sympathy for their loss and of your tears, flowing not because of any regret for your crimes, but because of your enduring self-pity.

'Without the knowledge of what happened to April, her parents will probably never come to terms with their grievous loss, described so eloquently in the impact statement. It is to be hoped, for their sakes... and for the sakes of all those who mourn April, that the verdicts will bring some measure of closure.

'Your offences were aggravated by their premeditation and by the destruction of at least a part of her body and the concealment of the rest. It is also a relevant consideration that you not only abducted April with a sexual motive but then sexually abused her in some way.

'While I have had regard to the absence of any relevant conviction, I have no doubt there can be only one sentence.

'For the offence of murder, I sentence you to life imprisonment with a whole life order. There will be no separate penalties on counts 1 and 3.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2332603/April-Jones-murder-trial-Mark-Bridger-guilty.html

At least some justice. He should pay with his life. William

Bridger: Mansion lags out to kill me
EVIL Mark Bridger is terrified he will be killed when he is moved in with inmates at the jail dubbed Monster Mansion.

Bridger, 47, caged for life for murdering five-year-old April Jones, has been kept on his own on suicide watch at HMP Wakefield for a month.

He will be moved to a wing with lags shortly and a source said: “He’s absolutely terrified.

“He’s heard all kinds of rumours that other inmates out to get him.

“He’s the No1 target in there and genuinely fears for his life.”

The ex-slaughterman had earlier told pals he was thrilled to be in the same jail as Soham killer Ian Huntley after moving from HMP Manchester.

Cops believe he had a twisted obsession with Huntley — who killed little Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman — and copied his murderous style when he snatched little April from the street near her home in Machynlleth, Powys, last October.

Dad-of-six Bridger — who has never revealed what he did with April’s body — also kept pictures of Huntley’s ten-year-old victims on his laptop as a sick tribute.

Bridger boasted about how much he loved his last jail — in three shocking letters seen by The Sun.

The former lifeguard said he liked HMP Manchester and spent his time doing art work and watching telly.

In a letter from his cell, he wrote: “I get exercise once a day and I get out of my cell for a couple of hours twice a day.

“I’ve got a TV in my cell along with books so most of my time spent reading or writing they have supplied me with some painting and drawing equipment and I have been using them too.”

Bridger revealed how he was kept on a health wing at HMP Manchester for his “own safety” adding: “I’m doing ok in here not what I’m used to but I’ve got a TV, access to books and I get out on the yard most days for about an hour. The food is edible, well it’s warm and I eat it.”

Lying Bridger claimed he killed April by crushing her with his Land Rover but cannot remember what he did with the body because he was drunk.

Bridger was handed a whole-life sentence after being convicted of April’s murder at Mold Crown Court, North Wales, at the end of May.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/5002586/Mark-Bridger-fears-he-will-be-attacked-by-other-prisoners.html

Maybe the convicts will give this monster some final justice.  William

April Jones: Remains to be released after coroner ends hearing

Police said April's remains would will be formally released to the family, allowing a funeral to go ahead

A coroner's hearing into the death of murdered schoolgirl April Jones has concluded without a verdict.

The five-year-old girl was abducted on 1 October 2012 and killed by Mark Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, Powys, in a sexually motivated attack.

Police said April's remains would now be formally released to the family, ahead of a funeral on 26 September.

Coroner Louise Hunt said she could not reach any conclusion which had not already been reached by the court case.

Bridger was jailed for life after being found guilty at Mold Crown Court in May following a month-long trial.
He will never be released from prison.

Despite one of the biggest search operations in police history, April's body has never been found.

During the 10 minute hearing, Ms Hunt told the court in Welshpool there would be no further action and a death certificate would be issued, allowing a funeral to take place.

She said she had had to seek permission from the chief coroner to hold an inquest in the absence of a body.

April's parents, Paul and Coral, from Machynlleth, Powys, attended the inquest in Welshpool, flanked by two police family liaison officers.


Paul and Coral Jones leaving the court after a private meeting with the coroner

Ms Hunt told them: "I hope this will help you come to the end of the formal proceedings."
She added: "I would like to offer you my personal condolences for your terrible loss."

The hearing was adjourned, and Ms Hunt said the public part of the process was now finished. She will deal with paperwork privately in her office.

Ms Hunt held a short private meeting with Mr and Mrs Jones in a room within the court following the hearing.

Det Supt Andrew John from Dyfed-Powys Police, who led the investigation into April's disappearance, gave a brief outline of the case at the inquest.

He said: "April was reported missing on 1 October 2012 at about 7.20pm which resulted in the arrest of Mark Bridger at 3.20pm on 2 October 2012."

"Mark Bridger was subsequently charged with the abduction and murder of April and perverting the course of justice."

Det Supt John said that Bridger's trial between 29 April and 31 May at Mold Crown Court resulted in his conviction, and he was sentenced to a full life sentence.

He told the court: "April Jones was subjected to a violent death and on the balance of probabilities her death occurred at Mount Pleasant cottage in Ceinws on 1 October 2012."

The conclusion of the hearing will enable the family to finally lay what remains of their daughter to rest.

Dyfed-Powys Police did manage to recover tiny fragments of bone at Bridger's home and Mr and Mrs Jones will now hold a funeral for their daughter on Thursday 26 September.

Hundreds of people are expected to turn up to say their farewells to the little girl at the service at midday at St Peter's Church in Machynlleth.



Det Supt Andrew John from Dyfed-Powys Police arriving at the inquest in Welshpool

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-24105518

At least the parents will have some closure.  I also read where he was attacked and sent to the hospital last month.  Maybe his jail mates will give him the death penalty he deserves.  William

An initial hearing had been expected this month, but the Judicial Office says he is no longer pursuing his application



 Whole life tariff: Mark Bridger will no longer appeal his sentence

Mark Bridger, who was convicted of murdering [url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/april jones]five-year-old April Jones[/url], has abandoned his bid to appeal against his whole-life  tariff.

The Judicial Office confirmed today that he is no longer pursuing his application for permission to appeal.

An initial hearing had been expected at London's Court of Appeal on January 24.

When news of his appeal attempt emerged in December, April's mum Coral Jones said said her family continue to be "tortured" by Bridger, who was jailed for life last May after being found guilty of the little girl's murder .