Mark Bridger accused of lying over April Jones’ death
Mark Bridger is accused of making up a story that he killed five-year-old April Jones in a car accident to cover up what really happened.
Mr Bridger is accused of murdering April after abducting her as she played outside her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, in October 2012. Her body has never been found.
On the second day of the opening the case for the prosecution, Elwen Evans QC took the jury through the story Mr Bridger told when he was arrested by the police, an account she branded a “lie”.
‘Accident’
She said Mr Bridger told police he accidentally killed April Jones, saying: “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. I picked her up and put her in my car, which is left-hand drive, and put her on the front seat.”
He added: “I didn’t abduct her. I did my best to revive her. I panicked. I just wish I knew what I had done with her, where I have put her.
“My intention was to head to the hospital. There was no life in her. No pulse. No breath. No response in her eyes. She was just on the seat. I looked in all the rooms in my house…I wouldn’t have dumped her. She is a human being. I wouldn’t have done that.”
Blood stains
Miss Evans said tests on Mr Bridger’s Land Rover had not found any evidence of a collision. But she told Mold crown court that blood stains matching April’s DNA and fragments of bone were found in his house.
She said three witnesses had seen Mr Bridger carrying a black bin bag in a field near his home the morning after April’s disappearance.
The court heard that Mr Bridger looked at images of child pornography on his computer just hours before abducting and murdering April.
Miss Evans took the jury through images of young girls allegedly found in folders on Bridger’s Acer laptop. The folders contained photographs of local young girls he had downloaded from Facebook, as well as some obscene content.
Web searches
She also showed jurors a number of internet searches she said were made on Mr Bridger’s laptop. They included “British girl murdered in France”, “ten year old girls naked”, and “pictures of ten year old girls”.
Pictures of April and her half-sisters, along with those of murdered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, are also said to have been found on the computer.
The court heard that Mr Bridger went to the school attended by his daughter and April for parents’ evening on the day of April’s disappearance. Shortly afterwards, he appproached two girls aged eight and 10.
“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,” Miss Evans told the jury. “She declined and he drove off.”
Court being shown images which prosecution claims were found on Mark Bridger’s computer#AprilJones
— Andy Davies (@adavies4) May 1, 2013
Mark Bridger, court hears, attended a parents’ evening at the local primary school on the day #apriljones disappeared
— Andy Davies (@adavies4) May 1, 2013
The prosecution’s case is that April’s murder was “sexually motivated”.
Mr Bridger, of Ceinws, denies abducting and murdering April, and unlawfully disposing of and concealing her body with intent to pervert the course of justice.
Text messages
The jury was also shown a series of text messages sent and received by Mr Bridger on the day April disappeared.
Several were exchanged between him and his ex-girlfriend Vicky Fenner and related to the break-up of their relationship.
In one, Mr Bridger said: “You were my life babe. My everything. I am still in love with you for what it’s worth.”
In another, Ms Fenner said: “I have said what I needed to say ok. Goodbye. This time find the right woman for you. See you around. I’ll miss you. Take care. Love Vicky.”