Trial

“I wanted him to see us, and I wanted to see him”

In Spring 2013 Bridger faces trail at Mold Crown Court.

Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, mid Wales denies murder.

He maintains he accidentally knocked her over and now can’t remember where he’d put her body.

The Jones family are told they’re not required to attend - but April’s parents need to be there.

“I wanted him to see us, and I wanted to see him”

Coral Jones

But Bridger only once looks their way in court. He’s in total denial of his actions and refuses to engage other than to give his clear, cold version of events. When he does try to come across as warm and human, he badly misjudges the situation. He refers to ‘little April’.

“Like it’s his little girl, and it was his, his love, his joy...”

Paul Jones

 “...that just made my blood boil”

Coral Jones

Bridger is a confident but unconvincing witness. He changes his story when confronted by evidence.

He’s simply not credible when he attempts to explain why he possessed images of naked children and cartoon pictures of children being molested.

“Some of the stuff he had on there...he was trying to say that it was beneficial to show his kids the different stages of puberty. Of growing up from a young child and coming through puberty to an adult. And he was actually trying to convince the jury that the reason he had these nearly four-hundred images on his computers was partly to do with that. He lived in his own little world.”

Paul Jone

One tiny positive outcome from the trial for April’s parents is that they are able to piece together what happened to their daughter.

From CCTV evidence, they know that Bridger drove April straight out of Machynlleth towards his home. They know that it where she was seriously harmed and probably killed there.

“What has happened beyond that point we cannot be sure, but it would be my view that other remains then may have been disposed of at various locations in the area of Ceinws. Because there were a number of hours obviously between the time of the abduction and the time that Mark Bridger was arrested for him to have had the opportunity to dispose of those remains.”

Andy John, Det. Superintendent, Dwfed-Powys Police

On Thursday 30 May, after just four hours, the jury finds Mark Bridger guilty of abducting and murdering April Jones and of disposing and concealing her body.

The judge, Mr Justice John Griffith Williams, in sentencing Mark Bridger, calls him a ‘pathological and glib liar.’

Mark Bridger is given a whole life sentence. He will spend the rest of his life in prison.