True Crime Collection

April Jones

April Sue-Lyn Jones was born 4th April 2007. April from Machynlleth, Wales, who was aged 5, disappeared on 1st October 2012, after being sighted willingly getting into a vehicle near her home. 

On 3rd October 2012, April's mother made an appeal for information about her daughter. The following day, the Prime Minister, David Cameron also issued an appeal to the public, commenting, "clearly having this happen to you, and the fact that she suffers from cerebral palsy, something I know a little about from my own children, only makes this worse. My appeal would be to everyone. If you know anything, if you saw anything, heard anything, have any ideas you can bring forward, talk to the police."

In the days following her disappearance, a large search operation for the girl was mounted around the Machynlleth area, involving police and search and rescue teams using specialised equipment, as well as hundreds of volunteers. On 12th December, police stated that the search for April would continue into 2013. 

On 27th March 2013, police revealed that they would call off the search at the end of April after being unable to located the body, and on 22nd April, police confirmed that the search had officially ended. The police states that "a reactive team of specialist officers are available to respond to any new information that is received." This was the largest missing person search in UK police history. 

Mark Bridger, a 46 year old local man, was arrested on the afternoon of 2nd October 2012, less than 24 hours after April went missing. He became a suspect in the case because he matched a description of the man and the vehicle, a left hand drive Land Rover Discovery which an eyewitness had seen April entering following a conversion with the man. 

On 5th October 2012, police officially designated the case a murder inquiry; even though a body had not been found, this was the first indication that the police now had a reason to believe that April Jones was dead. Sky News presenter Kay Burley was accused of insensitivity after breaking the news of April's probable death live on air to volunteers who had been searching for her. The interviewees were unaware the case had changed from a search for a missing person into a murder inquiry. 

On 6th October, Mark was charged with child abduction, murder, and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He appeared before magistrates at Aberystwyth on 8th October, where he was additionally charged with the unlawful concealment and disposal of a body. He was remanded into custody and held at HMP Manchester pending an appearance at Caernarfon Crown Court, which occurred on 10th October via video link.

On 14th January 2013, at Mold Crown Court, Mark pleaded not guilty to the charge of murdering April Jones, but accepted that he was "probably responsible" for her death. The trial was to begin on 25th February at Mold Crown Court, but it was adjourned until 29th April at the request of Mark's defence team in order to make further inquiries. 

The trial of Mark Bridger began on 29th April 2013 before judge Mr. Justice Griffith-Williams. A forensic expert told the court that fragments of human bone consistent with a "younger individual" had been found in the fireplace of Mark's cottage. Blood found in several parts of the cottage was matched to April's DNA, and was enough to convince  the police that April Jones had suffered injuries from which she could not have survived and convinced the Crown Prosecution Service to charge Mark with murder.

In his defence, Mark claimed that he had accidentally run over April in his car and could not remember disposing of her body due to alcohol and panic. On 29th May the judge concluded his summing up, and then ordered the jury to retire to consider its verdicts. On 30th May 2013, Mark was found guilty of abduction, murder, and perverting the course of justice. Later that day, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should never be released, having been called a "pathological liar" and "a paedophile" by the judge. 

After the verdict, it was revealed that Mark had confessed to the Strangeways' prison chaplain that he had disposed of April's body in the fast flowing Afon Dulas, which flows past Mark's house before terminating in the River Dyfi near Machynlleth. Dyfed-Powys Police have said they doubt Mark's claims and believe he scattered April's remains across the countryside near his house.

In July 2013, several weeks into his sentence, Mark was attacked by a fellow prisoner with an improved shank, resulting in facial and throat injuries, for which he received stitches. In December 2013, Mark launched an appeal against his whole life sentence, but dropped the appeal a month later, just days before it was due to be heard. 

Although her body was never found, 17 fragments of bone were recovered from the fireplace in Mark's cottage. The funeral service for April Jones was held in Machynlleth on 26th September 2013. 

After Mark's arrest, police discovered an extensive collection of child abuse material on his computer. 

In November 2013, following campaigning by April's parents which was also backed by several national newspapers, the search engines Google and Bing modified their systems to block results from searches aimed at producing child abuse images.