APRIL Jones, a five-year-old schoolgirl who had a mild form of cerebral palsy, was abducted near her home in Machynlleth ten years ago
Her story shook the entire nation and prompted one of the most intense police searches in British history and was the subject of the Channel 5 documentary April Jones: The Murder Tapes.
What happened to April Jones?
Five-year-old April Jones vanished after being seen getting into a vehicle near her home in Machynlleth, Wales, on October 1, 2012.
At the time, her mum made an emotional appeal about her daughter, which led to Prime Minister David Cameron also issuing an appeal.
After April could not be found, police officially designated the case a murder inquiry on October 5, 2012, despite no body being recovered.
A large search operation was launched by the police in the area near her home with family, friends, and volunteers assisting in the search.
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The day after April vanished, Mark Bridger was arrested as he matched the description of the man eyewitnesses said spoke to April and drove her away in his car.
Although April's body has never been discovered, DNA evidence discovered during the search of Mark's home convinced police that she had been brutally murdered.
Why has April's body never been found?
The killer claimed he had run over the five-year-old.
Mark told law enforcement that he could not remember what he did with April's body as he was drinking heavily and panicked after putting her in the car.
Mark had even told a priest he had dumped the girl's body in a river.
On March 27, 2013, police announced that the search for April's body would be called off at the end of April 2013 after being unable to find her.
The funeral service for April Jones took place in Machynlleth on September 26, 2013.
What is the documentary about?
April Jones: The Murder Tapes was released on March 24, 2020.
The documentary released recordings of Mark Bridgers being questioned by police.
It includes Bridger's claim that he had injured the little girl in a traffic accident and that she had died in his car.
It was the first time these recordings had been. made public.
Forensic psychologist Dr Joe Sullivan features in the documentary, as do members of April's family.
Who is Mark Bridger?
Mark Leonard Bridger was born in Carshalton, Surrey, on November 6, 1965, and is the middle of three children.
When he was 19 he was convicted of firearms offences and theft.
In the 1980s he moved to Wales from London and is said to have worked in an abattoir, a hotel porter, firefighter, mechanic, and welder.
When he moved to Machynlleth he claimed that he was ex-army in an attempt to hide his past. A claim that was, later proven false by the Ministry of Defence.
He also worked as a lifeguard in the swimming pool where April used to have her swimming lessons.
What happened in the trial after Mark Bridger was charged?
Bridger was charged with child abduction, murder, and attempting to pervert the course of justice, before being additionally charged with unlawful concealment and disposal of a body.
On January 14, 2013, he pleaded not guilty but accepted he was "probably responsible" for her death.
At Mold Crown Court on April 29, 2013, a forensic expert told the court fragments of human bone and blood which matched April's DNA was found in parts of his cottage.
The DNA evidence was enough to convince the jury that young April had suffered from injuries she could not have survived.
On May 30, 2013, he was found guilty of abduction, murder, and perverting the course of justice.
Bridger was sentenced to life in prison with the recommendation that he never be released.
The conviction led to the creation of tougher laws for sex offenders.
Trial judge, Justice Griffith Williams, said in his sentencing remarks: “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.
“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."
Prosecutors said after the verdict that Bridger was a “cold-hearted murderer” who had “spun a web of lies and half-truths” to try to get away with his “truly horrific” crime.
April's mum Coral Jones marked the sixth anniversary of her daughter's death with a heartbreaking Facebook post about the day she learned April was missing.
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