April murder accused contacted her sister online, QC tells jury

Yesterday, the jury at Mold Crown Court heard how Coral Jones’s elder daughter had received messages from Mark Bridger, 47, via Facebook in 2011, shortly before the court released CCTV images that show April, just hours before her disappearance.

April, who had cerebral palsy, vanished while playing on her bike near her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, on October 1 last year.

One of the clips show the slightly-built youngster running into the foyer of her local leisure centre, where she had gone swimming, and playing with a friend.

April appeared active and happy as she played and she left the centre with her half-sister at 5.40pm.

The jury was also shown CCTV tracking Bridger’s movements in his Land Rover as he made trips to and from his home and into town that day.

The prosecution has previously said he went to a parents’ evening at the local primary school.

Prosecuter Elwen Evans QC then showed the jury the final CCTV image of Bridger’s Land Rover driving past Tuffins Garage, on the edge of town, at 7.20pm.

The court has heard April went missing some time after 7pm.

The day after her disappearance, a helicopter looking for the missing girl zoomed in on Bridger, who was walking his dog outside his cottage. There was smoke coming from the chimney.

This week, the court has heard how bone fragments, thought to be from a juvenile skull, were found in his woodburner.

The prosecution says Bridger, of Ceinws, near Machynlleth, snatched and murdered April in a sexually motivated attack.

The former abattoir worker denies abduction, murder and intending to pervert the course of justice by disposing of, concealing or destroying April’s body.

He says he accidentally killed April when he ran her over and accepts he must have got rid of her body but cannot remember 
where. Her body was never found despite the biggest search operation in British policing history.

The court heard Bridger had made contact with Mrs Jones’s elder daughter, then aged around 14, on Facebook about two years ago. In the message he told the girl: “I used to know your mother through playing darts.”

Mrs Jones said: “I told her not to be his Facebook friend. I told her not to accept it.” In her statement to police, April’s sister recounted the Facebook messages, in June 2011, and how she had responded with a message saying: “Hello, who are you? I don’t know you.”

The jury heard Bridger responded “I played darts with your mum many years ago”, and added he had known Mr Jones for “many years”.

The teenager replied: “Yeah, I am her daughter and yeah, he is my dad but I’m still not too sure who you are and why you are adding me.”

Bridger tried to explain further connections with the family and the teenager replied: “You know my mum and dad. I don’t know you.”

The girl told police she never accepted the Facebook request.

Mrs Jones said she may have known Bridger some years ago but added: “I would acknowledge him in the street if I saw him but that’s about it.”

Paul Jones, 41, said he had known Bridger since about 1992 when he was dating the sister of his then girlfriend but they had seen little of each since.

The jury also heard of the frantic moment April’s parents learned their daughter was missing.

After her swimming lesson, her mother had taken her home for a tea of spaghetti on toast and Mrs Jones said she had watched her favourite Disney film, and then asked to go out and play on her bike with a friend. Her parents said no, but Mrs Jones, 43, added: “She kept on and on and had a little tantrum and I eventually gave in. I told her I didn’t want her out for long. I think it was about 7pm and that was the last time I saw her.”

In his statement, Paul Jones, 41, said: “At about 7.20pm Coral sent April’s brother out to fetch her.

“He came back and he was very upset – he was crying and he said that someone had taken April and that she had got into someone’s car.” He said they rang the police and Mrs Jones went to look. Feeling helpless, he went to speak to April’s friend who “said something about a van”.

“When she said that, I went around the corner to look,” he continued. “I then went back home and I think that I just paced up and down, waiting for any news, for about 24 hours.”

The trial continues on Tuesday.