‘Lie after lie’ of accused in April murder trial

Mark Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, mid-Wales, took to the witness box at Mold Crown Court and was accused of “lying through his teeth” as a catalogue of his own lies regarding his personal life were put to him.

In a series of aggressive questions, prosecutor Elwen Evans QC accused Bridger of being a “fantasist” who told “lie after lie”.

Bridger claimed to have had a glittering military career and told police he had worked as an SAS-trained mercenary. But the failed firefighter and former welder admitted he had maintained a string of lies for 23 years and had carried on when he was arrested.

Earlier, Bridger denied abducting, murdering or sexually abusing April but for the first time admitted he had a “recollection” of laying her down on his living room carpet following what he describes as a car accident.

He said he could not remember what he had done with April’s body and told the jury when he woke up the following morning he thought it had been a “nightmare”.

Miss Evans asked Bridger: “How easy do you find it to lie through your teeth?”

He responded: “Not at all. I don’t find it easy, no.”

Bridger said he began the lie when he first moved to Machynlleth in 1989/90 because he did not want people knowing “his business”.

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

The prosecution says he snatched and murdered April in a “sexually motivated” attack.

Bridger says he accidentally killed April when he ran her over and accepts he must have got rid of her body, but cannot remember how because he was suffering memory loss caused by alcohol and panic.

The trial heard Bridger had viewed images of child pornography on his laptop on the day April went missing and forensic investigators discovered traces of April’s blood in Bridger’s living room, hall and bathroom.

When Brendan Kelly QC, defending, asked him about the indecent images, Bridger claimed he had written letters to the companies publishing them on the internet to complain.

Asked about the indecent cartoon images which showed child sexual abuse, Bridger said: “I actually came across that accidentally while looking up some cartoon thing for my daughter... she was into Spongebob Squarepants.

“I came across this. That’s why I was concerned.”

Bridger denied he had a sexual interest in children and when asked why he had been viewing pictures of a particular local girl, whose mother he contacted on Facebook, he broke down in the witness box and said: “I needed to find out whether (the girl) was my daughter.”

April’s mother Coral left the public gallery as Bridger got to the point where he told the jury he accidentally ran her daughter over in his car. Bridger told the jury his memory had begun failing from the moment he drove off. He said: “I still do not recall having little April in my car.”

Mr Kelly asked: “April’s blood has been found on the floor in your lounge. Can you explain how it got there?”

Bridger said “No”, adding that he only remembered “certain things” about that night.

He said he remembered taking off a beige fleece and perhaps putting it in the washing machine. He then told the jury he had started remembering putting April on the floor in his living room.

Coming to the end of answering questions from his barrister, Bridger said: “I obviously was involved, I don’t ever deny being involved with April’s death.

“I didn’t run. I didn’t hide, I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t know what to do.

“Initially I really thought I would have been charged with either death by reckless driving or death by drink driving. I did not expect to be on a murder charge.”

The hearing continues.