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00:00The whereabouts of April Jones, a five-year-old girl from McKinlay.
00:06When I get the first call from the police, it always raises the heart rate a little,
00:10thinking about what it's going to be dealing with.
00:14I always feel pleased to know that someone wants to call on my expertise,
00:18but at the same time it's a challenge and I want to be able to respond to that effectively.
00:22On that initial call, I'm looking to find out as much information as I can
00:26about the circumstances, about the victim or the person who we're dealing with,
00:32what actions the police have taken already,
00:34and then thinking about what are the next steps and how we move forward.
00:38When someone goes missing, the first few hours are absolutely critical.
00:42We talk about the golden hour. It's not actually a defined hour,
00:45but it is that early time when we need to make sure we are following leads quickly.
00:50If they're calling me, this is going to be serious.
00:56The town is a beautiful town. It's your typical Welsh town.
01:20It was always a warm welcome.
01:23You went in the shops, people kind of got to know you.
01:27It was just one of those nice, friendly places.
01:32My Chantleth is a small, close-knit community,
01:35a population in the region of 2,000 people.
01:39And the community spirit during the course of the investigation,
01:42particularly initially, was overwhelming.
01:44Not just those who live within the community,
01:47but then those who, you know, came from afar, really,
01:50need to assist with the search,
01:53which was a significant and a main line of investigation for us.
01:59That investigation began on the 1st of October 2012,
02:04when a vulnerable little girl went missing from close to her home.
02:08We didn't really know anything about April's family before she went missing.
02:14People who knew them said they were a normal family.
02:18They didn't have anything out of the ordinary going on in their lives.
02:23They would take the children to school, come home,
02:26just that typical family.
02:30April was five years old,
02:32someone who attended a local school in My Chantleth.
02:35You know, she was a child who suffered from mild cerebral palsy.
02:40Her mum and dad had been to her parents' evening.
02:42She was doing exceptionally well in school.
02:45And she went for her swimming lesson.
02:47Her sister picked her up during the course of the early evening.
02:50This was all captured on CCTV footage
02:53that was obtained by Dovid Powers Police.
02:57April comes home.
02:58Mum then is asked by April
03:01if she can go and play with some friends on her bicycle.
03:06In the area that they were living in,
03:08I think it's fair to say that, you know,
03:10the majority of parents felt comfortable and confident
03:12in leaving their children play within the grounds, if you like.
03:15And because she'd done particularly well in school,
03:20her mum allowed her to spend a little bit more time out
03:22than maybe she would have ordinarily.
03:29The brother of April, who at the time was about nine years old,
03:34was asked by mum to go and find April, bring her home.
03:39But what mum was then faced with
03:41was her son coming into the house
03:44and basically saying that he'd been told
03:46by one of April's friends
03:47that she'd gone into the vehicle and been taken.
03:53A call came in from the mother
03:54into the forced communication centre,
03:56as would normally be the case on a three-nines call.
04:00Hi, police emergency.
04:02I've stopped being kidnapped.
04:05I live in your house with a dog.
04:07Hang on, Val, can you speak something?
04:10Hello.
04:11And what makes you think the dog has been kidnapped?
04:13Apparently, um...
04:14She's gone off in a car with somebody.
04:16Somebody's picked up in a car or something.
04:18OK, what's the name of the child that's gone missing?
04:20April Jones.
04:22April... How old is she?
04:23Five.
04:25During the course of the call,
04:26the mum has informed police officers
04:28that her five-year-old daughter has been kidnapped
04:31and that it was a big grey vehicle or car
04:35and that there was a man driving.
04:40Initially, with regards to a call such as that,
04:43it has to be what we would refer to in policing
04:45as an overt response in the first instance.
04:47It is a crime in action.
04:49It's about getting as many resources to the area concerned
04:53because, obviously, there is a life at risk
04:55at that particular time.
04:56The first actions, if you like,
04:59are to make sure that we can send officers to the scene
05:03to try and identify where this has occurred,
05:06to try and trace any potential witnesses to the incident,
05:09and, obviously, to speak to family and friends
05:12in order to try and establish the circumstances
05:15surrounding this particular case.
05:17It's a very fast-moving investigation
05:19at that particular point in time.
05:20To help with that investigation,
05:25police called on the expertise of Charlie Hedges,
05:28the manager for Missing, Abducted and Kidnapped Children
05:31at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.
05:36When I got the phone call at 8 o'clock in the evening,
05:38shortly after April had gone missing,
05:40it was from a detective chief inspector
05:42who was involved with the case,
05:44and he wanted to know
05:45whether the force should be using Child Rescue Alert
05:49as a way of releasing information at high speed
05:52to the media
05:53to try and encourage calls from the public,
05:56and it also then filters through to a dedicated line
05:59so the information goes directly to the police.
06:02And also, she was explaining about the circumstances
06:05so we could consider various options
06:07for the start of the investigation as well.
06:12We knew that April had got into a van
06:14and had been driven off.
06:16It feasibly could have been
06:17that there was an innocent explanation behind it,
06:20but at the same time,
06:21we had to be alert to more serious consequences.
06:25When we've got a child that's missing,
06:27it's important to understand the individual
06:30and their behaviour and habits,
06:32understand the circumstances of their going missing.
06:35Is there anywhere else that we can find out information
06:37about what's gone on,
06:38any witnesses, any CCTV or anything else
06:42that will help us to understand what's going on
06:45and think about how we're best going to deploy resources
06:48to try and find where she's gone?
06:51Advising remotely is always a challenge
06:53because you're not connected directly with the case
06:56and seeing how things are unfolding.
06:58However, it was the way we had to operate.
07:00My decision was to stay on the phone
07:02and stay in contact
07:04and then take it from there.
07:05On the ground in Machanllef,
07:09word was starting to spread about April's abduction.
07:13Mum was someone who used Facebook,
07:16like many people do.
07:18Information was put onto Facebook
07:19that April had been taken
07:21and that prompted, you know,
07:23certainly lots of people within the community
07:25who were active on social media
07:27to come across that information.
07:29Took it upon themselves then
07:31to come to the area
07:32where April had been taken from
07:35and to try and start searching for April.
07:40Certainly the first officers who attended
07:42were faced with a fairly challenging
07:44and chaotic situation
07:45in that you've got, you know,
07:47quite a significant number of members of the public
07:49from within the community,
07:52rightly so, wanting to assist
07:53in trying to search for April.
07:58Very early on, people were going out
08:00and searching on their own
08:01and then all of a sudden
08:02the police and the Mountain Rescue
08:05and all the organisations decided
08:07we need to have a better coordination
08:09of what's going on
08:10because people were going up on the hills
08:12without any kind of coordination
08:15or knowing what they were doing really.
08:18So very quickly they brought everybody together
08:20and we played a part in that as a radio station
08:22because we were telling people
08:24let's not all go out there now,
08:26let's come to the leisure centre,
08:28let's get into groups
08:29then we can all go out and search
08:31in the areas that the police wanted us to search in
08:33and where the Mountain Rescue wanted us to search in.
08:36This is the scene at the local community centre
08:38where hundreds of people
08:40are still waiting for news.
08:42Many of them have been involved
08:43in searches throughout the day.
08:46After the first few hours
08:48it was well organised
08:49and it became one of the biggest search operations
08:51ever in the UK
08:53to find April Jones.
09:05October 2012
09:07and in the small Welsh town of Machynlleth
09:10vulnerable five-year-old April Jones
09:13had been missing for two and a half hours.
09:16Of the resources available
09:18the media is obviously
09:19a main line of inquiry for us
09:22in terms of being able
09:23to publicise
09:24what April looked like
09:26the brief circumstances of her disappearance
09:29in order to seek support really
09:31and assistance from the general public
09:33and anyone else
09:34who may be able to give us information
09:36as to her whereabouts.
09:38So on that basis
09:40it was important that we got
09:42a photo of April
09:44and information to the media
09:47as soon as practicable
09:48in order to get
09:50hopefully a response from the public.
09:52Given that the incident happened
09:53at 7.30 in the evening
09:55we were aware that
09:56you know 10 o'clock
09:57news is very popular
09:59for many of its audiences
10:01so we took the opportunity
10:03to try and share information
10:04and provide a briefing to the media
10:07in readiness that they could be
10:09circulated at that point in time.
10:12Police are saying tonight
10:14that they're increasingly concerned
10:15about the whereabouts
10:16of a five-year-old girl
10:17from Machynlleth
10:18April Jones
10:20they say
10:20was last seen playing
10:21with her friend
10:22on their bikes
10:22near to garages in the town
10:24at around 7.30 this evening.
10:27The police were able
10:29to provide the media
10:30with plenty of information
10:31during that briefing
10:32because crucially
10:33the abduction had been witnessed.
10:39April at the time
10:40that she was taken
10:41was with a seven-year-old friend
10:43who was present at the scene.
10:45We've got to consider
10:46the vulnerability
10:47of a seven-year-old
10:48the time of day
10:49what that seven-year-old
10:51had actually observed
10:52and experienced
10:52obviously the awareness
10:54of all these people
10:55around the area
10:56what's going on
10:57so we had to put into context
10:59what we were being told
11:00in terms of
11:00what that seven-year-old witness
11:02had observed at the time.
11:04It was a crucial bit of evidence
11:06but we've got to look
11:07for other lines of inquiry
11:08other intelligence information
11:10which hopefully can corroborate
11:12what the seven-year-old
11:13was telling us
11:14to assist us
11:15in terms of trying to identify
11:17firstly where April may be
11:18and as importantly
11:20who had taken April.
11:21this is a quiet residential estate
11:30this is where April
11:31would have been spending
11:32her time
11:32playing with her friends
11:34fairly relaxed area
11:37where her parents
11:38were comfortable
11:39for her to spend time
11:41with others
11:41playing on their bicycles
11:44and just enjoying
11:45as children of that age
11:47would do really.
11:48when the incident occurred
11:52on the night
11:53of the 1st of October 2012
11:55things changed dramatically
11:58in this area
11:59April was taken
12:01from this area here
12:04this is also the area
12:08where facing outwards
12:10a vehicle described
12:11by her friend
12:11as being big at the rear
12:13and smaller at the front
12:15it was parked.
12:16we know from
12:17the evidence provided
12:19by the friend
12:19that April got into
12:22the left-hand side
12:23driver's side
12:24of the vehicle
12:25initially
12:27that took some
12:29further sort of understanding
12:30in terms of
12:31trying to work out
12:32how that would have
12:33actually happened
12:34in reality
12:34because I think
12:36certainly from my perspective
12:37may have expected
12:39that April would have
12:40got into
12:40one of the other doors
12:42of the vehicle
12:42with the offender.
12:43the fact that she got
12:47into a vehicle
12:48with someone else
12:49did she get into it
12:50willingly
12:51was it someone
12:51just giving her a lift
12:53or was it something
12:54more serious
12:55and we need to
12:55understand
12:57exactly what was happening
12:58as the search
13:02for both April
13:03and her abductor
13:04continued
13:05it became clear
13:06that finding
13:07this vehicle
13:08and its owner
13:09could hold the key
13:10to both their whereabouts
13:11it's always crucial
13:14to gather information
13:15as quickly as possible
13:16because people have
13:18witnesses have
13:19that information
13:19fresh in their minds
13:20evidence is undisturbed
13:22but also people
13:23can move further away
13:25from where they were
13:26so the search areas
13:27get larger
13:27and obviously
13:28the longer
13:29more time elapses
13:30the greater the concern
13:32for the safety
13:33and welfare of April
13:34was growing
13:35and we wanted to be able
13:37to try and find her
13:39and look after
13:39as quickly as we possibly could.
13:41I turned on the television
13:43and at that time
13:44there was information
13:45on Sky News
13:47telling us about
13:47the disappearance
13:48of a girl in Wales.
13:50Police are asking
13:51for anyone with any information
13:52to call them
13:53they're giving the number out
13:54as 101
13:55the number to call
13:56if they do have
13:57any information
13:57about a five-year-old girl
13:59from Mahindle.
14:01It quickly led
14:02to a huge influx of calls
14:04from across the country
14:05with people wanting
14:06to help and assist.
14:09One of the basic talents
14:11of child rescue alert
14:12is to alert people
14:14and encourage them
14:14to call in
14:15but the problem we had
14:16the calls were going
14:17all over the place
14:18so we decided to use it
14:19as a mechanism
14:20for a making sure
14:22that the right information
14:23was being shared
14:24and secondly
14:25that people knew
14:26which number to contact
14:28to pass that information on.
14:30this case was different
14:42from many we'd dealt with before
14:44because of the amount
14:45of social media
14:46that was used
14:48during the case
14:49and the widespread
14:51of information
14:52and the number of people
14:53who were responding
14:54to the case.
14:56As well as leaning
14:57on social media
14:58to help with the search
14:59April's mum, Coral
15:01bravely went before
15:02the cameras
15:03to ask for the public's help.
15:05April is only five years old.
15:09Please, please
15:10help find her.
15:17In the hills, fields
15:19and forests
15:20surrounding April's home
15:21there has been
15:22an increasingly desperate search
15:23with police
15:24and public
15:25joining forces.
15:27We found out
15:28from the start really
15:29from social media
15:30that something was going on
15:31when people started
15:32to use Twitter
15:33just to say
15:34a little girl
15:35has gone missing.
15:37Suddenly
15:38people were tweeting.
15:41It played a good part
15:42in terms of
15:44telling people
15:44what was going on.
15:45It brought people
15:46to the area
15:47to help with
15:48the search operation.
15:49The hashtags
15:49were there.
15:50people sending support
15:52for the family.
15:54How has the community
15:55responded generally
15:56would you say?
15:57Well, I'm not
15:57from this community.
15:58I'm from the
15:59Lampeter area.
16:00You've actually
16:00driven across
16:01from Manchester, yeah?
16:02Yeah, it's a three-hour
16:02journey this morning.
16:04Can I ask what brings
16:04you out here
16:05and being so determined
16:06to search?
16:06Yeah, they're friends of ours.
16:09It's a vast area
16:10with a limited population.
16:11At the same time
16:12you get those
16:13working for the media
16:14on the ground
16:15if you like
16:15in Machuntla
16:16speaking to
16:17people within the community
16:19people who were involved
16:20all the volunteers
16:21who were involved
16:21with some of the searching
16:22and effectively knocking doors
16:25trying to find out
16:26more information
16:27with risk guards
16:28to April and her family.
16:32It wasn't just the media
16:33and the people
16:34of Machuntlaeth
16:35driving the search
16:36for April.
16:37The police had also
16:38turned to specialists
16:39in the hope
16:40of locating her.
16:43Machuntlaeth itself
16:44is a town
16:45obviously
16:46in rural mid Wales
16:47and in terms
16:48of the geography
16:50of the area
16:51that presented
16:51some real challenges
16:53from just moving
16:54outside the town centre
16:55where we are
16:56you'll see that
16:57there's a lot more
16:58mountainous area
16:59forestry
17:00and all of that
17:01needed the support
17:02of significant
17:03number of agencies
17:04with various skills
17:05and experience
17:07to be able to come
17:08and assist the police
17:09with the investigation
17:10and particularly
17:11the main line
17:12of inquiry
17:12which was
17:13the search for April.
17:14we're very fortunate
17:17to have a lot
17:18of volunteer
17:18people who
17:20want to give
17:21their time
17:22to searching
17:22for those
17:23who are lost
17:24missing
17:24and put their lives
17:26at risk
17:26doing it sometimes.
17:28There's mountain rescue
17:29lowland rescue
17:31then there are
17:31specialists with dogs
17:32people who go
17:33searching on bicycles
17:35and a whole range
17:36of different things
17:36and then there's
17:37others who specialise
17:38at searching in caves
17:39and other difficult
17:39environments like that
17:41so they will always
17:42step forward
17:42when there's a case
17:43and want to be involved
17:45and so it's then
17:46for the local police
17:47and the police search advisor
17:48to coordinate that activity
17:50and deploy it
17:51in the most effective
17:51way possible.
17:54The search for April
17:56was exhaustive
17:57and inevitably
17:59in a small
18:00tight-knit community
18:01people started
18:02to speculate
18:03as to who
18:04might have taken her.
18:06So in a story like this
18:07obviously emotions
18:08are high
18:09so it's quite a complex
18:10case to cover
18:12from the radio station's
18:13point of view
18:14a lot of our presenters
18:16knew the listeners
18:17and they were ringing in
18:18saying
18:19oh well
18:20we definitely know
18:21that it could be
18:22this person
18:23that's taken her
18:24or it could be
18:26that she's gone
18:27missing up this area
18:28and they were giving us
18:29this information
18:30and we very early on
18:33decided we were just
18:34going to report the facts
18:35we were not going to go
18:36with any kind of theories
18:38or speculation
18:39and we didn't want
18:40to put out
18:41any false information
18:42that it maybe upset
18:42the family
18:43we didn't want
18:44to put out
18:45any speculation
18:45that got anyone else
18:46in trouble
18:48or that it could hinder
18:50the police's investigation.
18:52Some of the things
18:53we were feeding
18:54to the police
18:54and then some of the things
18:56we were having
18:57to just say to people
18:58listen
18:58we hear what you're saying
19:00but at the minute
19:01this has not been confirmed
19:02so we're not going
19:03to report it
19:04but thank you
19:06for letting us know
19:06about this.
19:09Controlling the spread
19:10of information
19:10was key
19:11and as the second day
19:12of the investigation
19:13progressed
19:14there was one piece
19:16regarding the vehicle
19:17that April had got into
19:18that the police
19:19took the decision
19:20to initially keep
19:21to themselves.
19:23When we established
19:24that the vehicle
19:25was a left-hand
19:26drive vehicle
19:27we were able
19:29to gather information
19:30as to who owned
19:31that particular vehicle.
19:33The person who owned
19:33the vehicle
19:34was known as
19:35Mark Bridger.
19:48Police hunting
19:49for missing
19:49five-year-old
19:50April Jones
19:51now had a suspect
19:52local man
19:54Mark Bridger.
19:56We conducted
19:57a number of
19:58background inquiries
19:59in order to establish
20:00as much information
20:01as we could
20:02in terms of
20:02well who is
20:03Mark Bridger
20:03he was identified
20:05as a suspect
20:05and we ensured
20:07then that
20:08I got a number
20:09of officers available
20:10and resources available
20:12so that we could
20:13attend a number
20:15of addresses
20:15that Mark Bridger
20:16was associated with
20:18in order
20:20firstly to try
20:21and find
20:21April Jones
20:22but secondly
20:23to try and identify
20:25and locate
20:26Mark Bridger.
20:27obviously at the time
20:32we didn't really know
20:33much about
20:33Mark Bridger
20:34we know that he
20:35knew April's
20:38family
20:38and knew April
20:39because he had
20:40children at the same
20:41school
20:42so they kind of
20:42knew each other
20:43people say
20:44and people do say
20:45this afterwards
20:46but that he was
20:47a bit of a loner
20:48and always said
20:49there was something
20:50about him
20:50that didn't
20:52sit right
20:53with them
20:53we identified
20:58potentially
20:58four addresses
20:59that he had
21:00access to
21:00we simultaneously
21:02attended each
21:04of those addresses
21:05in an effort
21:06to try and locate
21:07April Jones
21:08and obviously
21:10arrest
21:10Mark Bridger
21:11there was one
21:16address in particular
21:17which turned out
21:18to be
21:18the home address
21:20of Mark Bridger
21:21Bridger's home
21:23was then placed
21:23under surveillance
21:24by the police
21:25and when officers
21:29attended that address
21:30entered the premises
21:32Mark Bridger
21:33was nowhere to be seen
21:34obviously we didn't
21:36locate April Jones
21:37either at that
21:38point in time
21:39but what officers
21:41reported
21:42was that
21:44the premises
21:44were stifling hot
21:46there was
21:47a roaring fire
21:49and that there was
21:50a very clear
21:51distinctive smell
21:52of detergent
21:54and cleaning agents
21:55within the property
21:56we were able
22:02to locate him
22:02at about
22:033.30pm
22:04during the afternoon
22:05of the 2nd
22:05at the time
22:09he was walking
22:09between
22:10Cain Loos
22:11which is where
22:12his home was located
22:13some 4 miles
22:14out of
22:14Machantleith town centre
22:16when Mark Bridger
22:17was detained
22:18at the roadside
22:19an urgent interview
22:20was conducted
22:21by the officer
22:22and Mark Bridger's
22:24initial account
22:25was that
22:26he had been involved
22:27in a low
22:28low speed collision
22:30with a bicycle
22:32with a child on
22:33at the location
22:35where the alleged
22:36abduction
22:37had taken place
22:39and that
22:40as a result
22:41of colliding
22:42with the bicycle
22:43and the child
22:43the child
22:44suffered
22:45some injuries
22:46he panicked
22:49wanted to
22:50see if he could
22:51assist the child
22:52considered
22:53CPR
22:54but felt
22:56that it wasn't
22:56appropriate
22:57because of
22:57the extent of injuries
22:59placed the child
23:00in his vehicle
23:01drove away
23:03from the scene
23:04and then
23:06at some point
23:07during the course
23:08of the evening
23:08into the night
23:09he has just
23:11lost his memory
23:12and is unable
23:13to assist us
23:15any further
23:15in terms of
23:16what happened
23:17to April Jones
23:17Bridger was then
23:20detained
23:21at Aberystwyth
23:22Police Station
23:22and formally questioned
23:24where he gave
23:25a near identical
23:26account
23:27I remember
23:30the dark-headed
23:31girl came
23:31behind the car
23:33I started
23:34the car up
23:35as I went
23:36to pull away
23:37the car
23:39there wasn't
23:40a thud
23:40I can't understand
23:41the car
23:43rose up
23:43as I opened
23:45the car
23:46I walked
23:46and underneath
23:49the front
23:49of the car
23:50is now
23:52I know
23:53to be eight
23:54she was only little
23:58so I picked her up
24:00and put her
24:01across my seat
24:01and put her in
24:02what is
24:03the offside seat
24:04the passenger seat
24:05tried to take
24:08her pulse
24:08and there was nothing
24:10I put my mouth
24:12over her mouth
24:12and went low
24:13put my hand
24:14back on the chest
24:15and that's when
24:16I realised
24:16one side of her chest
24:19wasn't there
24:19I'd obviously crushed
24:21I'd obviously crushed
24:25her little body
24:25so I then
24:31drove out of Brina Gorg
24:32my intention
24:33was to get her
24:34medical help
24:34and that's when
24:35I realised
24:36my lips were purple
24:40Paul and Coral
24:43are friends of mine
24:44and I
24:46I've killed
24:50their daughter
24:51the next minute
24:56I made my house
24:58and she's not there
25:00but I can't remember
25:02what I've done
25:03we can't disregard
25:09the initial account
25:10but obviously
25:11we are
25:12not satisfied
25:13that that is
25:14the true circumstances
25:15of what has gone on
25:16and
25:17we continue
25:18with a number
25:19of lines of inquiry
25:20and speaking
25:21to as many witnesses
25:23potential witnesses
25:24to try and
25:25gain more information
25:27which can assist us
25:28in locating April
25:29while officers
25:33conducted those
25:34inquiries
25:35Andy John
25:36had to inform
25:37April's family
25:38of this significant
25:39development
25:40before the media did
25:42it was extremely
25:44difficult for the family
25:45when they were
25:46informed that Mark
25:47Bridger was responsible
25:48for taking April
25:49given that
25:52they knew of Mark
25:53Bridger
25:54you know
25:55they actually knew
25:55who he was
25:56he lived within
25:57the community
25:57he had children
25:58within the community
25:59it was somebody
26:00who was known
26:00to them
26:01who'd actually
26:01been a Facebook
26:03friend with the family
26:05they probably found it
26:07a lot more difficult
26:07than had it been
26:08someone who was
26:09unknown to them
26:10with Bridger in custody
26:14and April's family
26:15fully informed
26:16the decision was made
26:18to brief the press
26:19people had already told us
26:32that they thought it could be
26:34Mark Bridger
26:34because he was the only person
26:36that they knew
26:37drove a left-hand drive car
26:40also people had started to say
26:44that Mark Bridger
26:45was a strange person
26:46and things like that
26:48so it didn't come as a surprise
26:50but we had to obviously
26:51report sensitively
26:53and there was real anger
26:55and we had to be careful
26:57how we reflected that
26:58on the radio
26:59with a suspect detained
27:02the police were able
27:04to widen the scope
27:05and nature
27:06of their search
27:07for April
27:07I think we realised
27:09that the case was serious
27:11within a very short
27:12period of time
27:12a five-year-old child
27:14wandering off
27:14there can't be too many
27:16innocent explanations
27:17to that
27:18Dufford-Prowse
27:20police responded
27:22to it
27:22in an outstanding way
27:23they threw everything
27:24they could at it
27:25while the search
27:28for April escalated
27:29so too
27:30did Bridger's questioning
27:31so from the account
27:37provided by Mark Bridger
27:39it was important
27:40for us to
27:41establish whether
27:42there was any evidence
27:43on the vehicle
27:44to indicate
27:45that it had come
27:46into a collision
27:47I spent
27:50two days
27:52examining the vehicle
27:52I was looking for
27:53signs of blood
27:54possibly fibres
27:56what I was looking for
27:58in the panels
28:00of the vehicles
28:00especially low down
28:02I was looking for
28:03fresh damage
28:04in the vehicle
28:04this vehicle
28:05is a very very
28:06old vehicle
28:07and the paintwork
28:10on it
28:10had been oxidised
28:11so if he'd collided
28:13with April's bike
28:15or April herself
28:16would have seen damage
28:17fresh damage
28:19which would have
28:20taken the oxide off
28:21and you've seen
28:22fresh paint there
28:23there wasn't any
28:25there was no damage
28:27consistent with a
28:28collision happening
28:28at the scene
28:30I was asked to examine
28:32the roadway
28:32especially the kerbside
28:36and all the way
28:37out to the centre line
28:38on the roadway
28:38and there was nothing
28:40found
28:40consistent with a collision
28:42given the size of the car
28:46it weighs two tonnes
28:48if it hit April's bicycle
28:50would have seen the damage
28:52on the vehicle
28:53but more so
28:54would have seen damage
28:55on the bicycle
28:56which was a small bicycle
28:59and it would have
29:00had it sustained
29:01enough of a lot of damage
29:02and there was absolutely
29:04no damage
29:04to it at all
29:05the forensic examinations
29:10of Bridger's car
29:11and April's bike
29:12suggested his version
29:14of events
29:15was a complete lie
29:16so police now
29:17turned their attention
29:18to trying to find out
29:20what had actually
29:21happened to April
29:22this is Kainous
29:28this is where
29:29the offender lived
29:30it's a quiet
29:32small
29:34secluded
29:35residential area
29:36just a few miles
29:38out of Machantleth
29:39so this is the area
29:48where the offender's
29:50house once stood
29:50and this from
29:52an investigation perspective
29:53is where the investigation
29:55took a turn
29:55my team were first involved
29:59during the initial search
30:00for April's remains
30:02and the contents
30:04of his wood burning stove
30:06were recovered
30:07from the living room
30:09of his property
30:10and the examiner
30:11examined the contents
30:14of the fire
30:15so the ash
30:16and all the debris
30:16that was contained
30:17in there
30:18not really expecting
30:19to find any
30:20human material
30:21in there
30:22but he identified
30:24some small fragments
30:25that he wasn't sure
30:27whether they were bone
30:28or not
30:28they were less than
30:32a centimetre
30:33in size
30:34they were white
30:35in colour
30:35very fragile
30:37some of them
30:38resembled human bone
30:40to myself
30:41and my colleague
30:42who were very experienced
30:43forensic anthropologists
30:44others required further testing
30:47the results of those tests
30:50would take time
30:51but the police were satisfied
30:53that in Bridger
30:54they not only had the person
30:55responsible for April's disappearance
30:57but also her murder
31:00as the investigation
31:06proceeds
31:08what we know changes
31:09it becomes
31:10a murder investigation
31:12but despite this
31:14the objectives
31:14are still
31:15the same
31:16in terms
31:16we need to find
31:17the person
31:19who's gone missing
31:19we need to secure evidence
31:21we need to understand
31:23what's happened
31:23the search
31:25in the investigation
31:25still has to continue
31:26but we need to do that
31:28not only for the investigation
31:29but also for the family
31:31to give them the answers
31:32they deserve
31:33and they've lost a loved one
31:34alongside the search for April
31:37the police were looking
31:39to gather enough evidence
31:40to allow them to charge Bridger
31:42and back at his home
31:44made another vital discovery
31:46some further examinations
31:48in front of the fire
31:49the hearth
31:50identified
31:52a pooling of blood
31:53which was recovered
31:56from underneath the carpet
31:57from my perspective
31:59indicated that
32:00you know
32:01something significant
32:02had happened
32:03in front of the hearth
32:04to April
32:05that blood sample
32:06was submitted
32:07for testing
32:08alongside more blood
32:10found in Bridger's bathroom
32:11its DNA profile
32:13was a match
32:14to April Jones
32:15when these findings
32:17were put to Bridger
32:18he desperately tried
32:20to explain them away
32:21the only explanation
32:25I've got
32:26is obviously
32:27if I've got blood
32:27on my hands
32:28if I haven't
32:30dried my hands
32:30you flick your hands
32:32I've gone for a week
32:32so it's possibly
32:34a transfer of blood
32:36from
32:36having
32:39some sort of blood
32:40on my hands
32:41obviously there was only
32:42a very minute amount
32:43of blood
32:44which I've said
32:45from the beginning
32:45I never ever recalled
32:47having blood
32:48from the injury
32:50or from April
32:50on me
32:51on me
32:52yes sorry
32:53yes
32:53there is sufficient evidence
33:04to charge Mark Bridger
33:06with the murder
33:07of April Jones
33:08when Mark Bridger
33:13got charged
33:13the community
33:14really did change
33:15it changed to anger
33:17towards this man
33:18but because of the
33:23community spirit
33:24that they had
33:25because of
33:27how everybody
33:27looked out
33:28for everybody else
33:29in that town
33:29it just added
33:31to the weight
33:31of shock
33:32and anger
33:33for what this guy
33:35had done
33:36and also the way
33:37that it was done
33:38as well
33:38they were just
33:39so angry
33:40with what had gone on
33:41and so upset
33:42and heartbroken
33:43when you get
33:45to the point of charge
33:47in a sense
33:48it's then
33:49that the work begins
33:50would the evidence
33:53that we presented
33:53the jury
33:54prove
33:55on their part
33:56beyond reasonable doubt
33:57that Mark Bridger
33:58had abducted
33:59and murdered
34:00April Jones
34:01whilst we were
34:02confident
34:03that we had
34:04a strong case
34:05there was a concern
34:07that how would
34:08that case
34:09come across
34:10to the jury
34:10given that we
34:11hadn't located
34:12April's body
34:13five days
34:24after April Jones
34:25went missing
34:26Mark Bridger
34:27was charged
34:28with her murder
34:28the police
34:30now set about
34:31building a case
34:32to take to court
34:33with forensic science
34:34at the forefront
34:35we didn't test
34:37the fragments
34:38themselves
34:39for DNA
34:40because we were
34:41certain that
34:42given the condition
34:43of the bone
34:44the fact that
34:44it was calcined
34:45there would be
34:46no DNA
34:47left
34:48three of the fragments
34:51had characteristics
34:53that looked
34:54very human
34:55so straight away
34:57I was fairly confident
35:00that we were looking
35:01at human bone
35:02we also looked
35:05at some
35:06archaeological skeletons
35:08and did some
35:09comparative analysis
35:10to give ourselves
35:12an age range
35:13of the deceased
35:14and based on
35:16the appearance
35:17of the comparative
35:18fragments
35:19the size and thickness
35:20of the skull
35:20the appearance
35:21of the sutures
35:22we signed
35:23an age range
35:24of between four
35:25and eight years
35:25Bridges defence team
35:30presented us
35:31with a list
35:31of animals
35:32that he said
35:33he'd put on the fire
35:35there were 17
35:36in total
35:37we'd looked
35:38at the shape
35:40and the structure
35:40of the bone
35:41we'd done
35:42scanning electron
35:43microscopy
35:44we'd compared it
35:45to animal bones
35:46but we still felt
35:48that we didn't
35:49have enough
35:50to say
35:51with as much
35:52confidence
35:52as we would like
35:53to meet the requirements
35:54of the court
35:55that the bone
35:56was definitely human
35:57so we wanted
35:58to do histological
36:00analysis
36:00of the bone
36:01histological analysis
36:04is the microscopic
36:05examination of tissues
36:06to study their structure
36:08we had a friend
36:10and colleague
36:10who works
36:11at the forensic institute
36:13in milan
36:13professor christina
36:15catanio
36:15who is world
36:17renowned for using
36:19that technique
36:20to distinguish
36:21whether it remains
36:22a human or animal
36:23and she found
36:24that there were
36:26no features
36:27in there
36:28that suggested
36:28that the bone
36:30was animal
36:31the problem
36:33that professor
36:34catanio had
36:35was that she was
36:36looking at a very
36:36small field of vision
36:38however
36:39the osteons
36:41were consistent
36:42with human
36:43osteons
36:44and human
36:44bone structure
36:45osteons
36:47are the fundamental
36:48structural
36:48and functional
36:49units
36:50of compact
36:51bone
36:51she assigned
36:53a very high
36:53level of confidence
36:55to it
36:55we were very
36:58conscious
36:59of the
36:59small amount
37:00of bone
37:01that we had
37:02to work with
37:02but we were
37:04very
37:04cognizant
37:06of the fact
37:07that this was
37:08all that the
37:09family had
37:09we were just
37:10very conscious
37:11that we didn't
37:11want to do
37:12anything
37:12that was going
37:14to be unnecessary
37:15and anything
37:18that the family
37:18didn't want
37:19the bone evidence
37:21was strong
37:22but not conclusive
37:23so the police
37:25looked to digital
37:26forensics
37:26to further support
37:27their case
37:28myself
37:30and my team
37:31were focusing
37:32on Bridger's
37:33laptop
37:34and we had
37:35to carry out
37:36our own
37:37analysis
37:38to verify
37:39the findings
37:40by both
37:41the police
37:41and the
37:42defence expert
37:44who'd already
37:45carried out
37:46their investigation
37:47we identified
37:48images
37:49of murder
37:52not
37:53specifically
37:54relating
37:55to April
37:56but other
37:57murder
37:58cases
37:59involving
38:00children
38:01there were
38:01also
38:02cartoon
38:04images
38:04of sexual
38:06abuse
38:07of children
38:08and
38:09general
38:11images
38:12inappropriate
38:13indecent
38:14material
38:15involving
38:16children
38:16the internet
38:19history
38:19clearly
38:21showed
38:22a
38:22build-up
38:23of activity
38:24prior
38:25to the
38:27disappearance
38:27of April
38:28a lull
38:30in activity
38:31whilst
38:33the disappearance
38:34was happening
38:35and then
38:36post the event
38:38files
38:39were
38:40being deleted
38:42it was clear
38:45from the evidence
38:46found
38:47that Bridger
38:48had an interest
38:50in the local
38:51girls
38:52potentially could be
38:53deemed as
38:54stalking them
38:55by downloading
38:56material
38:57from Facebook
38:58profiles
38:59that in itself
39:01provided
39:02some real
39:03concerns
39:04in terms of
39:06what potentially
39:06could have
39:07happened
39:07beyond
39:08the point
39:09of taking
39:10April
39:10had we not
39:11been able
39:12to
39:12arrest
39:13Mark Bridger
39:14for the offence
39:14all the evidence
39:16on the laptop
39:17supported
39:18the prosecution
39:19case
39:19that Mark Bridger
39:21had abducted
39:23and murdered
39:23April Jones
39:24and that
39:25it was
39:25premeditated
39:27and sexually
39:28motivated
39:29the police
39:31had built
39:31a robust
39:32case
39:32against
39:33Bridger
39:33however
39:34the search
39:35for April
39:35had been
39:36unsuccessful
39:37although
39:43Bridger
39:44had admitted
39:45he was probably
39:46responsible
39:46for April
39:47Jones' death
39:48he had denied
39:49the charges
39:49of murder
39:50and abduction
39:51so his trial
39:52commenced
39:53on the 29th
39:53of April
39:542013
39:55at Mould
39:56Crown Court
39:57people were
40:03hopeful
40:04that Mark Bridger
40:05was going to
40:06get the sentence
40:07that he deserved
40:08and there is no
40:09sentence that
40:10you could give
40:11to somebody like
40:12this
40:12but they were
40:13hoping that
40:13he was going
40:14to go away
40:14for life
40:15and never come
40:16out
40:16never be in a
40:17position
40:17to treat
40:19people
40:19or treat
40:20anyone
40:20in this way
40:21again
40:21and I think
40:22the whole
40:24town wanted
40:25justice
40:25for April's
40:27family
40:27and because
40:28it happened
40:29in this town
40:29they had
40:30become known
40:31for what had
40:32gone on as well
40:32so they wanted
40:33justice for
40:33themselves as well
40:34we were confident
40:37we were confident
40:37that the evidence
40:38that we had
40:39proved our case
40:40in terms of
40:41April being abducted
40:42and murdered
40:43but not having
40:47been able to locate
40:48April's body
40:49did present some
40:51concern
40:52if you like
40:53that
40:53you know
40:54how would the case
40:55come across
40:56to the jury
40:57from my perspective
41:01one of the critical
41:02moments at trial
41:03was when the evidence
41:04was presented by
41:05the seven year old
41:06witness via video link
41:07the witness was
41:09exceptional in terms
41:10of how she was able
41:12to recall
41:13in a clear
41:14way what had occurred
41:16at the scene
41:17at the time that
41:18April was taken
41:19and when cross-examined
41:21by defense
41:22she maintained
41:23her account
41:24came across
41:25as you know
41:26open and honest
41:27and that for me
41:29was a key point
41:30at trial
41:30in terms of
41:31being able to
41:32provide real
41:33strong evidence
41:34to the jury
41:34that you know
41:35this abduction
41:36and murder
41:37had actually
41:37taken place
41:38it must have been
41:41really hard
41:41for April's family
41:42to be seeing
41:44what was going on
41:45and to be
41:46at the trial
41:46we respected them
41:49when they were
41:50going to court
41:51obviously we didn't
41:52want to approach them
41:53and do interviews
41:53with them
41:54but you could see
41:56that the strain
41:57was getting to them
41:58of course it would
41:58after a month-long trial
42:03the jury went out
42:04to consider its verdict
42:05and after just four hours
42:08it had reached
42:09its decision
42:10when Bridger was found
42:14guilty by the jury
42:15it was a moment
42:17in a sense
42:18of mixed emotions
42:19on the basis that
42:20from a criminal justice
42:22perspective
42:22we'd secured
42:24a conviction
42:25that was tinged
42:28slightly by the fact
42:29that obviously
42:29we'd not located
42:30April for the family
42:31we are relieved
42:34that Mark Bridger
42:35has today
42:36been found guilty
42:37of the murder
42:38of our beautiful
42:39daughter April
42:40April will be forever
42:42in our hearts
42:43and we are so moved
42:45by the overwhelming
42:46support we have had
42:47from so many people
42:48from all over the world
42:49for his crimes
42:54Bridger was sentenced
42:55to a whole life order
42:57meaning he will never
42:58be considered for parole
43:00and will spend the rest
43:01of his life behind bars
43:02this is the toughest
43:07sentence he could have got
43:09so there was the
43:10relief that justice
43:12had been done
43:13but at the same time
43:17there was that
43:18realization that
43:20the town will never
43:21be the same again
43:22following Bridger's conviction
43:27the decision was made
43:28to permanently remove
43:30any evidence
43:31of his terrible crime
43:32from the Welsh landscape
43:34however
43:35the scars still remain
43:37this area is an idyllic area
43:41it's very quaint
43:42it's secluded
43:43very peaceful
43:44and it's you know
43:49it's difficult to comprehend
43:50how something as horrendous
43:51as horrific
43:52as what occurred
43:53on the 1st of October 2012
43:56could have happened
43:56in such a beautiful location
43:58it's very powerful
44:01to be back here
44:02in the area
44:04where a young
44:05five-year-old
44:06vulnerable child
44:07has had her life
44:09taken away from her
44:10in such tragic circumstances
44:11in such a beautiful
44:41in such a beautiful
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