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00:00The following programme contains distressing scenes.
00:07Police are saying tonight that they're increasingly concerned
00:09about the whereabouts of April Jones, a five-year-old girl from McKinley.
00:16When I get the first call from the police,
00:18it always raises the heart rate a little,
00:20thinking about what they're going to be dealing with.
00:23I always feel pleased to know that someone wants to call on my expertise,
00:27but at the same time it's a challenge
00:29and I want to be able to respond to that effectively.
00:32On that initial call, I'm looking to find out as much information as I can
00:36about the circumstances, about the victim or the person who we're dealing with,
00:41what actions the police have taken already,
00:44and then thinking about what are the next steps and how we move forward.
00:48When someone goes missing, the first few hours are absolutely critical.
00:52We talk about the golden hour.
00:53It's not actually a defined hour, but it is that early time
00:56when we need to make sure we are following leads quickly.
01:00If they're calling me, this is going to be serious.
01:22The town is a beautiful town.
01:25It's your typical Welsh town.
01:30It was always a warm welcome.
01:33You went in the shops, people kind of got to know you.
01:36It was just one of those nice, friendly places.
01:41The town is a small, close-knit community, population in the region of 2,000 people.
01:48And the community spirit during the course of the investigation,
01:51particularly initially, was overwhelming.
01:54Not just those who live within the community,
01:57but then those who, you know, came from afar, really,
02:00to assist with the search,
02:03which was a significant and a main line of investigation for us.
02:08That investigation began on the 1st of October 2012,
02:14when a vulnerable little girl went missing from close to her home.
02:18We didn't really know anything about April's family before she went missing.
02:23People who knew them said they were a normal family.
02:28They didn't have anything out of the ordinary going on in their lives.
02:33They would take the children to school, come home, just that typical family.
02:40April was five years old, someone who attended a local school in Machantleth.
02:45You know, she was a child who suffered from mild cerebral palsy.
02:49Her mum and dad had been to a parent's evening.
02:52She was doing exceptionally well in school.
02:54And she went for a swimming lesson.
02:57Her sister picked her up during the course of the early evening.
03:00This was all captured on CCTV footage that was obtained by Doverd Powys Police.
03:07April comes home.
03:08Mum then is asked by April if she can go and play with some friends on her bicycle.
03:16In the area that they were living in, I think it's fair to say that, you know,
03:20the majority of parents felt comfortable and confident in leaving their children play within the grounds, if you like.
03:26And because she'd done particularly well in school,
03:29her mum allowed her to spend a little bit more time out than maybe she would have ordinarily.
03:39The brother of April, who at the time was about nine years old,
03:43was asked by mum to go and find April, bring her home.
03:49But what mum was then faced with was her son coming into the house
03:54and basically saying that he'd been told by one of April's friends
03:57that she'd gone into the vehicle and been taken.
04:02A call came in from the mother into the forced communication centre,
04:06as would normally be the case on a three-nines call.
04:10Hi, police emergency.
04:13I stopped being kidnapped.
04:15I was in jail.
04:16I was in jail.
04:16Hang on.
04:17Sal, can you speak something?
04:20Hello.
04:21And what makes you think the dog has been kidnapped?
04:23Apparently, she's gone off in a car with somebody.
04:26Somebody's picked up in a car or something.
04:27OK, what's the name of the child that's gone missing?
04:30April Jones.
04:31April, how old is she?
04:33Five.
04:35During the course of the call, the mum has informed police officers
04:38that her five-year-old daughter has been kidnapped
04:42and that it was a big grey vehicle or car
04:45and that there was a man driving.
04:50Initially, with regards to a call such as that,
04:53it has to be what we would refer to in policing
04:55as an overt response in the first instance.
04:57It is a crime in action.
04:59It's about getting as many resources to the area concerned
05:03because, obviously, there is a life at risk at that particular time.
05:07The first actions, if you like,
05:09are to make sure that we can send officers to the scene
05:12to try and identify where this has occurred,
05:16to try and trace any potential witnesses to the incident
05:19and, obviously, to speak to family and friends
05:22in order to try and establish the circumstances
05:25surrounding this particular case.
05:27It's a very fast-moving investigation
05:29at that particular point in time.
05:32To help with that investigation,
05:34police called on the expertise of Charlie Hedges,
05:37the manager for missing, abducted and kidnapped children
05:41at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.
05:46When I got the phone call at 8 o'clock in the evening,
05:48shortly after April had gone missing,
05:50it was from a detective chief inspector who was involved with the case
05:53and he wanted to know
05:55whether the force should be using Child Rescue Alert
05:59as a way of releasing information at high speed to the media
06:03to try and encourage calls from the public
06:06and it also then filters through to a dedicated line
06:09so the information goes directly to the police.
06:12And also, she was explaining about the circumstances
06:15so we could consider various options
06:17for the start of the investigation as well.
06:22We knew that April had got into a van and had been driven off.
06:26It feasibly could have been
06:27that there's an innocent explanation behind it,
06:30but at the same time,
06:31we had to be alert to more serious consequences.
06:35When we've got a child that's missing,
06:37it's important to understand the individual
06:40and their behaviour and habits,
06:42understand the circumstances of their going missing.
06:45Is there anywhere else that we can find out information
06:47about what's gone on, any witnesses?
06:49Any CCTV or anything else
06:52that will help us to understand what's going on
06:54and think about how we're best going to deploy resources
06:58to try and find where she's gone.
07:00Advising remotely is always a challenge
07:02because you're not connected directly with the case
07:05and seeing how things are unfolding.
07:08However, it was the way we had to operate.
07:10My decision was to stay on the phone
07:12and stay in contact and then take it from there.
07:17On the ground in Machanllef,
07:19word was starting to spread about April's abduction.
07:23Mum was someone who used Facebook like many people do.
07:27Information was put onto Facebook that April had been taken
07:31and that prompted, you know, certainly lots of people within the community
07:35who were active on social media to come across that information.
07:39Took it upon themselves then to come to the area
07:42where April had been taken from
07:45and to try and start searching for April.
07:50Certainly the first officers who attended
07:52were faced with a fairly challenging and chaotic situation
07:55in that you've got, you know, quite a significant number of members of the public
07:59from within the community, rightly so,
08:02wanting to assist in trying to search for April.
08:08Very early on, people were going out and searching on their own
08:10and then all of a sudden the police and the Mountain Rescue
08:15and all the organisations decided
08:17we need to have a better coordination of what's going on
08:20because people were going up on the hills
08:22without any kind of coordination
08:25or knowing what they were doing really.
08:27So very quickly they brought everybody together
08:29and we played a part in that as a radio station
08:31because we were telling people
08:33let's not all go out there now,
08:35let's come to the leisure centre,
08:38let's get into groups,
08:39then we can all go out and search
08:41in the areas that the police wanted us to search in
08:43and where the Mountain Rescue wanted us to search in.
08:46This is the scene at the local community centre
08:48where hundreds of people are still waiting for news.
08:52Many of them have been involved in searches throughout the day.
08:56After the first few hours it was well organised
08:59and it became one of the biggest search operations
09:01ever in the UK to find April Jones.
09:16October 2012
09:17and in the small Welsh town of Machynlleth
09:20vulnerable five-year-old April Jones
09:23had been missing for two and a half hours.
09:26Of the resources available
09:28the media is obviously a main line of inquiry for us
09:32in terms of being able to publicise
09:34what April looked like,
09:36the brief circumstances of her disappearance,
09:39in order to seek support really
09:41and assistance from the general public
09:43and anyone else
09:44who may be able to give us information
09:46as to her whereabouts.
09:48So on that basis
09:50it was important that we got
09:52a photo of April
09:54and information to the media
09:56as soon as practicable
09:58in order to get hopefully a response from the public.
10:02Given that the incident happened at 7.30 in the evening
10:05we were aware that, you know,
10:0710 o'clock news is very popular
10:09for many, many of its audiences
10:11so we took the opportunity
10:12to try and share information
10:15and provide a briefing to the media
10:17in readiness that it could be circulated
10:19at that point in time.
10:22Police are saying tonight
10:23that they're increasingly concerned
10:25about the whereabouts
10:25of a five-year-old girl
10:27from McKinley.
10:28April Jones, they say,
10:30was last seen playing with her friend
10:32on their bikes
10:32near to garages in the town
10:34at around 7.30 this evening.
10:37The police were able to provide the media
10:40with plenty of information
10:41during that briefing
10:42because, crucially,
10:44the abduction had been witnessed.
10:49April, at the time
10:50that she was taken,
10:51was with a seven-year-old friend
10:52who was present at the scene.
10:55You've got to consider
10:56the vulnerability of a seven-year-old,
10:58the time of day,
10:59what that seven-year-old
11:01had actually observed
11:01and experienced,
11:03obviously the awareness
11:03of all these people
11:05around the area,
11:06what's going on.
11:07So we had to put into context
11:08what we were being told
11:09in terms of what that seven-year-old witness
11:12had observed at the time.
11:14It was a crucial bit of evidence
11:16that if you've got to look
11:17for other lines of inquiry,
11:18other intelligence information,
11:19which hopefully can corroborate
11:22what the seven-year-old
11:23was telling us
11:24to assist us
11:25in terms of trying
11:26to identify,
11:27firstly, where April may be
11:28and, you know,
11:30as importantly,
11:30who had taken April.
11:35So this is Brynagog.
11:37This is a quiet residential estate.
11:40This is where April
11:41would have been spending her time
11:42playing with her friends,
11:45a fairly relaxed area
11:47where her parents were comfortable
11:49for her to spend time
11:51with others,
11:52playing on their bicycles
11:54and just enjoying
11:55as children of that age
11:57would do, really.
12:00When the incident occurred
12:02on the night of the 1st of October 2012,
12:06things changed dramatically
12:08in this area.
12:09April was taken
12:11from this area here.
12:16This is also the area
12:18where facing outwards,
12:20a vehicle described
12:20by her friend
12:21as being big at the rear
12:23and smaller at the front.
12:25It was parked.
12:26We know from the evidence
12:28provided by the friend
12:29that April got into
12:31the left-hand side,
12:33driver's side of the vehicle.
12:37Initially,
12:37that took some further
12:39sort of understanding
12:40in terms of trying
12:41to work out
12:42how that would have
12:43actually happened in reality
12:44because I think,
12:46certainly from my perspective,
12:48may have expected
12:48that April would have
12:49got into one of the other doors
12:51of the vehicle
12:52with the offender.
12:56The fact that she got
12:57into a vehicle
12:58with someone else,
12:59did she get into it willingly?
13:01Was it someone
13:01just giving her a lift
13:03or was it something
13:04more serious?
13:05And we need to understand
13:07exactly what was happening.
13:11As the search
13:12for both April
13:13and her abductor continued,
13:15it became clear
13:16that finding this vehicle
13:17and its owner
13:18could hold the key
13:20to both their whereabouts.
13:23It's always crucial
13:24to gather information
13:25as quickly as possible
13:26because people have,
13:28witnesses have
13:29that information
13:29fresh in their minds,
13:30evidence is undisturbed.
13:32But also,
13:33people can move further away
13:34from where they were
13:35so the search areas
13:37get larger.
13:37and obviously the longer
13:39more time elapses,
13:40the greater the concern
13:42for the safety
13:43and welfare of April
13:44was growing
13:45and we wanted to be able
13:47to try and find her
13:48and look after her
13:49as quickly as we possibly could.
13:51I turned on the television
13:53and at that time
13:54there was information
13:55on Sky News
13:56telling us about
13:57the disappearance
13:58of a girl in Wales.
14:00Police are asking
14:00for anyone with any information
14:02to call them.
14:03They're giving the number out
14:04as 101,
14:05the number to call
14:06if they do have any information
14:07about a five-year-old girl
14:09from Machinle.
14:11It quickly led
14:12to a huge influx of calls
14:14from across the country
14:15with people wanting
14:16to help and assist.
14:19One of the basic talents
14:20of Child Rescue Alert
14:22is to alert people
14:24and encourage them
14:24to call in.
14:25But the problem we had
14:26that the calls
14:27were going all over the place
14:28so we decided to use it
14:29as a mechanism
14:30for A, making sure
14:31that the right information
14:33was being shared
14:34and secondly
14:35that people knew
14:36which number to contact
14:38to pass that information on.
14:50This case was different
14:52from many we'd dealt with before
14:53because of the amount
14:55of social media
14:56that was used
14:58during the case
14:58and the widespread
15:00of information
15:02and the number
15:02of people
15:03who were responding
15:04to the case.
15:05As well as leaning
15:07on social media
15:08to help with the search,
15:09April's mum,
15:10Coral,
15:11bravely went before
15:12the cameras
15:12to ask for the public's help.
15:15April is only
15:16five years old.
15:18Please,
15:20please,
15:21help find her.
15:27In the hills,
15:29fields and forests
15:29surrounding April's home,
15:31there has been
15:31an increasingly desperate search
15:33with police
15:34and public
15:35joining forces.
15:36We found out
15:38from the start,
15:39really,
15:39from social media
15:40that something
15:40was going on
15:41when people started
15:42to use Twitter
15:43just to say
15:44a little girl
15:45has gone missing.
15:47Suddenly,
15:47people were tweeting.
15:51It played a good part
15:52in terms of
15:53telling people
15:54what was going on.
15:55It brought people
15:56to the area
15:57to help
15:57with the search operation.
15:59The hashtags
15:59were there,
16:01people sending support
16:02for the family.
16:04How has the community
16:05responded generally,
16:06would you say?
16:07Well,
16:07I'm not from this community.
16:08I'm from the Lampeter area.
16:10You've actually driven
16:11across from Manchester, yeah?
16:12Yeah,
16:12it's a three-hour journey
16:13this morning.
16:14Sir,
16:14can I ask what brings you
16:14out here
16:15and being so determined
16:16to search?
16:16Yeah,
16:17they're friends of ours.
16:19It's a vast area
16:20with a limited population.
16:21At the same time,
16:22you get those working
16:23for the media
16:24on the ground,
16:24if you like,
16:25in Machuntleth,
16:26speaking to,
16:27you know,
16:27people within the community,
16:29people who were involved,
16:30all the volunteers
16:30who were involved
16:31with some of the searching,
16:33you know,
16:33and effectively knocking doors,
16:35trying to find out
16:36more information
16:37with risk guards
16:38to April
16:39and her family.
16:41It wasn't just the media
16:43and the people of Machuntleth
16:45driving the search for April.
16:47The police had also turned
16:48to specialists
16:49in the hope
16:50of locating her.
16:53Machuntleth itself
16:54is a town,
16:55obviously,
16:56in rural mid Wales
16:57and in terms
16:58of the geography
17:00of the area,
17:01that presented
17:01some real challenges.
17:03From just moving
17:04outside the town centre
17:05where we are,
17:06you'll see that
17:07there's a lot more
17:08mountainous area,
17:09forestry,
17:10and all of that
17:11needed the support
17:12of a significant
17:13number of agencies
17:14with various skills
17:15and experience
17:16to be able to come
17:17and assist the police
17:19with the investigation
17:20and particularly
17:21the main line of inquiry
17:22which was the search
17:23for April.
17:26We're very fortunate
17:27to have a lot
17:27of volunteer people
17:29who want to give
17:31their time
17:32to searching
17:32for those who are lost,
17:34missing,
17:34and put their lives
17:35at risk
17:36doing it sometimes.
17:38There's mountain rescue,
17:39lowland rescue,
17:40then there are
17:41specialists with dogs,
17:43people who go searching
17:43on bicycles
17:44and a whole range
17:46of different things,
17:46and then there's others
17:47who specialise
17:47at searching in caves
17:48and other difficult
17:49environments like that.
17:51So they will always
17:52step forward
17:52when there's a case
17:53and want to be involved.
17:55And so it's then
17:56for the local police
17:56and the police search advisor
17:58to coordinate that activity
18:00and deploy it
18:00in the most effective
18:01way possible.
18:04The search for April
18:06was exhaustive
18:07and, inevitably,
18:09in a small,
18:10tight-knit community,
18:11people started to speculate
18:13as to who might have
18:14taken her.
18:15So in a story like this,
18:17obviously, emotions are high,
18:19so it's quite a complex case
18:20to cover
18:22from the radio station's
18:23point of view.
18:24A lot of our presenters
18:26knew the listeners
18:27and they were ringing in
18:28saying,
18:29oh, well,
18:30we definitely know
18:30that it could be
18:32this person
18:33that's taken her
18:34or it could be
18:36that she's gone
18:36missing up this area.
18:38And they were giving us
18:39this information
18:40and we very early on
18:42decided we were just
18:43going to report the facts.
18:45We were not going to go
18:46with any kind of theories
18:48or speculation
18:49and we didn't want to put out
18:50any false information
18:51that it maybe upset
18:52the family.
18:53We didn't want to put out
18:54any speculation
18:55that got anyone else
18:57in trouble
18:58or that it could hinder
18:59the police's investigation.
19:02Some of the things
19:03we were feeding to the police
19:04and then some of the things
19:06we were having to just say
19:07to people,
19:08listen,
19:08we hear what you're saying
19:10but at the minute
19:11this has not been confirmed
19:12so we're not going
19:13to report it
19:14but thank you
19:15for letting us know
19:16about this.
19:18Controlling the spread
19:19of information
19:20was key
19:21and as the second day
19:22of the investigation
19:23progressed,
19:24there was one piece
19:25regarding the vehicle
19:27that April had got into
19:28that the police
19:29took the decision
19:30to initially keep
19:31to themselves.
19:33When we established
19:34that the vehicle
19:35was a left-hand drive vehicle,
19:38we were able
19:39to gather information
19:40as to who owned
19:41that particular vehicle.
19:42The person who owned
19:43the vehicle
19:44was known as Mark Bridger.
19:57Police hunting
19:58for missing
19:59five-year-old
20:00April Jones
20:01now had a suspect.
20:02Local man
20:03Mark Bridger.
20:05We conducted
20:07a number of
20:07background inquiries
20:08in order to establish
20:10as much information
20:11as we could
20:11in terms of
20:12well who is
20:13Mark Bridger.
20:13He was identified
20:14as a suspect
20:15and we
20:16ensured then
20:17that I got
20:18a number of
20:19officers available
20:20and resources
20:21available
20:22so that we could
20:23attend
20:23a number of
20:25addresses
20:25that Mark Bridger
20:26was associated with
20:28in order
20:30firstly
20:30to try and find
20:31April Jones
20:32but secondly
20:33to try and identify
20:35and locate
20:36Mark Bridger.
20:40Obviously
20:41at the time
20:42we didn't really know
20:42much about
20:43Mark Bridger.
20:44We know
20:44that he
20:47knew April's
20:48family
20:48and knew April
20:49because he had
20:50children at the
20:51same school
20:51so they kind of
20:52knew each other.
20:54People say
20:54and people do say
20:55this afterwards
20:56but that he was
20:57a bit of a loner
20:58and always said
20:59there was something
21:00about him
21:00that didn't
21:02sit right with them.
21:06we identified
21:07potentially four addresses
21:09that he had access
21:10to.
21:11We simultaneously
21:12attended each
21:14of those addresses
21:15in an effort
21:16to try and locate
21:17April Jones
21:18and obviously
21:20arrest Mark Bridger.
21:25There was one
21:26address in particular
21:27which turned out
21:28to be the home
21:29address of Mark
21:30Bridger.
21:31Bridger's home
21:32was then placed
21:33under surveillance
21:34by the police.
21:38When officers
21:39attended that address
21:40entered the premises
21:42Mark Bridger
21:43was nowhere to be seen.
21:44Obviously
21:45we didn't locate
21:46April Jones
21:47either at that point
21:48in time
21:50but what officers
21:51reported
21:52was that
21:53the premises
21:54were stifling hot
21:55there was
21:57a roaring fire
21:58and that there was
22:00a very clear
22:01distinctive smell
22:02of detergent
22:03and cleaning agents
22:05within the property.
22:10We were able
22:11to locate him
22:12at about 3.30pm
22:14during the afternoon
22:15of the 2nd.
22:17At the time
22:18he was walking
22:19between
22:20Cairn Ljus
22:21which is where
22:22his home was located
22:23some 4 miles
22:24out of
22:24Machantleith Town Centre
22:25when Mark Bridger
22:27was detained
22:28at the roadside
22:29an urgent interview
22:30was conducted
22:31by the officer
22:32and Mark Bridger's
22:34initial account
22:35was that
22:35he had been involved
22:37in a low
22:38low speed collision
22:40with a bicycle
22:42with a child on
22:43at the location
22:45where the alleged
22:46abduction
22:47had taken place
22:48and that
22:50as a result
22:51of colliding
22:52with the bicycle
22:52and the child
22:53the child suffered
22:55some injuries
22:57he panicked
22:58wanted to
22:59see if he could
23:01assist the child
23:02considered
23:03CPR
23:04but felt that
23:06it wasn't appropriate
23:07because of the
23:07extent of injuries
23:08placed the child
23:10in his vehicle
23:11drove away
23:12from the scene
23:15and then
23:15at some point
23:17during the course
23:17of the evening
23:18into the night
23:19he has just
23:21lost his memory
23:22and is unable
23:23to assist us
23:25any further
23:25in terms of
23:26what happened
23:26to April Jones
23:29Bridger was then
23:30detained
23:30at Aberystwyth
23:31Police Station
23:32and formally questioned
23:34where he gave
23:35a near identical
23:36account
23:39I remember
23:40the dark-headed
23:41girl came
23:41behind the car
23:43I started the car
23:44up
23:45as I went
23:46to pull away
23:48the car
23:49there wasn't
23:50a thud
23:50I can't understand
23:52the car rose up
23:54as I opened
23:55the car
23:55I walked
23:56and underneath
23:59the front of the car
24:01is now
24:02I know
24:03to be April
24:06she was only
24:07little
24:09so I picked
24:09her up
24:10and put her
24:10across my seat
24:11and put her
24:12in what is
24:12the offside
24:13seat
24:14the passenger
24:15seat
24:17tried to take
24:18her pulse
24:19and there was
24:20nothing
24:21I put my mouth
24:22over her mouth
24:22and went low
24:23put my hand
24:24back on the chest
24:25and that's when
24:26I realised
24:27one side of her
24:28chest wasn't
24:29there
24:30I'd obviously
24:31crushed
24:33I'd obviously
24:34crushed her
24:35little body
24:39so
24:40I then
24:41drove out of
24:41Brina Gorg
24:42my intention
24:43was to get
24:43her medical
24:44help
24:44and that's
24:45when I realised
24:47colour
24:47had gone out
24:48of her
24:48her lips
24:50were purple
24:51all the coral
24:52are friends
24:53of mine
24:55and I
24:59I've killed
25:00their daughter
25:05the next minute
25:07and I made
25:08my house
25:08and she's not
25:09there
25:11but I can't
25:12remember
25:12what I've done
25:17we can't
25:18disregard
25:19the initial
25:20account
25:20but obviously
25:21we are
25:22not satisfied
25:23that that is
25:23the true
25:24circumstances
25:24of what
25:25has gone on
25:26and you know
25:27we continue
25:28with a number
25:29of lines
25:29of inquiry
25:30and speaking
25:31to as many
25:32witnesses
25:32potential witnesses
25:34to try and
25:35gain more
25:36information
25:36which can
25:37assist us
25:38in locating
25:38April
25:42while officers
25:43conducted
25:44those inquiries
25:45Andy John
25:46had to inform
25:47April's family
25:48of this
25:48significant
25:49development
25:50before the
25:51media did
25:52it was
25:53extremely
25:54difficult
25:54for the
25:54family
25:55when
25:55they were
25:56informed
25:57that
25:57Mark
25:57Bridger
25:57was
25:57responsible
25:58for
25:58taking
25:59April
26:01given
26:01that
26:01they knew
26:03of Mark
26:03Bridger
26:03you know
26:04they actually
26:05knew who he was
26:06he lived
26:06within the
26:07community
26:07he had
26:07children
26:08within the
26:08community
26:09it was
26:09somebody
26:09who was
26:10known to
26:10them
26:11who'd
26:11actually
26:11been
26:11a
26:12Facebook
26:13friend
26:13with
26:14the
26:14family
26:15they probably
26:16found it
26:16a lot more
26:17difficult
26:17than had it
26:18been someone
26:18who was
26:19unknown to
26:19them
26:22with
26:23Bridger
26:23in custody
26:24and April's
26:25family fully
26:25informed
26:26the decision
26:27was made
26:27to brief
26:28the press
26:29we have
26:30arrested
26:31a 46
26:32year old
26:32male
26:33from the
26:34Mychenllith area
26:35who has been
26:36detained
26:37at Aberystwyth
26:39Police Station
26:40people had already
26:41told us
26:42that they thought
26:43it could be
26:44Mark Bridger
26:44because he was
26:46the only person
26:46that they knew
26:47drove a
26:48left-hand drive
26:50car
26:50also
26:51people had
26:52started to
26:53say that
26:54Mark Bridger
26:55was a strange
26:55person
26:56and things
26:57like that
26:58so it didn't
26:59come as a
26:59surprise
27:00but we had
27:00to obviously
27:02report
27:02sensitively
27:03and there
27:04was real
27:05anger
27:05and we
27:06had to
27:06be careful
27:07how we
27:07reflected
27:08that on
27:08the radio
27:10with a
27:11suspect
27:12detained
27:12the police
27:13were able
27:14to widen
27:14the scope
27:15and nature
27:16of their
27:16search
27:17for April
27:17I think
27:18we realised
27:19that the case
27:20was serious
27:20within a very
27:21short period
27:22of time
27:22a five-year-old
27:23child wandering
27:24off
27:24there can't
27:25be too many
27:26innocent
27:26explanations
27:27to that
27:29Dufford
27:30Prowse
27:30police
27:31responded
27:31to it
27:32in an
27:32outstanding
27:33way
27:33they threw
27:33everything
27:34they could
27:34at it
27:36while the
27:37search for
27:38April
27:38escalated
27:39so too
27:40did
27:40Bridger's
27:41questioning
27:45so from
27:46the account
27:47provided by
27:48Mark Bridger
27:49it was important
27:50for us to
27:51establish whether
27:52there was any
27:53evidence on the
27:54vehicle to
27:55indicate that
27:55it had come
27:56into a
27:57collision
27:59I spent two
28:01days examining
28:02the vehicle
28:02I was looking
28:03for signs of
28:04blood
28:04possibly
28:05fibres
28:06what I was
28:07looking for
28:08in the panels
28:09of the vehicles
28:10especially low
28:11down
28:12I was looking
28:13for fresh damage
28:14in the vehicle
28:14this vehicle
28:15is a very
28:16very old
28:17vehicle
28:17and the
28:19paintwork
28:19on it
28:20had been
28:20oxidised
28:21so if he
28:22had collided
28:22with April's
28:24bike
28:24or April
28:25herself
28:26would have
28:27seen damage
28:27fresh damage
28:29which would have
28:29taken the
28:30oxide off
28:31and you've
28:31seen fresh
28:32paint there
28:34there wasn't
28:34any
28:35there was no
28:36damage
28:36consistent with
28:37a collision
28:38happening
28:39at the scene
28:40I was asked
28:41to examine
28:41the roadway
28:44especially
28:44the kerbside
28:45and all the way
28:46out to the
28:47centre line
28:47on the roadway
28:48and there was
28:49nothing found
28:50consistent with
28:51a collision
28:55given the size
28:56of the car
28:56that weighs
28:56two tonnes
28:58if it hit
28:59April's bicycle
29:00would have seen
29:01the damage
29:02on the vehicle
29:02but more so
29:04would have seen
29:04damage
29:05on the bicycle
29:07which was a
29:08small bicycle
29:09and it would
29:09have sustained
29:11enough of a
29:12lot of damage
29:12and there was
29:13absolutely no
29:14damage to it
29:14at all
29:17the forensic
29:19examinations
29:20of Bridger's
29:20car and
29:21April's
29:21bike
29:22suggested
29:23his version
29:24of events
29:24was a
29:25complete lie
29:26so police
29:27now turned
29:28their attention
29:28to trying
29:29to find out
29:30what had
29:30actually
29:31happened
29:31to April
29:36this is
29:37Kainous
29:38this is
29:39where
29:39the
29:39offender
29:40lived
29:40it's a
29:41quiet
29:42small
29:43secluded
29:45residential
29:45area
29:46just a few
29:47miles
29:48out of
29:48Machantleth
29:57so this
29:58is the
29:58area
29:58where
29:59the
29:59offender's
29:59house
30:00once stood
30:00and this
30:01from an
30:02investigation
30:02perspective
30:03is where
30:04the
30:04investigation
30:04took a
30:05turn
30:07my team
30:08were first
30:08involved
30:09during the
30:09initial
30:10search
30:10for
30:11April's
30:11remains
30:13and
30:13the
30:14contents
30:14of his
30:15wood-burning
30:15stove
30:16were recovered
30:17from
30:18the living
30:18room
30:19of his
30:19property
30:20and the
30:20examiner
30:21examined
30:22the
30:23contents
30:24of the
30:24fire
30:25so the
30:25ash
30:25and all
30:26the
30:26debris
30:26that was
30:27contained
30:27in there
30:28not really
30:29expecting
30:29to find
30:30any
30:30human
30:30material
30:31in there
30:32but he
30:33identified
30:33some
30:34small
30:34fragments
30:35that he
30:35wasn't
30:36sure
30:36whether
30:37they were
30:37bone
30:38or not
30:39they were
30:40less than
30:41a centimetre
30:43in size
30:44they were
30:44white in
30:45colour
30:45very fragile
30:47some of
30:48them
30:49resembled
30:49human bone
30:50to myself
30:51and my
30:51colleague
30:52who were
30:52very
30:52experienced
30:53forensic
30:53anthropologists
30:54others
30:55required
30:56further
30:56testing
30:57the
30:58results
30:59of those
30:59tests
31:00would take
31:00time
31:01but the
31:01police
31:02were satisfied
31:02that in
31:03Bridger
31:04they not
31:04only had
31:05the person
31:05responsible
31:06for April's
31:07disappearance
31:07but also
31:09her murder
31:14as the
31:15investigation
31:16proceeds
31:17what we
31:18know
31:18changes
31:19it becomes
31:20a murder
31:21investigation
31:22but despite
31:23this
31:23the objectives
31:24are still
31:25the same
31:26in terms
31:26we need
31:27to find
31:27the person
31:28who's gone
31:29missing
31:29we need
31:30to secure
31:30evidence
31:31we need
31:32to understand
31:32what's happened
31:33the search
31:34in the investigation
31:35still has to
31:36continue
31:36but we need
31:37to do that
31:37not only
31:38for the
31:38investigation
31:39but also
31:40for the
31:40family
31:41to give
31:41them the
31:41answers
31:42they deserve
31:42and they've
31:43lost a
31:43loved one
31:45alongside
31:46the search
31:47for April
31:47the police
31:48were looking
31:48to gather
31:49enough evidence
31:50to allow
31:50them to
31:51charge
31:51Bridger
31:51and back
31:53at his
31:53home
31:53made
31:54another
31:54vital
31:55discovery
31:56some
31:57further
31:57examinations
31:58in front
31:58of the
31:59fire
31:59the hearth
32:01identified
32:02a pooling
32:03of blood
32:04which was
32:05recovered
32:05from underneath
32:06the carpet
32:07from my
32:08perspective
32:09indicated
32:09that
32:10something
32:11significant
32:12had happened
32:13in front
32:13of the
32:13hearth
32:14to April
32:14that blood
32:16sample
32:16was submitted
32:17for testing
32:18alongside
32:19more blood
32:19found in
32:20Bridger's
32:20bathroom
32:21its DNA
32:22profile
32:23was a match
32:24to April
32:24Jones
32:25when these
32:26findings were
32:27put to
32:27Bridger
32:28he desperately
32:29tried to
32:30explain them
32:30away
32:34the only
32:35explanation
32:35I've got
32:36is obviously
32:37if I've got
32:37blood on my
32:37hands
32:38if I haven't
32:39dried my
32:40hands
32:40you flick
32:41your hands
32:41I've gone
32:42for a week
32:42so it's
32:44possibly
32:44a transfer
32:45of blood
32:45from
32:48having
32:48some sort
32:50of blood
32:50on my
32:50hands
32:50obviously
32:51there was
32:52only a
32:52very minute
32:53amount
32:53of blood
32:54which I've
32:54said from
32:55the beginning
32:55I never
32:56ever recalled
32:57having blood
32:58from the
32:59injury
32:59or from
33:00April
33:00on me
33:01yes
33:02sorry
33:03yes
33:12there is
33:13sufficient
33:13evidence
33:14to charge
33:15Mark Bridger
33:15with the
33:16murder
33:16of April
33:17Jones
33:21when Mark
33:22Bridger
33:22got charged
33:23the community
33:24really did
33:25change
33:25it changed
33:26to anger
33:27towards this
33:28man
33:32but because
33:33of the
33:33community
33:34spirit
33:34that they
33:34had
33:35because
33:36of how
33:37everybody
33:37looked out
33:38for everybody
33:38else in
33:39that town
33:39it just
33:40added to
33:41the weight
33:41of shock
33:42and anger
33:44for what
33:44this guy
33:45had done
33:45and also
33:46the way
33:47that it
33:47was done
33:47as well
33:48they were
33:49just so
33:49angry
33:50with what
33:51had gone
33:51on and
33:51so upset
33:52and heart
33:52broken
33:54when you
33:55get to
33:55the point
33:56of charge
33:56in a sense
33:58it's then
33:58that the
33:59work begins
34:01would the
34:02evidence
34:02that we
34:03presented
34:03the jury
34:04prove
34:05on their
34:06part
34:06beyond
34:06reasonable
34:07doubt
34:07that
34:07Mark
34:08Bridger
34:08had
34:08abducted
34:09and
34:09murdered
34:10April
34:10Jones
34:11whilst
34:12we were
34:12confident
34:13that we
34:14had
34:14a strong
34:14case
34:15there was
34:16a concern
34:17that
34:17how would
34:18that case
34:18come across
34:19to the
34:20jury
34:20given
34:20that
34:21we
34:21hadn't
34:21located
34:32April's
34:33five days
34:34after
34:34April
34:35Jones
34:35went
34:35missing
34:36Mark
34:36Bridger
34:37was
34:37charged
34:37with her
34:38murder
34:38the police
34:40now set
34:40about building
34:41a case
34:41to take
34:42to court
34:42with forensic
34:43science at
34:44the forefront
34:45we didn't test
34:47the fragments
34:48themselves for
34:49DNA because
34:50we were certain
34:51that given the
34:52condition of the
34:53bone the fact
34:54that it was
34:54calcined there
34:56would be no
34:57DNA left
35:00three of the
35:01fragments had
35:02characteristics
35:03that looked
35:04very human
35:05so straight
35:06away
35:06I
35:07was
35:09fairly confident
35:10that we were
35:11looking at
35:11human bone
35:13we also
35:15looked at
35:15some
35:16archaeological
35:17skeletons
35:18and did some
35:18comparative
35:19analysis
35:19to give
35:21ourselves
35:21an age
35:22range
35:23of the
35:23deceased
35:24and
35:25based on
35:26the appearance
35:27of the
35:27comparative
35:28fragments
35:28the size
35:29and thickness
35:30of the skull
35:30the appearance
35:31of the sutures
35:32we signed
35:33an age range
35:34of between
35:34four and
35:35eight years
35:38Bridges
35:39defence team
35:40presented us
35:40with a list
35:41of animals
35:42that he said
35:43he'd put on
35:45the fire
35:45there were
35:4617 in total
35:47we'd looked
35:48at the shape
35:49and the structure
35:50of the bone
35:51we'd done
35:52scanning
35:52electron microscopy
35:54we'd compared
35:54it to
35:55animal bones
35:56but we still
35:57felt
35:58that we
35:58didn't have
35:59enough
36:00to say
36:01with as much
36:02confidence
36:02as we would
36:03like
36:03to meet
36:04the requirements
36:04of the court
36:05that the bone
36:06was definitely
36:06human
36:07so we wanted
36:08to do
36:09histological
36:09analysis
36:10of the bone
36:12histological
36:13analysis
36:13is the
36:14microscopic
36:15examination
36:15of tissues
36:16to study
36:17their structure
36:18we had
36:19a friend
36:20and colleague
36:20who works
36:21at the
36:21forensic institute
36:22in Milan
36:23professor
36:24professor
36:24Christina
36:24Catanio
36:25who is
36:26world
36:27renowned
36:27for
36:28using that
36:29technique
36:30to distinguish
36:31whether it
36:32remains a human
36:33or animal
36:33and she found
36:34that there were
36:35no features
36:37in there
36:37that suggested
36:38that the bone
36:40was animal
36:42the problem
36:43that professor
36:44Catanio
36:45had was that
36:45she was looking
36:46at a very
36:46small field
36:48of vision
36:48however
36:49the osteons
36:50were consistent
36:51with human
36:53osteons
36:53and human
36:54bone structure
36:55osteons are
36:57the fundamental
36:58structural
36:58and functional
36:59units
37:00of compact
37:01bone
37:01she assigned
37:03a very high
37:03level of confidence
37:04to it
37:07we were very
37:08conscious
37:08of the
37:09small amount
37:10of bone
37:11that we had
37:11to work with
37:12but we were
37:13very
37:16cognizant
37:16of the fact
37:17that this was
37:18all that the
37:19family had
37:19we were just
37:20very conscious
37:21that we didn't
37:21want to do
37:22anything
37:22that was
37:24going to be
37:25unnecessary
37:26and anything
37:27that the family
37:28didn't want
37:30the bone
37:31evidence
37:31was strong
37:32but not
37:33conclusive
37:33so the police
37:34looked to
37:35digital forensics
37:36to further
37:37support their
37:37case
37:38myself
37:39and my team
37:40were focusing
37:42on Bridger's
37:43laptop
37:44and we had
37:45to carry out
37:46our own
37:47analysis
37:47to verify
37:49the findings
37:50by both
37:50the police
37:51and the
37:52defence
37:53expert
37:53who'd
37:54already
37:55carried out
37:56their
37:56investigation
37:57we identified
37:58images
37:59of murder
38:01not
38:03specifically
38:04relating
38:05to April
38:06but other
38:07murder
38:08cases
38:09involving
38:10children
38:11there were
38:11also
38:12cartoon
38:13images
38:14of
38:15sexual
38:16abuse
38:17of children
38:18and
38:19general
38:20images
38:21inappropriate
38:23indecent
38:24material
38:25involving
38:26children
38:26children
38:27the internet
38:28history
38:29clearly
38:31showed
38:31a
38:32build-up
38:33of activity
38:34prior
38:35to the
38:36disappearance
38:37of April
38:38a lull
38:40in activity
38:41whilst
38:42the disappearance
38:44was happening
38:45and then
38:46post
38:47the event
38:48files
38:49were
38:50being deleted
38:53it
38:54it was
38:55clear
38:55from the
38:56evidence
38:56found
38:57that
38:57Bridger
38:58had an
38:59interest
38:59in
39:00the
39:00local
39:01girls
39:01potentially
39:03could be
39:03deemed
39:03as
39:04stalking
39:05them
39:05by
39:05downloading
39:06material
39:07from
39:08Facebook
39:08profiles
39:09that
39:10in
39:11itself
39:11provided
39:12some
39:13real
39:13concerns
39:13in
39:15terms
39:15of
39:15what
39:16potentially
39:16could
39:17have
39:17happened
39:17beyond
39:18the
39:19point
39:19of
39:19taking
39:20April
39:20had
39:21we
39:21not
39:21been
39:21able
39:21to
39:22arrest
39:23Mark Bridger
39:24for the
39:24offence
39:24all
39:25the
39:25evidence
39:26on
39:26the
39:26laptop
39:27supported
39:28the
39:28prosecution
39:28case
39:29that
39:30Mark Bridger
39:30had
39:32abducted
39:33and
39:33murdered
39:33April
39:34Jones
39:34and
39:34that
39:35it
39:35was
39:35premeditated
39:37and
39:37sexually
39:38motivated
39:39the
39:40police
39:40had
39:41built
39:41a
39:41robust
39:41case
39:42against
39:42Bridger
39:43however
39:44the
39:44search
39:45for
39:45April
39:45had
39:46been
39:46unsuccessful
39:53although
39:53Bridger
39:54had
39:54admitted
39:54he
39:55was
39:55probably
39:55responsible
39:56for
39:56April
39:57Jones'
39:57death
39:58he
39:58had
39:58denied
39:59the
39:59charges
39:59of
40:00murder
40:00and
40:00abduction
40:01so
40:01his
40:02trial
40:02commenced
40:02on
40:03the
40:0329th
40:03of
40:03April
40:042013
40:05at
40:06Mould
40:06Crown
40:06Court
40:12people
40:13were
40:13hopeful
40:13that
40:14Mark
40:15Bridger
40:15was
40:15going to
40:16get
40:16the
40:16sentence
40:17that
40:17he
40:17deserved
40:18and
40:18there
40:19is
40:19no
40:19sentence
40:20that
40:20you
40:20could
40:21give
40:21to
40:21somebody
40:21like
40:22this
40:22but
40:22they
40:23were
40:23hoping
40:23that
40:23he
40:23was
40:23going
40:24to
40:24go
40:24away
40:24for
40:25life
40:25and
40:25never
40:26come
40:26out
40:26never
40:26be
40:27in
40:27a
40:27position
40:27to
40:28treat
40:28people
40:29or
40:29treat
40:29anyone
40:30in
40:30this
40:30way
40:31again
40:31and
40:32I
40:32think
40:32the
40:33whole
40:33town
40:34wanted
40:34justice
40:35for
40:36April's
40:36family
40:37and
40:37because
40:38it
40:38happened
40:39in
40:39this
40:39town
40:39they
40:39had
40:40become
40:40known
40:41for
40:41what
40:41had
40:41gone
40:41on
40:42as
40:42well
40:42so
40:42they
40:42wanted
40:43justice
40:43for
40:43themselves
40:44as
40:44well
40:44we
40:46were
40:46confident
40:47that
40:47the
40:47evidence
40:48that
40:48we
40:48had
40:49proved
40:49our
40:50case
40:50in
40:50terms
40:50of
40:51April
40:51being
40:51abducted
40:52and
40:53murdered
40:55but
40:56not
40:56having
40:56been
40:57able
40:57to
40:58locate
40:58April's
40:59body
40:59did
41:00present
41:01some
41:01concern
41:02if you
41:02like
41:03that
41:03you
41:04know
41:04how
41:05would
41:05the
41:05case
41:05come
41:05across
41:06to
41:06the
41:06jury
41:09from
41:10my
41:10perspective
41:11one
41:11of
41:11the
41:11critical
41:12moments
41:12at
41:12trial
41:12was
41:13when
41:13the
41:13evidence
41:14was
41:14presented
41:15by
41:15the
41:15seven
41:15year
41:16old
41:16witness
41:16via
41:16video
41:17link
41:17the
41:18witness
41:18was
41:19exceptional
41:19in
41:20terms
41:20of
41:21how
41:21she
41:22was
41:22able
41:22to
41:22recall
41:23in
41:23a
41:24clear
41:24way
41:25what
41:26had
41:26occurred
41:26at
41:27the
41:27scene
41:27at
41:28the
41:28time
41:28that
41:28April
41:29was
41:29taken
41:29and
41:30when
41:30cross
41:31examined
41:31by
41:31defence
41:32she
41:32maintained
41:33her
41:33account
41:34came
41:35across
41:35as
41:36open
41:36and
41:37honest
41:37and
41:38that
41:38for
41:38me
41:38was
41:39a
41:39key
41:39point
41:40at
41:40trial
41:40in
41:41terms
41:41of
41:41being
41:41able
41:43evidence
41:44to
41:44the
41:44jury
41:44that
41:45this
41:46abduction
41:46and
41:46murder
41:47had
41:47actually
41:47taken
41:47place
41:50It must have been really hard for April's family to be seeing what was going on and to be at
41:56the trial
41:56we respected them when they were going to court obviously we didn't want to approach them and do interviews with
42:04them but you could see that the strain was getting to them of course it would
42:11after a month long trial the jury went out to consider its verdict and after just four hours it had
42:18reached its decision
42:22when
42:22when Bridger was found guilty by the jury it was a moment in a sense of mixed emotions on the
42:29basis that from a criminal justice perspective we'd secured a conviction
42:36you know that was tinged slightly by the fact that obviously we'd not located April for the family
42:43we are relieved that Mark Bridger has today been found guilty of the murder of our beautiful daughter April
42:51April will be forever in our hearts and we are so moved by the overwhelming support we have had from
42:57so many people from all over the world
43:03for his crimes Bridger was sentenced to a whole life order meaning he will never be considered for parole and
43:10will spend the rest of his life behind bars
43:16this is the toughest sentence he could have got so there was the relief that justice had been done
43:25but at the same time there was that realization that the town will never be the same again
43:35following Bridger's conviction the decision was made to permanently remove any evidence of his terrible crime
43:42from the Welsh landscape however the scars still remain
43:49this area is an idyllic area it's very quaint it's secluded very peaceful
43:57and it's you know it's difficult to comprehend there's something as horrendous as horrific
44:01as what occurred on the 1st of October 2012 could have happened in such a beautiful location
44:10it's very powerful to be back here in the area where a young five-year-old vulnerable child
44:17has had a life taken away from her in such tragic circumstances
44:54that's the purpose of this person
44:54we do not know who you are
44:54we do not miss you
44:57we do not miss you
44:57but I tell you
44:58we are good
44:58we are good
45:00we are good
45:01we are good
45:03to be honest
45:04we are good
45:04we are good
45:05thank you
45:08You
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