April Jones was abducted and murdered in 2012 when she was just five years old – but where is her killer Mark Bridger now and when was he charged with her murder?
What did he say about April’s death and why do the police believe he lied?
Channel 5 documentary April Jones: The Murder Tapes explores April Jones’ murder.
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April Jones: The Murder Tapes on Channel 5
April Jones: The Murder Tapes is a true crime documentary exploring the devastating murder of April Jones.
The schoolgirl was just five years old when she was abducted from her home in Powys, Wales, in 2012.
She suffered from cerebral palsy.
This documentary first aired in March 2020 and features previously unheard tapes of the 18 hours of interviews the police conducted with her killer Mark Bridger.
Mark was arrested within 24 hours of April being reported missing.
Police charged him with her murder four days later.
The programme also features contributions from forensic psychologist Dr Joe Sullivan and April’s family, who share their distress at her body remaining undiscovered.
What did Mark Bridger say happened to April?
Local man Mark Bridger was arrested after witnesses saw her willingly getting into a vehicle near her home.
Bridger, 46, was subsequently arrested.
Police worked against the clock to convince Mark to tell them what he’d done with April in the vain hope she was still alive.
But four days later, he was charged with her murder.
Despite the largest missing person search in UK police history, April’s body has never been found.
Mark Bridger called himself a friend of April’s parents Paul and Coral.
He has always claimed that he accidentally knocked April over in his car.
In the recorded interview, he said: “Stupid. I had a few to drink and there was two girls on their bikes.
“I remember the dark-headed girl came from behind the car and I looked to see where the other girl was and I couldn’t see this other girl.”
He added: “The next minute the bike was there. I started the car up and as I went to pull away, there wasn’t a thud, I can’t understand.
“The car rose up, as I opened the car I walked round and underneath the front of the car is… April.”
He insists he’d tried to save her with mouth to mouth, but she was dead.
Dad-of-six Mark then says he can’t remember what he did with her body, adding: “I don’t know where I put her.”
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What do police believe happened to April Jones?
Officers doubted Mark’s account and questioned everything he had told them, including whether April was alive or not.
A key witness told the police that April had entered his Land Rover and described her being “happy and smiley”.
Forensic officers examined Mark Bridger’s Land Rover and found no evidence to prove his version of events.
It was clear his account to the police was false.
Blood spots in his home were analysed and found to match with April’s DNA.
There was also blood on Mark Bridger’s collar which belonged to April.
Mark Bridger was later arrested on suspicion of April’s murder and was found to be in possession of indecent images of children.
He always denied any sexual interest in children.
Police, however, believe that Mark Bridger had murdered April in a sexually motivated killing.
Where is Mark Bridger now?
Mark Bridger was charged with the murder and abduction of April Jones.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder, but accepted that he was “probably responsible” for April’s death.
At his trial in 2013, a forensic expert told the court that fragments of human bone consistent with a “younger individual” had been found in the fireplace of Mark Bridger’s cottage.
Although her body was never found, 17 fragments of bone were recovered from the fireplace.
Mark Bridger was eventually found guilty of murder, abduction, and perverting the course of justice.
He was additionally charged with the unlawful concealment and disposal of a body.
The depraved killer was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Mr Justice Griffith Williams called Mark Bridger a “pathological and glib liar” and “a paedophile”.
The jury took just over four hours to deliberate at Mold Crown Court, Flintshire, and all verdicts were unanimous.
How long will he be in jail for?
The trial judge sentenced him to life imprisonment.
He recommended that Mark Bridger should never be released.
Mark Bridger is currently 55 years old.
April Jones: The Murder Tapes airs on Thursday May 20 2021 at 11.05pm on Channel 5.
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