April 4th, 2007. April Jones is born to parents Coral and Paul. She was a bright and happy little girl who was the apple of her familyās eye. It was discovered she had cerebral pausy when she was very young and required daily medication. But in spite of this, she lived her life to the absolute fullest, bringing joy to everyone she met.
Her family said she ruled the roost with a cheeky nature whilst also being kind and loving. She loved the outdoors and would often be out riding her bike with her friends. She was also a hard worker in school and was popular amongst her classmates and teachers. On September 30th, 2012, April received a glowing report about how well she was progressing in primary school.
Due to having such a fantastic school report the previous day, April was allowed to have some extra time to play outside. April was out playing with her friends near her home on the Brinog estate. At 7:20, a Land Rover is seen driving away from Mlinith at speed. Just 9 minutes later, a frantic 999 call is made.
Police emergency [laughter] dog. Hang on. Can you speak to them, please?Ā Hello. And what makes you think um the daughterās beenĀ apparently um sheās gone off in a car with somebody. Somebody picked her up in a car or something.Ā Okay. Whatās the name of the child thatās gone missing?Ā April Jones.Ā April, how old is she?Ā Five.
The 999 dispatcher wasted no time by deploying police straight away, and within 8 minutes, the first officer had arrived on scene. She spoke to a witness, Aprilās 7-year-old friend, who she had been out with. She was able to provide a brief description. The man who had taken April had brown hair, a beard, blue or green eyes, and was wearing a green jacket or jumper, jeans, and trainers.
She also described the vehicle, and one thing immediately stood out to investigators. Her friend said that April had gotten to the driverās side door, meaning the car steering wheel must have been on the left hand side of the car, when most cars in the United Kingdom will have the steering wheel on the right.
Following this information, a critical incident was launched by the police. As it was an alleged abduction, the police needed to pursue as many lines of inquiry as possible to try and ascertain exactly where April was, knowing time was of the essence. That day had started like any other. Aprilās older sister described it as being a normal day.
April had gone to her swimming lesson as usual and then skipped out of the changing rooms to head home. Despite it being October, the sun was out and it was a nice warm evening. Aprilās older sister had gone to the youth club when at around 7:30 p.m. she received a frantic phone call from her mother screaming down the phone that April was gone.
As the sun started to set, panic began to escalate. The response from the community was mį“ssive and immediate. As news started to spread on social media that April was missing, people began to come out of their homes to try and į“ssist in any way they could and show support to the Jones family. But this made door-to-door inquiries for the police incredibly difficult as so many werenāt at their addresses, and officers were only able to ask them questions once they returned.
When her older sister arrived home from the youth club, she was hoping that April would be home by now. Instead, her distraught mother was out looking for her, and police were combing the area. As the search efforts continued to mount, the media became aware that a 5-year-old girl had allegedly been abducted.
The eyes of the country were fixated on the small little Welsh community, as it had been rocked by something so out of the ordinary. By 10:30 p.m., the police had put out an update saying they were increasingly concerned for April and were appealing for any information that could help find her. Hundreds of local volunteers gathered to join in the search after the news started to spread on Twitter and Facebook.
Also high on the priority for the police was helping to support her devastated family. Police revealed more information about the circumstances of Aprilās disappearance and said she was last seen wearing a purple coat and her school polo top. Refuge collection was suspended as workers joined in the hunt, too.
Hour by hour, more people came out to help with the search, culminating in more than 100 local residents. The town with a population of just over 2,000 was inundated with volunteers with some traveling from South Wales and the north of England. Police said they wanted to make sure that search volunteers were used in a coordinated and effective way.
Aprilās family werenāt allowed to take part in the searches in case they came across something. So, the local community stepped up to help. One problem the search teams immediately ran into was the terrain. The extensive countryside, mountains, [music] gorgees, streams, waterfalls, and uneven ground made it an incredibly difficult place to search.
There were slate mines in the area, too. And all of these factors mixed with the rain presented a huge challenge for those trying to find April. An area of more than 60 km was searched, and there were more than 300 specific search areas. The police knew that if April had been abducted by a stranger, every second was vital to try and find her safe and well.
8 hours on from the initial 999 call being made, the police and community were still out searching, trying to find Opal Jones. 120 search officers were out and searched through the night. The morning after she had gone missing, they decided to activate the child rescue alert, which puts on notice all police forces up and down the United Kingdom to be on the lookout for any unusual sightings of individuals who fit the description of April Jones and the person who had allegedly abducted her.
Information was being distributed to other forces, including descriptions of both April and the alleged abductor, as well as the car her friend saw her getting into. This was the first time the child rescue alert had been triggered nationwide. April.Ā Within minutes of Aprilās disappearance.Ā Okay, people. Letās go forward.
The people of McCunlath had turned out in their hundreds to help in the search.Ā Alongside professional volunteers, they carried on through the night.Ā Thereās a large number of people here this morning, and we are very grateful indeed for all of your help and į“ssistanceĀ and into the following day.
It had now been 14 hours since she had last been seen, and there was still no sighting of the missing 5-year-old. Missing posters started to go up around the area, and police began to set up roadblocks to stop vehicles. As the investigation continued escalating, the police force found themselves under mounting pressure from the media to release more information.
Press conferences were being held every few hours, and sometimes journalists were given very little notice that they were about to take place. As the search continued, it was the task of Andy John, the detective superintendent, to try and find Aprilās alleged abductor. After the friend of April had been allowed to rest, the police went back to try and get a more detailed description of exactly what she had seen when April went missing.
It became clear that April had got into the vehicle with the į“ssistance of the person driving, but it wasnāt clear whether or not she knew them. Due to April having cerebral pausy, she wouldnāt have been able to get into the car unaided. During the morning of the 2nd of October, just one day after April had gone missing, the information continued to come through and it all started to point to one individual, [music] a local man named Mark Bridger.
He wasnāt someone he was known to local police. They received information that Mark Bridger in his vehicle had been in the area around the time the abduction was thought to have taken place. What immediately caught their eye about his vehicle was that it was a lefthand drive, just like Aprilās friend had described.
There had been information to suggest that Mark Bridger had actually been part of the search party that was out looking for April. More units were deployed and the police helicopter was also used to try and find him. They had also received information about four potential addresses where he could have been staying. Officers went to the property simultaneously 20 hours after she had been reported missing, but could find no trace of April Jones or Mark Bridger.
When they pulled up outside one of the properties, a cottage called Mount Pleasant at 3 minutes past 3 in the afternoon. There were no vehicles at the house. An investigator went inside and called out Aprilās name. There was no response. Bridger had only moved into Mount Pleasant 5 weeks before. At 4:30 p.m.
, the police made an announcement. Mark Bridger had been arrested. Police gave details of the arrest, saying he was detained while walking his dog along the side of the road after being spotted by the police helicopter at 10:42, a couple of miles away from where April had lived. Not once did he lift his gaze to look up at the police helicopter that was circling above him.
He had also attempted to alter his appearance by cutting his hair and shoving off his beard. It was about 30 minutes later that Bridger was spotted by a patrol car. After confirming his name to the officer, Bridger turned and said, āI know what this is all about.ā The police constable asked him, āWhere is she?ā Bridger [music] replied, āIt was an accident.
I crushed her with my car. I donāt know where she is.ā He was immediately arrested. Officers described him as being an emotional wreck. Despite being told he didnāt have to say anything, Bridger said he needed to talk. Iāve been looking for her all night and today on foot because my vehicle is in the garage. It is a lefthand drive of Land Rover Discovery.
I didnāt abduct her. I did my best to revive her. I panicked. I didnāt even know until this morning who she was until I saw the television. I just wish I knew what I had done to her, where I put her. I want to say sorry to the family. There was no life in her. No response, no breath, no response in her eyes.
She was just on the seat. I tried to revive her. I would not have dumped her. She is a human being. He was transferred to Aberist with police headquarters. The station was shut down to order the prisoners to ensure that the teams could be properly housed there and focused completely on the investigation. Following his arrest, Coral made an emotional plea to the public for their help to try and find April alongside detective superintendent Re Beaven.
There must be someone out there who knows where she is and canāt help the police find her. We are desperate for any news. AA is only 5 years old. Please, please help find her. In relation to this specific investigation, as I said [laughter] earlier, weāre pursuing a number of lines of inquiry and Mark Bridger is one of them.
And in relation to the images that I circulated to you earlier today, which was the Land Rover Discovery and Mark Bridges pHą¹Ļograph, can I again ask, did you see this vehicle between Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon? And do you know Mark Bridger? and did you see him during that t period Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon? And if you have any information, please contact us on the child rescue alert line.
Police said the overnight search involving 40 trained police officers, dog handlers, [music] and mountain rescue teams yielded no news on Aprilās whereabouts. They thanked the public for their efforts, but warned of the challenging conditions. Police later revealed the operation had been unprecedented [music] in the UK in terms of scale and terrain.
Neighboring forces and specialist teams were helping with a focus on over 20 scenes around the area. The operation led to 600 messages from the public to the police.Ā Out searching till about 3:00. Theyāve gone home to bed for a couple of hours and theyāve come back for half of six for daylight ready to go again.
And the search involved 100 mountain rescue volunteers, 100 police specialist searchers, as well as coast guards and the RNLI.Ā Iāve got two people who donāt have transports. Iām going to take them with me and Iāll meet you at this junction then.Ā Lovely. Police are going to tell the locals to stop.
I donāt think theyāre going to stop anyway because itās so such a close uh community. We just need to find her. It was soon time for the police to start questioning their prime suspect, father of six, Mark Bridger. Shortly after his interview began, he elaborated further about what he had said upon being arrested. He told the officer that April was į“ į“į“į“ .
He said he had run her over, knocking her off her bike, causing her significant injuries. He said in a state of panic, he had put her into the car and then tried to administer CPR, but had failed. He then said he drove off with April in the vehicle. Bridges stated he then lost his memory and wasnāt able to tell investigators where April now was.
He claimed he was drunk and could not recall what he had done with Aprilās body, but he was sure he had put her somewhere safe. The police made the decision to not release this information immediately as they needed to verify exactly what was true and whether or not Mark Bridger was being completely honest. Now that Mark Bridger had been arrested, police and crime scene examiners were able to secure his home and conduct a thorough search of the premises to try and uncover any clues as to exactly what had happened to April.
Upon going into his home, the stench of detergents and cleaning products was immediately apparent, and it was unusually Hą¹Ļ, indicating there had been a roaring fire in the living room fireplace very recently. On the footage taken of Bridger by the police helicopter, a plume of smoke could be seen rising through the chimney from the fireplace of his home.
But despite the best efforts of investigators, there was no sign of April either in the property or any of the surrounding areas. Andy John made the decision to meet with the family of April Jones on the evening of the 2nd of October to disclose the new information that had come to light. They were absolutely devastated by the news that their beloved April was now most likely never coming home.
Throughout his interviews, when challenged with the evidence that had been gathered, he would be emotional and unpredictable. Officers believed these emotions were not genuine and pointed to him being both a fantasist and a liar. Mark Bridgās confession that she was now į“ į“į“į“ left those on the force devastated.
They had worked through the night through increasingly difficult conditions, clinging on to any small chance that she might still be alive. Aprilās older sister said that while the name Mark Bridger meant nothing to her, as soon as she saw his face on the news, she recognized him. She often saw him out and about and he used to live not far from them.
As the investigation into the disappearance of April Jones moved into its third day, the police still needed to prove that Mark Bridger had murdered her. The investigating officers needed to establish any contact he might have had with April during the abduction and obtain any forensic evidence they could. When the police seized his vehicle, they could find no evidence of a road traffic collision and no evidence that the vehicle had struck anybody.
Contrary to Bridgās account of April being seriously injured when he put her into the car, forensics could find no blood or traces of blood inside the vehicle. This solidified investigators thoughts further that Mark Bridgās story of accidentally knocking her off her bike was nothing more than a calculated cover up of a far more sinister turn of events.
As the forensic examination of the car turned up nothing, they turned their attention back to the house where they believed April had been attacked. They were able to find traces of Aprilās blood inside the home, indicating she had suffered significant injuries at the property. They removed what was left in the fire pit in the living room and were able to find 17 fragments of her skull and one fragment in the bathroom plug hole, confirming the worst fears of everyone.
Police did not believe that Aprilās whole body was burned, but believe the fragments of bone got into the fire and bath during the cleanup. Searches of his house and laptop indicated that Bridger was a highly dangerous and predatory offender. This helped piece together why he had taken April to satisfy his sinister desires.
His internet search history showed that he had an extremely unhealthy interest in children. He had computer folders filled with images of child SŃxual abuse, graphic depictions of rape, and pictures of previous young murder victims, including Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, two 10-year-old girls who were murdered in Sm.
and 13-year-old Caroline Dickinson, who was raped and murdered in a French hostel during the school trip. There were some pictures available on his computer, which officers believed had been taken from Facebook and other social media of children in the local area, including April and her older sister. Following this discovery, Jasmine remembered that Mark Bridger had actually approached her on social media several months before April was abducted.
She was in her living room on her laptop when she got a Facebook notification. A new friend request had come through. It was Mark Bridger. She didnāt know him and showed it to her father. Paul knew him from the early 1990s when they had dated sisters, but he couldnāt understand why he was adding his daughter.
Coral also warned her not to accept the request. Jasmine deleted him and that was seemingly the end of it. When the news started to spread that the case was now moving from a missing child case to a murder inquiry, around 150 people attended a church vigil for April led by the bishop of Banga, Andy John, and Reverend Rogers.
The despair and disappointment was evident. Reverend Rogers said, āThere was over 150 people there, including the police, and weāre very, very grateful to them for all that they are doing. It was very silent in there, and it was a very powerful and very moving service.ā The town was covered in pink ribbons in response [music] to Aprilās motherās appeal for people to wear her daughterās favorite color.
Police renewed their appeal for information over suspect Mark Bridges movements. Following this, investigators revealed that they had received more than 2,500 calls in response to their latest appeal for information. Prime Minister David Cameron said it was every familyās nightmare and urged anyone with information to come forward and speak to the police.
The time that officers had to question Bridger was rapidly running out. Police had until 5:00 p.m. to charge or release him, although they could apply for a further 24 hours warrant of detention. Bridger appeared in court in Aberistwith at 3:30 where police were given another 24 hours to question him. Once again, the community came out in full force.
Around 450 responded to a call for people with good local knowledge to search the villages around where April had lived.Ā Have you got a car?Ā Is it four-wheel drive and the area which you know best?Ā Volunteers were told to keep away from the river, the forest, and places such as mine shafts which were being searched by the specialist teams.
On Saturday the 6th of October, 5 days after April had disappeared, Mark Bridger was charged with abduction, murder, and perverting the course of justice in relation to the attempt to conceal any trace of her body. The district Crown Prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service said that following a review of everything that had been gathered, he believed they had sufficient evidence to charge Mark Bridger with the murder of April Jones and that it is in the public interest to do so.
Iāve also concluded that there is sufficient evidence to charge the defendant with attempting to pervert the course of justice [music] and child abduction. This announcement led to mixed emotions. On the one hand, there was relief that the perpetrator had been caught, but also heartbreak not only for the Jones family, but for April, whose life had been taken in the most appalling way imaginable.
But who exactly was Mark Bridger? He was born on the 6th of November in 1965 in Sutton, Surrey. He was the second of three children and his father had worked as a City of London police constable. After attending secondary school, he went to Cuden College where he failed to complete a diploma in engineering. Bridger grew into a strong man, a very big build, and over 6ā² tall.
Accounts from people he worked with described him as sociable, hardworking, and charismatic. Others remarked on his apparent obsession with the military and how he had claimed to be a former army bomb disposal expert who had changed his idenŃĪ¹Ńy to protect himself from any retaliation from the Irish Republican Army.
He also said he had been a serving member of the SAS. When interviewed by police over Aprilās disappearance, he told them how he had excelled during his military service, but this was nothing more than an utter fantasy. Mark Bridger had never joined the army or served in the armed forces. Far from being a distinguished veteran, as a teenager, he had been in trouble with the police.
For example, in the early 1990s, he was convicted of criminal damage, a frey, and driving with no insurance. In 1984, he became a firefighter in London, but within 6 months, he had quit due to what he called personal problems. It was around this time he allegedly split with his partner soon after the birth of their son.
The split meant his parents could not get access to their new grandchild, causing a rift from which the family would never recover. Bridger would tell people in later years that his parents were į“ į“į“į“ . It was at this point that Bridger turned his attention to Wales. He knew South Wales because his grandmother had lived there.
He had lived in several places where he had a variety of jobs including bar work, being a chef, a waiter, a car recovery mechanic, and a forestry worker. After moving repeatedly, he finally settled in Mlent. Once there, he had worked a variety [music] of jobs. Kitchen į“ssistant as a local Hą¹Ļel, a welder, helping renovate a local guest house, a lifeguard, and a slaughterman in an abattoire.
He had six children with a number of women and just days before April was abducted, he had split with his latest girlfriend and was deeply upset about it. He claimed he turned to drink after relationship breakups and had been on anti-depressants on and off for 12 years. The attention of women was clearly important to him.
Hours before he took April, he contacted three women via Facebook, asking if they wanted to meet, no strings attached. They also found in his search history, more disturbingly at 12:11 p.m. Mark Bridger had looked as a cartoon image from his collection of pictures showing young girls being SŃxually abused.
One showed a girl bound with gaffer tape being raped by an adult. When his vehicle was recovered later, there was a roll of gaffer tape on his dashboard. The police now had a much more complete picture of what they believed had happened to April. When he abducted her, he wasnāt aware that another child had witnessed it. At 8:30 p.m.
that night, his Land Rover was spotted arriving at his home in a village 3 mi from where April had lived. Police did not know if this was the first time heād been home since abducting April, or if heād driven there directly after abducting her, killed her there, and then went out again to dispose of her body. This sighting may have not been the first time he returned home that day.
The next day, shortly before 9:00 a.m., Bridger was spotted close to a riverbank carrying a black bin bag. A witness would later tell police she thought there was something in the bag. Later, he took his Land Rover into a garage to be repaired and pretended to help look for April before being arrested soon after. Fasttrack DNA testing established that Aprilās blood had been found at Mount Pleasant.
Most significantly on the underside of the carpet in the living room and in front of the wood burner. Police believe he probably SŃxually į“ssaulted April before brutally murdering her and dismembering her body, disposing of her at various locations. As Mark Bridger had worked as a slaughter man in an abattoire, one theory was that he had used the skills he had gained there to dismember Aprilās body after killing her.
Bridger was due before the magistrates in Aberristwith on the following Monday. The police said they remained focused and committed to finding April, adding that 10 specialist teams have been conducting a systematic and methodical search from daybreak on Saturday. Mark Bridger appeared at a magistrateās court.
A small crowd waited outside and one man threw a bottle at the van that had transported him to court while others shouted abuse. Bridger was later driven away to HMP Manchester, formerly known as Strange Ways. There have been many expressions of hope over the last 7 days. This time they lit lanterns. It marked the point exactly a week ago when April was last seen playing on this estate.
Since then, many emotions have been released. 6 months after April went missing, her family marked what would have been her sixth birthday by releasing pink balloons from the Brinag Green where she used to play. On Monday the 14th of January 2013, it was time for Mark Bridger to enter his plea. He plead not guilty to abduction, murder, and concealing, disposing of, or destroying Aprilās body.
But it emerged that his case was that he was probably responsible for her death. Aprilās parents saw Bridger in person for the first time since he had abducted their daughter. Corin and Paul would go to every day of the trial, determined to see this awful ordeal through to its conclusion. In March 2013, it was reported by the BBC that the search for Aprilās body was set to end in the coming weeks.
Although they hadnāt recovered her body, the police and Crown Prosecution Service worked together to push on and prepare their case for trial. The trial was initially arranged for 2 months after the point of charge, giving officers and prosecutors an incredibly ŃĪ¹ŌŠ½Ń timeline to try and pull together all their arguments and evidence.
When his trial began on April 29th, Mark Bridger continued the same story he had tried to spin in his interviews. He was in denial about his actions and tried to present himself as a caring individual who had tried to help April after the tragic accident he was adamant had occurred. The testimony of Aprilās friend who had witnessed the abduction was to be crucial in countering his story.
She said that April had got into the front and then clambered into the back. It just drove off. I didnāt know she was going to go in the van. The girl fiddled with her hair and sometimes hugged her bear as she was questioned by Bridgās barrista Brendan Kelly QC. Kelly, who like all court officials was not wearing a wig or gown, asked if she had a good view of the Land Rover.
Yes, I did, she replied. Are you sure that you saw April talking to the man? Yes, Iām sure, she answered. It also emerged that Bridger had taken his Land Rover to a garage at 9:00 a.m. the day after April disappeared, saying he had been in an accident. A member of staff told the court that while everybody locally had been upset about Aprilās disappearance, they found it odd that he was so upset by it all and that he looked on the verge of crying as he spoke about it.
The mechanic said he kept asking how much his vehicle would cost to repair and when he could have it back. He said he appeared nervous and edgy. Another person who had joined the search for April traveled through the village where Bridger was living. She said she had seen him in a layby carrying what looked like a black bin liner in his hand.
The layby was close to the river and less than half a mile from his house, and the evidence just continued to mount. When he spoke to a postman about April, he feigned shock and asked what sort of vehicle the police were looking for. But he managed to contradict himself later when he joined a search party at about 2 p.m.
First telling one volunteer he had found out at 9:30 that morning, then telling another he had been searching throughout the night. Aprilās head teacher provided an insight into the relationships he had formed when she gave evidence at his trial. She told the court how he had a history of relationships with young mothers and there were complex relationships between a number of these families.
She had spoken to Bridger at a parents evening just a couple of hours before he had taken April when she had seen him talking to a former pupil now in secondary school which she found strange. Aprilās father also gave evidence as he had known Bridger since the early 1990s when the pair had dated sisters. He remembered Bridger as being a risktaker who drove like a maniac.
He spoke of how he had loaned Bridger a book on SAS survival skills which he would not return claiming to have lost it. Paul said he later found it during a visit to Bridgās house and took it back. As Bridgās behavior in the hours before Aprilās abduction had become more predatory, the court heard how he had made an approach to a 10-year-old girl playing near to where April had last been seen.
He invited her to a sleepover with his daughter, but no arrangements were finalized. During the police interviews, Bridger maintained that April had not been to his house, but when confronted in court by the overwhelming forensic evidence, he told the jury that images of her laying down in front of the fire had come to him in his dreams.
After all the evidence had been presented, it was time for the jury to retire to consider their verdict. And on the 30th of May, they had come to a conclusion. Mark Bridger was found unanimously guilty on all three counts. He was sentenced to life in prison with a whole life order.
He looked down at the floor as his sentence was handed out and said nothing. Today, her parents, Paul and Coral, watched in court as Mark Bridger was found guilty of abduction and murder.Ā We are relieved that Mark Bridger has today been found guilty of the murder of our beautiful daughter, April. April be forever in our hearts and we are so moved by the overwhelming support we have had from so many people from all over the world.
Despite knowing he will never be a free man again, he has refused to disclose exactly what happened to April that night or where her body is. And no more remains of April Jones have ever been found. Many believe that this is the last of control he is not willing to relinquish. At the conclusion of his trial, Mark Bridger was described as a pathological and glib liar, a pedophile who harbored SŃxual and morbid fantasies about young girls.
He chose to put witnesses through the ordeal of giving evidence over a lengthy trial that had lasted 4 and 1/2 weeks. He could have avoided all of it by pleading guilty in the first instance to the charges that had been leveled against him. Detective Superintendent Andrew John, who had led the investigation, said, āMark Bridger is an evil and manipulative individual who clearly likes to be in control.
He has committed the most horrific of crimes, the abduction and murder of a young, vulnerable girl. He appears to be somebody who is a fantasist.ā In July 2013, it was reported by the BBC that Mark Bridger had been attacked while in prison. The 47year-old was attacked with a makeshift blade as he walked along the gang way at Wakefield Prison in West Yorkshire.
He was treated in hospital where he required sŃĪ¹Ńches. His injuries were not life-threatening and he was returned to prison the same day. In September 2013, the family had a burial funeral with many turning up to pay their respects. As they didnāt have a body, the family buried an empty casket pulled on a horsedrawn carriage.
But the burial site being the graveyard just yards away from where she had disappeared. They were given ash and bone fragments from the police to bury. And the family also buried personal items alongside. This gave the family a spot they could visit to remember April and be together as a family. Aprilās coffin made the onemile journey from the house to the church through the middle of town, pį“ssing pink ribbons along the route.
Last October, the ribbons were the symbol of the search. Today, they are a tribute to her, and hundreds of people who had joined that search joined the solemn procession. Parents here holding their children close, too many mourners to fit inside the church. In December 2013, the judicial office said that Mart Bridger had lodged an application for permission to appeal.
But the following month, they confirmed that he had abandoned his attempt. Just 11 days before the hearing was due to take place in November 2018, leading search engine companies announced they were going to make it harder to find child abuse images online. As many as 100,000 search terms would now return no results that find illegal material.
Following the horrors that had occurred at Mount Pleasant, the property was later demolished. Aprilās family were there to watch the demolition. for the both of you. What did this house come to represent?Ā The horrific murder of my daughter and a 5-year-old life just taken away and itās just nightmares ever since she was taken.
Yeah. To have this house knocked down today is itās just a relief for us. Itās something that isnāt going to be bothering us, isnāt going to be plaguing us for the rest of life. It sits on the back of your mind all the time, Mike. and main road is just there. We drive past that main road about every couple of three days like and itās itās there.
So thereās no worries about us going past and itās a relief and perhaps we can move on a little. Tragically, Aprilās father, Paul, developed a rare brain disease. The family revealed in February 2018 that the diagnosis had left him unable to remember the murder. His wife Coral told the Mirror that Paul could not understand why April hadnāt visited him in hospital.
Her family are adamant that she will be remembered for the joy and happiness she brought to so many people and not for the tragic way that she left this earth.
