Murder of April Jones
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|
| Date | 1 October 2012 |
|---|---|
| Location | Machynlleth, Powys, Wales |
| Burial | Body missing |
| Convicted | Mark Bridger |
| Charges |
|
| Verdict | Guilty on the counts of: Murder Child abduction Perverting the course of justice |
| Convictions | Life imprisonment (Whole life tariff) |
April Jones, (4 April 2007 – c. 1 October 2012) from Machynlleth, Powys, Wales, aged five, disappeared on 1 October 2012, after being sighted willingly getting into a vehicle near her home. Her disappearance generated a large amount of national and international press coverage. A 46-year-old local man, Mark Bridger, was subsequently arrested and charged with Jones's abduction and murder.
On 30 May 2013, Bridger was found guilty of April's abduction and murder, in addition to perverting the course of justice. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, with the trial judge ordering that he never be released from prison.
On 3 October 2012, April Jones's mother made an appeal for information about her daughter. The following day, the Prime Minister, David Cameron also issued an appeal to the public, commenting, "clearly having this happen to you, and the fact that she suffers from cerebral palsy, something I know a little about from my own children, only makes this worse. My appeal would be to everyone. If you know anything, if you saw anything, heard anything, have any ideas you can bring forward, talk to the police."
In the days following her disappearance, a large search operation for the girl was mounted around the Machynlleth area, involving police and search and rescue teams using specialised equipment, as well as hundreds of volunteers. On 12 December, police stated that the search for Jones would continue into 2013. On 27 March 2013, police revealed that they would call off the search at the end of April, and on 22 April, police confirmed that the search had officially ended. The police stated that "a reactive team of specialist officers are available to respond to any new information that is received." This was the largest missing person search in UK police history.
Mark Bridger, a 46-year-old local man, was arrested on the afternoon of 2 October 2012, the day after April went missing. He became a suspect in the case because he matched a description of the man and the vehicle which an eyewitness had seen April entering following a conversation with the man.
On 5 October 2012, police officially designated the case a murder inquiry.Sky News presenter Kay Burley was accused of insensitivity after breaking the news of Jones' probable death live on-air to volunteers who had been searching for her. The interviewees were unaware the case had changed from a search for a missing person into a murder inquiry.
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