Traces of April Jones's blood and burnt bone fragments believed to be from a child's skull were found at the home of Mark Bridger, the man accused of abducting and murdering the five-year-old girl, a jury has been told. The court heard that a number of knives, including a burned boning knife, were also discovered near a wood-burning stove at Bridger's cottage in Ceinws, mid-Wales.
Opening the case against Bridger, prosecutor Elwen Evans QC alleged that April was the victim of a 'sexually motivated' crime when she was seized from an estate in Machynlleth while out playing on her bicycle. The jury viewed a slideshow of images from Bridger's computer that included explicit child pornography and images of notorious murder victims, including Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
On the day of April's disappearance, Bridger had split up with a girlfriend, asked several women out for a drink, and looked at a cartoon image of a girl being raped. He claims he accidentally hit April with his Land Rover, bundled her into his car, and has forgotten what happened afterwards. However, Evans said Bridger was playing a 'cruel game' and knew 'full well' what happened to April but was choosing not to say.
Bridger, 47, denies abduction, murder, and attempting to pervert the course of justice by disposing of April's body, which has never been found. The trial continues.
