General Chat

Not understaqnding the "due process of the law" I was surprised that Bridger did not enter a plea at Caernarfon yesterday. He must know whether he thinks he is guilty or not on the 3 counts.

Does anyone know why we have to wait 3 months to find out how he intends to plead?

Let's hope they find April soon

Mark Bridger, the man who is accused of murdering five-year-old April Jones, has been remanded in custody until January 11.

Bridger, 46, appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court via video link from prison in Manchester.

Sitting in front of a green curtain Bridger, who was unshaven and wore a black sweatshirt, seemed calm and listened closely to what was happening in court.

On Saturday, he was charged with the murder and abduction of April along with attempting to pervert the course of justice by the disposal or concealment of a body.

He will now face a plea and case management hearing back at Caernarfon Crown Court in January.

One of the most senior judges in Wales, Mr Justice Griffith-Williams, said he would oversee future hearings in the case.

April was last seen near her home on the Bryn-y-Gog estate in Machynlleth last Monday evening.

The search for the missing youngster is continuing in the mid Wales town.

On Tuesday police dog teams worked in rural outlying areas while marine units searched in the estuary of the River Dyfi.

There are now 135 police officers along with an RAF helicopter and a team of HM Coastguard searchers working on the case.

Today (We4dnesday morning) on Yahoo news:

"The man accused of murdering missing five-year-old April Jones will appear in court later.

Former lifeguard Mark Bridger, 46, is accused of abducting and killing April, who was last seen near her home on the Bryn-y-Gog estate in the mid-Wales town of Machynlleth more than a week ago.

Bridger also faces charges of unlawfully disposing of and concealing her body with intent to pervert the course of justice.

He will appear at Caernarfon Crown Court after being remanded in custody earlier this week by magistrates in Aberystwyth.

The defendant, who cried when he appeared before magistrates on Monday, will not be present at court but will appear by videolink from prison in Manchester.

April vanished last Monday night while she was playing outside. She had been allowed to stay out later than normal as a treat for a glowing school report.

Bridger was arrested the following day after a massive search operation was launched involving police, mountain rescue teams and hundreds of residents and well-wishers.

The search for April, who has cerebral palsy, continues."

Police admitted yesterday (Tuesday) that they may never find April. But hunt for her still remains very high profile with same huge team searching for several more days yet.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-19867915

"A man has been remanded in custody charged with the murder of five-year-old April Jones who was last seen outside her home in Machynlleth, Powys.

Mark Bridger, 46, appeared before Aberystwyth magistrates and will appear at Caernarfon Crown Court on Wednesday.

Mr Bridger confirmed his name and address and cried as he confirmed he understood the charges against him.

He has also been charged with child abduction and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The latter charge refers to the unlawful disposal and concealment of a body.

The court clerk read out each charge individually, asking Mr Bridger if he understood.


Mark Bridger has been charged with April's murder
When the murder charge was read out he answered "Yes" with tears in his eyes.

He answered "Yes" twice more to confirm he had understood each charge.

When his name was read out, he said: "That is correct."

He answered "correct" to confirm that his date of birth was 6 November, 1965, and said the same for his Mount Pleasant farmhouse address at the village of Ceinws.

He was remanded in custody and will be held in prison in Manchester and will appear at Caernarfon Crown Court via video link.

Mr Bridger was arrested on Tuesday - a day after the schoolgirl, who has not been found, disappeared.

A total of 100 police officers remain involved in the search for April."

Thoughts and prayers with April and her family and friends; and with all missing children of whom there are so many sadly.

Remanded in custody awaiting trial at higher court today. Appears charges read out and no response, so pleas must come later.

But I think I heard on Sky that the reason they have arrested him for perverting course of justice is that they are charging him with burying or disposing of a body illegally. And that may account for the lady Vicar yesterday stating clearly that April was in "the arms of Jesus"

Have not seen any adverse reaction to her statement, and the service was extremely well attended (1,000 in a town of 2,000) and was lovely and very moving with plenty of pink to remember April.

Let us continue to pray that they find little April soon. So many thoughts are with the family and that whole area. Closure is so hard - poor Winnie died not having closure from Brady, and I really don't think village of Aberfan will ever get over the 1966 tragedy, even though they could bury their babes properly.

This morning (Monday) on yahoo:

"Sue Winchurch and her family, who live seven miles from the town, travelled to the leisure centre yesterday to drop off food for the searchers.

"It's been my son's birthday and we've been over to the West Midlands for a party so we've brought over some things - leftover sandwiches and cakes - just because we wanted to do something," she said.

Sue, whose son Richard attends school in Machynlleth, added: "It's affected everyone and everyone's really scared and shocked. It's been really emotional for everyone."

Later, a man charged with posting offensive comments on Facebook about the missing youngster is due to appear before magistrates In Lancashire.

Matthew Wood, 20, from Chorley, Lancashire, has been charged under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 with sending by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive."

THANK YOU
5EXY FOR. THIS THREAD
IT HAS BEEN VERY.MOVING AND.
MORE UNDERSTANDABLE
THAN ALOT OF PRESS AND TV

Be interesting how Bridger pleads to the three charges tomorrow. (Monday)

Update Today 7/10/2012

A special Sunday service has been held at St Peter's Church in Machynlleth in remembrance of missing April Jones.

It is almost a week since the five-year-old, who suffers from cerebral palsy, disappeared while playing near her home in the town.

A procession of more than 700 people, many wearing pink ribbons symbolising the faith that April remains alive, walked slowly through the Welsh town towards the church.

Hundreds gathered at the Bryn-y-Gog estate from where April was abducted on Monday evening.

Reverend Kathleen Rogers opened the service, offering prayers for April's parents Coral, 40, and Paul, 44, who did not attend the ceremony.

She said: "We cannot bring little April, our sweet and innocent little girl, home as we had hoped. But our hope has now been moved on to sure and certain hope that she is in the arms of Jesus.

"Coral and Paul may not be with us this morning, but we hold them very close in our hearts as we pray for them.

"There are hundreds of people today searching our town, our countryside, our river. Many hundreds more have been searching this last week.

"We thank them and we pray for them as they came to us in our hour of need and they continue to be with us."

There was a moment of silence before the congregation sang the Welsh hymn Morning Has Broken and Reverend Rogers read a touching poem on behalf of April's mother called "Mum".

The Bishop of Bangor, the Right Reverend Andrew John, also led the prayers.

He said: "It's all designed to understand and make sense of what's happening, give an outlet for anguish, for grief, but at the same time collect people together and provide a focus for continued hope - that's our main aim.

"We are going to use pink. There will be a book of hope, which has prayers and thoughts all for April, that will be processed down the church and placed on the altar. A pink candle, her favourite colour, will be lit."

There have been daily vigils at the church.

"It does give them lots of strength, we hope it does anyway. It's certainly helping us, it's testing our faith isn't it, but it's bringing a lot of people into the church," said Joyce Price, a church warden.

"We were hoping there would be a conclusion today, but there still isn't. We're just hoping and praying hard, and can't imagine what her parents are going through."

Sky News correspondent Nick Martin said search teams were continuing to look for April. Police will step up the effort if necessary.

Superintendent Ian John told Sky News: "It's fair to say that we'll see a scaling back of the mountain rescue effort. But a doubling of the effort really within the police element, we've got 10 teams here today (Sunday).

"If we don't find April today we've got 18 teams coming tomorrow (Monday) and continue that search with the same momentum and the same element of rigour that we've had since day one."

At the Dfyi Bridge, on the road out of town, water search units took to the river again where levels dropped by around a foot overnight. The search is now focused downriver from Machynlleth.

Two underwater cameras were mounted on poles to scour the deeper parts of the River Dfyi. Ian Marshall and his search dog Barra travelled from Loch Lomond to help.

"This is such an important thing to do now. We have to find April wherever she is. My heart goes out to the family," he said.

Mark Bridger, 46, was charged on Saturday with April's abduction and murder, as well as perverting the course of justice.

He will appear before Aberystwyth Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Kay, Yes I have thought media have been very restrained. Very helpful generally.

Only saw one thing that I didn't like much, which was the Mirror on Thursday and the two ladies seeing a man putting a bin bag in the river. Not sure that was necessary. :-)

A charge isnt confirmed guilt and till a trail of guilt conviction has been passed he only being detained on remand in preperation for a jury trial.



the chief procecutor has requested.......******that nothing be placed in the public domain that may undermine the criminal justice process********

I dont know how this can be controlled as users of www will of course discuss or make thier opinion known and stating facts that are aleady in the public domain from media reports.

I'm glad this case has been kept close to thier chest and the media have left the town people alone.

John are you just visiting this planet?

Questions I asked on this thread have largely come out during the week anyway. I think they were interesting questions that others were asking as well. Not loads of info etc.

Already been told off by OP for going over top, and RR'd. I am not going to upset the symmetry of this fine thread by replying. Neither place nor time IMHO.

I know that John, simplified so I don't wear my fingers out.

Quote :

Thanks Joy. Let's hope they find April quickly now. And that the trial is fair and the more sensational appetite of the media frenzy is not fed.


hypocrite...yesterday morning you wanted to be fed by the media as much information about April's family as your brain could soak up...tsk

District Crown Prosecutor, Iwan Jenkins, said, Sue. Joy was simply quoting him.

Case is now sub judice, so everyone (even us) has to be very careful now not to undermine due process. Any speculation up until the charges were made was merely bad taste and not appreciated. Now it could be very serious till judgment.

Not a lawyer, so am happy to be corrected. But that is my understanding.

Joy said:

"I would therefore ask that nothing is placed in the public domain that may undermine the criminal justice process."

Which exactly confirms my view on this as I stated earlier. 4 oct 12.23

Thanks Joy. Let's hope they find April quickly now. And that the trial is fair and the more sensational appetite of the media frenzy is not fed.

How the area, the town and the immediate family need proper closure to what appears to be a tragic loss.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-19853582

At a press conference at Aberystwyth on Saturday afternoon, Iwan Jenkins, District Crown Prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service said he had been in "close contact" with the police.

"In particular, we have been offering advice and guidance to the police since the suspect Mark Bridger was arrested last Tuesday," he said.

He said a "detailed review of the evidence gathered so far by Dyfed-Powys Police" led him to his decision that there was "sufficient evidence to charge Mark Bridger with the murder of April Jones, and that it is in the public interest to do so".

"I have also concluded that there is sufficient evidence to charge the defendant with attempting to pervert the course of justice and child abduction," he added.

"Accordingly, I have authorised Dyfed Powys Police to charge him with these offences and he will appear before Aberystwyth Magistrates' Court on Monday morning."

He added: "The huge public and media interest in this case is understandable.

"I would just like to stress that, whilst Mark Bridger stands accused of serious criminal charges, he retains the right to a fair trial.

"I would therefore ask that nothing is placed in the public domain that may undermine the criminal justice process."

Mark Bridger has been charged with the murder and abduction of missing five-year-old April Jones.

The announcement was made ahead of a news conference led by Dyfed Powys Police and the Crown Prosecution Service in Aberystwyth.

Mr Bridger has also been charged with perverting the course of justice.

He will be held in custody until he appears in court at Aberystwyth Justice Centre on Monday.

Iwan Jenkins of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Having carried out a detailed review of the evidence gathered so far by Dyfed Powys police I have come to the conclusion there is sufficient evidence to charge Mark Bridger with murder and it is in the public interest to do so."

Forgot to note what Supt John said at news conference but think there is no scaling down of search for April.