General Chat

Tecwyn sorry your finding it distressing, your not alone, many others including myself feel the same way. Like many others I just hope little April Jones is found safe & well & returned to her family.

There must be hope, even now. Optimism and hope can get us through the darkest days.

Tec.

From yahoo news tonight (Friday):

April's distraught parents Paul, 43, and Coral, 40, issued three new pictures of their daughter.

Police have confirmed that Mr Bridger attended the same school parents' evening as April's mother and father just hours before she disappeared in Machynlleth. April, who has cerebral palsy, was reported to have willingly got into a vehicle after playing with friends near her home on the Bryn-y-Gog estate.

Mr Bridger was seen at nearby Ysgol Gynradd Machynlleth, where two of his children are pupils. Witnesses saw the former leisure centre worker drive to the parents' evening, which started at 5pm, in his Land Rover.

Sources close to Mr and Mrs Jones said the couple had been given a "glowing report" about their daughter's progress - and had allowed her some extra play time when they returned home as a treat.

Nothing much this morning

"The hunt for the missing five-year-old is due to recommence at first light after it was temporarily halted overnight so search teams who have been tirelessly combing the area around the Mid Wales town of Machynlleth could rest, according to reports.

Police were on Friday night granted a final 24 hours to question former leisure centre worker Mr Bridger and must now make a decision on whether he will be charged over the schoolgirl's disappearance or set free."

I just looked at a photo of Mark Bridger and although I don't know whether he is guilty or innocent I do hope they don't let him go yet. I just have to say if he is guilty how easy it is to be fooled by appearances . When you see photos on Britains Most Wanted or Crime Watch for instance they all look like nasty, horrible people but the photo that I saw of Mark Bridger looked just like any other Mr regular nice guy.

So important we never judge by appearances, TS. Have often thought what a nice chap Osama bin Laden was, and what a lovely extended family. And I still think he came from a very nice and respectable family, and was quite a pleasant looking fellow.

It is only when people start talking freely that your realise the poison within :-( :-( Words are so important, as is body language. But actions speak much louder than either :-(

He been charged with abduction, murder & perverting the cause of justice :-(

Sad in a way that he's been charged as it kind of closes the door on realistically finding poor April alive now..obviously..but good that they appear to be on the right road to achieving justice for her and her family x

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.

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."

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

John are you just visiting this planet?

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.

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. :-)

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.