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| April Jones trial: 10-year-old girl says Mark Bridger asked her for sleepover | April Jones trial: 10-year-old girl says Mark Bridger asked her for sleepover |
| (8 days later) | |
| A 10-year-old girl has said she found it odd that the man accused of abducting and murdering April Jones asked if she would like to go for a sleepover on the evening the little girl went missing. | A 10-year-old girl has said she found it odd that the man accused of abducting and murdering April Jones asked if she would like to go for a sleepover on the evening the little girl went missing. |
| The girl described how Mark Bridger wound his car window down and asked her if she would like to go for a sleepover at his house. She agreed and he drove off. | The girl described how Mark Bridger wound his car window down and asked her if she would like to go for a sleepover at his house. She agreed and he drove off. |
| When she saw him again a few minutes later in another part of town, Bridger was lying down in his car with a newspaper over his lap and was speaking into a walkie-talkie, the girl said. She and the friend she was with cycled home "really fast". | When she saw him again a few minutes later in another part of town, Bridger was lying down in his car with a newspaper over his lap and was speaking into a walkie-talkie, the girl said. She and the friend she was with cycled home "really fast". |
| Bridger, 47, a former slaughterman and lifeguard, denies abducting and murdering April, who vanished from the Bryn-Y-Gog estate in the mid-Wales town of Machynlleth on the evening of 1 October last year. He also denies concealing, disposing of or destroying her body, which has never been found. | Bridger, 47, a former slaughterman and lifeguard, denies abducting and murdering April, who vanished from the Bryn-Y-Gog estate in the mid-Wales town of Machynlleth on the evening of 1 October last year. He also denies concealing, disposing of or destroying her body, which has never been found. |
| The prosecution has claimed his motive was sexual but Bridger claims he accidentally knocked April over in his Land Rover, panicked, put the body in the vehicle and cannot remember what he did with it. | The prosecution has claimed his motive was sexual but Bridger claims he accidentally knocked April over in his Land Rover, panicked, put the body in the vehicle and cannot remember what he did with it. |
| On 3 October, the 10-year-old girl, who cannot be named, was interviewed by police. The video of the interview was played to the jury at Mold crown court. | On 3 October, the 10-year-old girl, who cannot be named, was interviewed by police. The video of the interview was played to the jury at Mold crown court. |
| Explaining why they needed to talk to her, an officer told her: "We're trying to find April." The girl told the officer she was a very good friend of Bridger's daughter. | Explaining why they needed to talk to her, an officer told her: "We're trying to find April." The girl told the officer she was a very good friend of Bridger's daughter. |
| She said that around "five-ish" on the evening of April's disappearance she saw Bridger on the Bryn-Y-Gog estate. "I saw Mark in his car," she said. | She said that around "five-ish" on the evening of April's disappearance she saw Bridger on the Bryn-Y-Gog estate. "I saw Mark in his car," she said. |
| Bridger wound the window down and spoke to her. "He offered me to have a sleepover with his daughter." | Bridger wound the window down and spoke to her. "He offered me to have a sleepover with his daughter." |
| The girl said Bridger had always been "very nice" to her; he always said hi and asked her what she was doing. But she said: "It was odd that he offered me a sleepover. I said: 'That would be great.' He said: 'That's sorted then.'" The girl said he drove off the estate. | The girl said Bridger had always been "very nice" to her; he always said hi and asked her what she was doing. But she said: "It was odd that he offered me a sleepover. I said: 'That would be great.' He said: 'That's sorted then.'" The girl said he drove off the estate. |
| She and the eight-year-old friend she was with rode on their bicycles to another part of Machynlleth. Again she saw Bridger parked up in his car. | She and the eight-year-old friend she was with rode on their bicycles to another part of Machynlleth. Again she saw Bridger parked up in his car. |
| "He was lying down with a newspaper on his lap," the girl said in the police interview. "He was talking into a walkie-talkie. He was acting really odd." The girl said he saw her and gave her a thumbs-up. She and her friend cycled home "really fast". She said it had been "a bit weird" and after dinner she went out again to see if she could see him but could not. The girl said she had seen April near both the locations where she spotted Bridger. | "He was lying down with a newspaper on his lap," the girl said in the police interview. "He was talking into a walkie-talkie. He was acting really odd." The girl said he saw her and gave her a thumbs-up. She and her friend cycled home "really fast". She said it had been "a bit weird" and after dinner she went out again to see if she could see him but could not. The girl said she had seen April near both the locations where she spotted Bridger. |
| In a police statement read to court, the girl's mother said she had called her daughter on her mobile at 5.47pm and heard a man talking in the background. The girl told her this was Bridger. April was last seen at around 7.15pm. | In a police statement read to court, the girl's mother said she had called her daughter on her mobile at 5.47pm and heard a man talking in the background. The girl told her this was Bridger. April was last seen at around 7.15pm. |
| The jury heard a statement from the teacher of Bridger's daughter. Bridger had been at a parents' evening at her school on 1 October. The teacher, Eleanor Holt, said: "Mark seemed his normal self." She added: "Something gave me the impression he may have had a couple of drinks." | The jury heard a statement from the teacher of Bridger's daughter. Bridger had been at a parents' evening at her school on 1 October. The teacher, Eleanor Holt, said: "Mark seemed his normal self." She added: "Something gave me the impression he may have had a couple of drinks." |
| Also read to the jury was a string of statements from people who told police they had seen Bridger on the evening April went missing. One witness said she saw him wearing camouflage trousers and jacket. Another said he had walked past her without acknowledging her – which she felt was strange as he was normally so polite. | Also read to the jury was a string of statements from people who told police they had seen Bridger on the evening April went missing. One witness said she saw him wearing camouflage trousers and jacket. Another said he had walked past her without acknowledging her – which she felt was strange as he was normally so polite. |
| A man told police that he had almost been driven off the road by Bridger, who was in his left-hand drive Land Rover. A woman said she had seen Bridger driving up and down the same stretch of road. | A man told police that he had almost been driven off the road by Bridger, who was in his left-hand drive Land Rover. A woman said she had seen Bridger driving up and down the same stretch of road. |
| Another witness said she saw Bridger parking up at the spot where April was last seen at 7.10pm. | Another witness said she saw Bridger parking up at the spot where April was last seen at 7.10pm. |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |
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