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| April Jones case: Mark Bridger denies being a paedophile | April Jones case: Mark Bridger denies being a paedophile |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man accused of murdering five-year-old April Jones in a sexually motivated attack has denied being a paedophile. | A man accused of murdering five-year-old April Jones in a sexually motivated attack has denied being a paedophile. |
| The prosecution told Mold Crown Court that Mark Bridger's explanation for having indecent images of children on his computer was "complete fantasy". | The prosecution told Mold Crown Court that Mark Bridger's explanation for having indecent images of children on his computer was "complete fantasy". |
| Mr Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, Powys denies abducting and murdering April who went missing near her Machynlleth home on 1 October 2012. | Mr Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, Powys denies abducting and murdering April who went missing near her Machynlleth home on 1 October 2012. |
| He claims he accidentally knocked her over with his Land Rover. | He claims he accidentally knocked her over with his Land Rover. |
| The court has heard he tried to revive her but there was no response and he drove away. | The court has heard he tried to revive her but there was no response and he drove away. |
| He had been drinking and panicked so could not remember what he did with her body, he claimed. | He had been drinking and panicked so could not remember what he did with her body, he claimed. |
| The prosecution has said he murdered her and told police a "web of lies" to cover it up. | The prosecution has said he murdered her and told police a "web of lies" to cover it up. |
| Earlier on Thursday the court was told Mr Bridger had felt sick with "fright and fear" after accidentally knocking her over in his car. | Earlier on Thursday the court was told Mr Bridger had felt sick with "fright and fear" after accidentally knocking her over in his car. |
| After lunch, he was asked about the indecent images found on his laptop. | After lunch, he was asked about the indecent images found on his laptop. |
| Prosecuting, Elwen Evans QC asked him: "Do you have indecent images of children on your computer?" | Prosecuting, Elwen Evans QC asked him: "Do you have indecent images of children on your computer?" |
| Mr Bridger: "Yes." | Mr Bridger: "Yes." |
| Ms Evans: "Are you a paedophile?" | Ms Evans: "Are you a paedophile?" |
| Mr Bridger: "No." | Mr Bridger: "No." |
| Ms Evans: "Why are there indecent images of of children on your computer?" | Ms Evans: "Why are there indecent images of of children on your computer?" |
| Mr Bridger: "A lot of them were for looking into the development of my two youngest children... some of them I didn't know were there." | Mr Bridger: "A lot of them were for looking into the development of my two youngest children... some of them I didn't know were there." |
| Ms Evans: "What? You are seriously saying 'I had this disgusting filth on my computer because I thought I would write to someone to complain about it'?" | |
| Mr Bridger: "A small batch of pictures. Yes." | |
| Asked why he searched the term "France British schoolgirl raped and murdered", he said it was because of a planned holiday to France and the name came up. | Asked why he searched the term "France British schoolgirl raped and murdered", he said it was because of a planned holiday to France and the name came up. |
| Ms Evans asked about a search for "naked five-year-old girls" and he said that had been a mistake and he had meant 15. | Ms Evans asked about a search for "naked five-year-old girls" and he said that had been a mistake and he had meant 15. |
| Asked about other images, he claimed he was researching underwear for his daughter. | |
| He also searched "animated porn girls" and claimed this was for his protest against such sites. | He also searched "animated porn girls" and claimed this was for his protest against such sites. |
| Ms Evans said his story was a "complete fantasy". | Ms Evans said his story was a "complete fantasy". |
| He said he had psychology books detailing brain and personality development and had looked up "all aspects" of the development of his children. | |
| Ms Evans asked him why his Facebook profile did not display his age and he replied it did but was hidden. | |
| She then asked him why he had sent a friendship request to one of April's teenage half-sisters when he was aged 45. | |
| Mr Bridger: "Because I had known her for two-and-a-half years, I'd known the family. She was doing a Duke of Edinburgh award. Full stop." | |
| The court heard how the girl declined the invite and wrote that she did not know "why you are adding me". "I don't know you," she wrote on Facebook. | |
| Mr Bridger explained she would have known him by sight because he had once lived "five or six doors away". | |
| Later, the court was told about a folder on his computer in which he kept pornography. The jury heard it included clothed pictures of April and her two older half-sisters. | |
| "They shouldn't have been in there, no," Mr Bridger said. | |
| There were also pictures of Soham murder victims Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. | |
| He also had a picture of a boating accident victim "because I had read the story," he said. | |
| One indecent picture of a young girl was to help his understanding of his daughter's physical development, he said. | |
| Asked why he was viewing Facebook pictures of one of April's older half-sisters on 22 September, he said it was "to see if there's new pictures... for the kids". | |
| The court heard 52 images were viewed, eight of which contained pictures of April with one of her sisters. | |
| 'Happy and smiling' | |
| The judge asked him to clarify whether Coral Jones had requested to be his friend on Facebook. | |
| He said: "We had been friends on Facebook before... yes, she had made a request to me on Facebook to be a friend." | |
| The cross-examination of Mr Bridger continued on Thursday morning with Ms Evans accusing him of being willing to tell lies to save his skin, which he denied. | |
| Mr Bridger said evidence from a friend of April's in which the five-year-old was seen getting into his vehicle "happy and smiling" was a lie. | |
| The court also was told again how he had no memory of what he had done with April's body which Ms Evans said was the only piece of evidence that would solve the case. | |
| "So where did you put her?" she asked. | |
| Mr Bridger: "I don't recall, I don't know." | |
| He later told the jury he had had a memory of laying her body in front of his fire at home but denied he had sexually assaulted her or deliberately killed her. | |
| He said he thought her blood could have "seeped through" to the underside of the carpet. | |
| Clean-up | |
| He said: "She was not alive, there was not great quantities of blood". | |
| He said he had wiped blood but denied being involved in a huge clean-up to get rid of evidence. | |
| Later Mr Bridger told how he had used his fire to cook food since he had moved in. | |
| The court has previously heard bone fragments were found in the fire, some from a human skull. | |
| Asked where he thought the fragments were from he listed several animals he had cooked including squirrel and rabbit. | |
| Mr Bridger also denies intending to pervert the course of justice. | Mr Bridger also denies intending to pervert the course of justice. |
| The case continues. | The case continues. |