April Jones
 

Its very sad that the Police have now charged Mark Bridger, with the murder of 5 year old April Jones, so it now appears they have now given up on finding the poor kid alive. The police have been questioning this guy for a few days and it now appears they have enough evidence to charge him, I can say much more on this I'd be banned:mad:

Re: April Jones
 

Speechless, what a sad end to this.
Although normally a opponent of the Death Penalty, my thoughts echo yours Jay.

Re: April Jones
 

Very sad, aint really a shock though. Family must be distraught. :(

Re: April Jones
 

Feel so much for the family it is tragic

Re: April Jones
 

He's only been charged as yet, not convicted.

Re: April Jones
 

And unless the information is being with-held from the media, no body has been found.
If he has confesed to murdering this little girl then surely he co uld tell the police where her body is.

Re: April Jones
 

Very terrible that someone can do that to a little kid! But the media sicken me with the over kill coverage of situations like this.

In cases like this I think the cops should be able to rip out his finger nails (torture is wrong but sometimes I wonder? ) to find out what he's done with her, instead of letting this drag on and on.

Re: April Jones
 

totally agree with you kestrel,very sad for the family

Re: April Jones
 

I don't think he has been charged, he has been arrested on suspicion of murder, just a loop hole to allow them to detain him longer for questioning, the clock starts again now!

Re: April Jones
 

A sane comment. Don't worry; minor details like this won't stop calls for his hanging or his lynching. Sad thing is, the terrible fate this poor little girl suffered ... and I don't think there is much chance of finding her alive; there rarely is in these cases ... will get lost in the shuffle.

Re: April Jones
 

And if he's another Colin Stagg?....but hey why let minor details like establishing guilt beyond a reasonable doubt stop you from getting the pliers out

Re: April Jones
 

Is it overkill? At the time it was brought to the media attention there was a slim hope she could be found alive, no body found so far, I still hope she's found alive, maybe the guy they have is protecting an accomplice?
Yes its a slim hope but miracles do occasionally happen.

Re: April Jones
 

Agree entirely ... even the yanks, who many on here admire so much for their willingness to fry, or otherwise execute convicted killers, draw the line at torture. Anyone heard of the Fifth Ammendment to the Constitution of the United States of America?:rolleyes: And as Less points out, there is still a chance, albeit a slim one, that the little girl may still be alive.

Re: April Jones
 

And flyng them out of the states?

Re: April Jones
 

As i understand it,he aint been charged yet, Just arrested on suspicion of murder?:confused:

Re: April Jones
 

:confused: Two possibilities exist: you have misspelled either "fling" or "flying" :confused:

Either way, you could, perhaps, be a little less obscure.

Re: April Jones
 

rendition, water boarding, america

google those four words!

Re: April Jones
 

Mark Bridger has been arrested on suspicion of murder (to allow more time for questioning) he's not been charged nor convicted (innocent till proven in my eyes)
my thoughts are the parents during these dreadful times

Re: April Jones
 

already said that.:)

Re: April Jones
 

N I said it before you:)

Re: April Jones
 

just adding my 2cents seen as i'm new ;)

Re: April Jones
 

Welcome, you will find us all a grumpy bunch, but what the heck!

Re: April Jones
 

Thanks... i'll be sure to send you a box of tampons on your birthdays ;)

Re: April Jones
 

Yet your happy to slag off Jimmy Saville on another thread?

Bit hypocritical don't you think?
:)
:)

Re: April Jones
 

You sure about that honestly?:rolleyes:

Re: April Jones
 

Ah you've noticed too cashy;)

Re: April Jones
 

Let's not turn another thread into a slanging match, a bit of respect for the the little girl, her family & friends. I know what I would do to this evil man when he's charged with her murder. Lets face it the police must have plenty of evidence etc to arrest him on the charge, and no-one else has been arrested. Let's hope she's found soon.

Re: April Jones
 

I don't understand, how can they charge him with murder, I have not been following the story other than whether April has been found or not. How can they charge him without the presence of a body, is there any other physical evidence?

Re: April Jones
 

He aint been charged at this point.if he is at some stage,it may be cos they found forensic evidence in his car?

Re: April Jones
 

There was a murder on Royds Avenue few years back (posh houses nr King George's) body never found but fella was charged with murder & is now in one of her maj's holiday camps, so even with no body someone can be found guilty.

Re: April Jones
 

No, the man has been held and is Accused. He may be innocent, but I don't imagine he is.
However until he is formally charged then tried and convicted he has to be considered innocent. It's how our justice system works.

I was annoyed that some of our members have already decided that Jimmy Saville was guilty of many crimes, with no evidence just say so and this man is not.

I am sure once due process is done Bridger, I am sure, will be spending a long time in a prison.

For the record Wallop, when I heard of her disappearance I prayed for her safety. The last time I prayed was when I was a child over 30 years ago. So I do have respect for them.

Re: April Jones
 

Yes he could be another Colin Stagg perhaps. The media is very emotive showing photos of the child missing then this guys mug shot - makes people feel angry and want to see action. The news has not said they have any DNA or any evidence at all. Just that this guy was at parents event attended by the missing kids parents and saw her given extra-comendation!

Re: April Jones
 

Absolutely right, but of course the media have already decided who's guilty.
Of ourselves the Police, will wait as long as possible before bringing charges, helping build their case

Re: April Jones
 

we probably all presume he's guilty,so why have the police arrested him so quickly ?

Re: April Jones
 

My son in law was CSI on that case, the evidence was overpowering

Re: April Jones
 

This is one of the problems in cases such as this. The pressure on the police to solve the case quickly is intense. Sometimes this "forces" them to make an arrest without having done the often painstaking investigating. Sometimes they manipulate evidence ... I know this is illegal, but they feel the heat from the mob. This happenened in Canada with a similar case: the rape and murder of an eight year old girl. They arrested the wrong man ... he was convicted. Problem is ... and it is a serious one ... the real killer is still out there.


Guy Paul Morin: One of the best known wrongly convicted person exonerated in Canada

Of cours, there is probably a hell of a good chance that he is guilty.

Re: April Jones
 

He has been charged on the advice of the CPS, with murder, child abduction and trying to pervert the course of justice. Apparently there is sufficent evidence for the charges to be made

Re: April Jones
 

I know they probably can't for legal purposes but I wish they would elaborate on 'sufficient evidence', though I guess that would be unfair on her family to have it pubic knowledge yet. I do struggle with comprehending the justice system and their ablities to charge without solid evidence, although I guess if it were my child I would most likely see it from a completely different perspective.

Re: April Jones
 

The CPS will have instructed them that they have a reasonable case to bring to trial. Giving out the evidence will be prejudicial to his defence. Using the comments in this thread alone, it's already going to be difficult enough to find a jury that aren't armed with a prejudice to string him up. To disclose details now would make it very easy for his defence to argue that the jury cannot reasonably judge on evidence alone without being prejudiced by media reports. Which would mean that the case would be prolonged unnecessarily.

In the long run it's better for the family that we don't know, because the trial will be held so much quicker.

Re: April Jones
 

Thank you Guinness that makes sense.

Re: April Jones
 

From what I read in your papers, the cops had to bust him. Either that, or let him walk. I believe they had an hour left to go when they arrested him.

Re: April Jones
 

What started out as a wonderful day being given a glowing school report which led to a treat of being allowed to play out a little later with friends will haunt her parents forever.

Years ago we were led to believe that the abolishment of capital punishment would encourage an immediate confession from those who took a life because the threat of the noose had been taken away. The police believe they have the perpetrator, but as we can see it's taken several days for the forensic search to be concentrated on one specific place. Thus on the face of it the premise of immediate confessions is a false premise.

Re: April Jones
 

Am I alone thinking the police have arrested this man too quickly ? I am the first to admit I am a doubting Thomas , but I really do feel uncomfortable at the speed this man has been arrested. One or two things puzzle me. IF this man really did take April ( and I am not saying he didn't ) would he take her in front of other children ? surely living in a village everybody knows everybody, the other children said April got in a grey van . Yet police took a blue range rover from his garage.Things just don't add up to me,however I do trust forensics and hope they have done their job right. One day I think Crimewatch will reveal how this crime was solved, I look forward to it, meanwhile , this man has to go to court and the jury do their job. Maybe we will learn more then.Meanwhile I hope April is found .

Re: April Jones
 

Good points. When Huntley was nicked over the Soham murders - they released the reasons why in the press, that they found clothing from the girls in some bins at Huntley's house. So why in this case have they not revealed what evidence they have to hold and charge this character?

Also surely if he's been caught for several days why has he not divulged what he's done with the girl?

Re: April Jones
 

maybe they only have "little" evidence, and dont want to release any details

and if he has done it, then if no body is found a conviction will be harder to come by.

Re: April Jones
 

My mind also goes back to the Bristol student ( shamefully I forgot her name ) CCTV shown her buying a pizza, her keys and mobile phone where in her flat. The landlord was arrested , named and photo shown in the press, he was in custody for a day or two before being released. The landord went through hell and back when first released as the public had decided he was guilty. It was a short while before the girls neighbour was arrested and charged of her murder.

Re: April Jones
 

Well, good for your mind, you have recall, I am awaiting results one way or the other just as I did then, put something useful forward or get off the case and leave the Police to do their job.
If he IS absolutely innocent he will be released, if there is enough to convict he will be put before 12 of his peers and they will decide, on his guilt or innocence. My conscience does not need to be pricked by you.

Re: April Jones
 

Mark Bridger at the museum...

Re: April Jones
 

As I mentioed above, the heat had two choices: arrest him, or let him walk. There was one hour left of the time they were allowed to hold him without formal charges being laid. As in my country, the police in the land of Uk can't just hold someone indefinitely without laying a specific charge.

Think of the outcry if they had have let him go:eek:

Re: April Jones
 

What the hell was the point in that post???

Re: April Jones
 

Has there been any further progress on this apart from the guy being charged? There doesn't seem to be much on the news of late.

Re: April Jones
 

Forensics still working on it.Mark Bridger due to go on trial in Jan 2013.