Mark Bridger jailed for rest of life over April Jones murder

Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, near Machynlleth, was found guilty of the two charges and of perverting the course of justice by a jury of nine women and three men at Mold Crown Court today.

The jury took four hours and six minutes to convict the former lifeguard of the three crimes. The verdicts on all three counts were unanimous.

As the verdicts were returned, April's mother and father Coral and Paul wiped tears from their eyes as they sat in the public gallery.

In a family impact victim statement, read by Elwen Evans QC for the prosecution, Mrs Jones said: "April fought to be in this world, she fought to stay in this world, and he has taken this away from us."

In the dock, Bridger closed his eyes and looked up, before his lip quivered and he fought back tears.

Click to listen to the original 999 calls reporting April's kidnap:

Judge Justice Griffith-Williams this afternoon sentenced Bridger to a whole life sentence.

The judge said: "The court has listened to compelling evidence of your guilt. There is no doubt in my mind that you are a paedophile."

While Bridger was in HMP Manchester, he reportedly told a priest that he had "flung" April's body into the flooded river, but the jury was never told this and it did not form part of the prosecution case. Reporting of this information was barred by the judge until after the verdicts were returned.

During the trial the court heard how alcoholic Bridger had viewed pictures of child porn and pictures of local children in the hours before he lured April into his Land Rover. He then drove her away from her Bryn y Gog estate in Machynlleth at about 7.20pm on October 1 last year before murdering her in a sexually motivated attack.

Despite the biggest search in UK police history, April's body has never been found.

Traces of her blood were found under the carpet in Bridger's living room in front of his wood burner, where fragments of bone, believed to be from a human juvenile were found by forensics experts.

Neighbour Michael Williams said the community would take a long time to recover and people would always support the schoolgirl's devastated family. He also reminded townsfolk to look towards the future.

He said: "The killing of April really did rip the heart out of Machynlleth and it will never be the same again – certainly not in my lifetime.

"The man who committed this act is nothing more than a grain of dust as far as we are concerned. People here will always remember April as a happy and smiling little girl.

"Bridger is nothing."

CCTV shots show April's last movements and footage of Mark Bridger and his home during the search for the missing five-year-old:

Read more in tonight's City Final Express & Star.