April Jones Had 'Happy Face As She Got In Van'

April Jones had a "happy face" when she got into a vehicle shortly before her disappearance, a court has heard.

April's best friend, seen in pre-recorded video evidence, said the five-year-old went willingly and did not cry.

Mold Crown Court watched footage of the seven-year-old being interviewed by police the day after April went missing.

The girl said she saw April getting into a grey Land Rover and that she had seen it before.

On Friday, the court had seen CCTV footage showing Mark Bridger's Land Rover passing a garage in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, on the day she went missing, with April allegedly in the back.

Mark Bridger, 47, denies abducting and murdering her. He also denies intending to pervert the course of justice by disposing of, concealing or destroying April's body.

Bridger says he killed April accidentally when he ran her over in the car.

He claims he then put her into the front of the vehicle and drove around the town looking for medical help. He says he cannot remember what he did with her body.

Speaking about the person in the vehicle, her friend said: "He got out of the van and was waiting outside the van for someone".

April got in through the "drivers way" and then sat in the back seat. "She wasn't crying, she was happy," the young witness said.

The vehicle then drove off, the court heard.

The accused, Mark Bridger, shook his head when the girl said the man with the Land Rover had green or blue eyes and brown hair, and was probably wearing a green jacket.

"It wasn't that dark and I could see he had brown hair because the headlights were on," she said.

The girl also described how April's brother later came looking for his sister to take her home and how the alarm was raised.

Her interview with police was played to the jury as the girl watched on a live video-link from Aberystwyth, sitting with a white teddy bear and a mug of juice.

April Jones disappeared while playing with her friend near their homes in Machynlleth, Powys on October 1 last year.

Mark Bridger, 47, denies the charges against him

In the afternoon session the girl was cross examined by defence barristers.

Before the questioning, the judge told her it was "very important" that she told the truth.

She was asked in detail about the evidence she had given, particularly about her memory of the Land Rover and the man she had seen.

She admitted that she had only seen "a little bit of a view of the Land Rover".

She said she knew April had been talking to the man as she could see their mouths moving and that April had got into the Land Rover willingly.

Brendan Kelly QC, representing Bridger, asked: "Did you see April on the ground?"

The young girl replied: "She was talking but she was standing up when she was talking to him."

Mr Kelly explained to her that he had to say she was wrong, and asked if she understood that.

He added: "You saw her being carried into the car by the man who put her in the front seat, didn't you?"

The girl said: "She was in the back seat, that's what I saw.

"She got into the front seat and climbed into the back seat but the man didn't carry her into the front seat."

The friend told the court she saw the Land Rover leave after April had got into the "van and they drove off to somewhere".

She confessed she could not really see the eyes of the man next to the Land Rover and had guessed when she said they were green or blue.

She was asked if she had guessed about anything else and she said "no".

After the girl finished her evidence, the girl's mother - who also cannot be named for legal reasons - took the stand.

She told the court she remembers her daughter running home saying "April's got into someone's van, April's been taken".

The last witness of the day was April's friend's brother, whose taped interview with police was also played to the court.

Her brother told police that when he went to find April, April's friend told him "she got in a car" and April knew who it was.

The trial continues.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

April Jones Had 'Happy Face As She Got In Van'

Dengan url

http://belomtidur.blogspot.com/2013/05/april-jones-had-happy-face-as-she-got.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

April Jones Had 'Happy Face As She Got In Van'

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

April Jones Had 'Happy Face As She Got In Van'

sebagai sumbernya