Mark Bridger looked at child pornography on the day he is accused of kidnapping and killing five-year-old April Jones, a court heard on Wednesday.
Bridger, 47, viewed a cartoon of a young girl being raped while gagged and restrained on October 1, the day April vanished, prosecutor Elwen Evans told Mold Crown Court in north Wales.
She said search terms discovered on Bridger’s laptop included “British girl murdered in France”, “ten year old girls naked”, and “pictures of ten year old girls”.
Bridger, of Ceinws, who had been working as a labourer, denies abducting and murdering April as she played near her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales on the evening of October 1, 2012, and of concealing her body with intent to pervert the course of justice.
The prosecution on Tuesday described the former abattoir worker as a “fantasist” whose alleged crime was “sexually motivated”.
It has also alleged that traces of April’s blood as well as bone fragments were found in Bridger’s home.
On Wednesday, the second day prosecutors were outlining their case, Evans took the jury through Bridger’s known activities on the day of April’s disappearance.
Earlier that day, Bridger exchanged text messages with his ex-girlfriend Vicky Fenner, with whom he was in the process of breaking up, the court heard.
Bridger then allegedly texted his employer to ask for the day off and went to collect a benefit payment before returning home, viewing indecent images on his computer, looking at photos of local girls on Facebook and asking three women on the social networking site.
Later, the prosecution said he attended a parents’ evening at his daughter’s school from 5.30pm, then drove up to two girls aged eight and 10 on the estate where April lived, inviting one to a sleepover with his daughter — an invitation she declined.
The next witness to see Bridger said she saw his Land Rover pull up beside garages on the estate, near where April was playing, the court was told.
CCTV footage shortly afterwards showed the vehicle leaving the estate.
The Land Rover was next seen being reversed into Bridger’s driveway at 8.30pm, by which time April’s family had called police to report her disappearance, the prosecutor said.
“As night set in and there passed no news of April, panic and concern intensified,” Evans added.
“During that time, the defendant took steps to carry out an extensive clean-up to try to get rid of any evidence of April from his home.”
The case continues.
April suspect 'viewed child porn on day she vanished'
