The man accused of abducting and murdering five-year-old April Jones is “probably responsible” for her death but denies abducting and murdering her, a court in Wales heard on Monday.
Mark Bridger, a 46-year-old former lifeguard, is charged with the abduction and murder of April, a cerebral palsy sufferer, and of unlawfully disposing of her body with intent to pervert the course of justice.
She disappeared from near her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, on October 1, and has not been seen since despite a huge search by police and local volunteers.
Bridger pleaded not guilty at Mold Crown Court on Monday as the missing child’s parents, Coral and Paul Jones, looked on.
But defence lawyer Brendan Kelly told the court his client’s defence involves him “conceding that he probably killed the child”.
The judge, Mr Justice Griffith-Williams, said that this could be reported, but barred the reporting of other evidence in the case.
He refused an application from the defence to move the trial out of the north Wales area. It is scheduled to begin on February 25.
Bridger, from the nearby village of Ceinws, was arrested a day after April disappeared while playing on her bicycle close to her home in Machynlleth.
Some 16 police search teams led by Dyfed-Powys police are still scouring the area, after a two-week Christmas break.
The Home Office has agreed to grant the force the money it needs for the exceptional expense of the search, up to £2.4 million.
Bridger 'probably responsible' for April Jones death
