Deceased/Not Found UK - April Jones, 5, Machynlleth, Wales, 1 Oct 2012 #6 *M. Bridger guilty*

[PADDYWHACK]

There is an article - the link will be in one of the earlier threads we have on here - that says the godmother received the phone call from CJ at 6.50pm, to say that AJ was missing, taken away in a van.

Also, one of the very early MSM reports said that CJ only realised that AJ was missing when she went out to call her in for tea, didnt see her and then went to a neighbours home - presumably MHs home but I cant be sure on this one now without going back to find the article - and it was only at that point that MH said, allegedly, that AJ had got into a van.

Therefore, as far as I remember it, MH did not raise any kind of alarm re AJ going off in a van.

After receiving this news from MH, CJ then - presumably - went home, called the godmother at 6.50pm and then called the piolice.

So on this timeline I would estimate the police were notified close to 7pm

So April could have been missing for quite a while and the police waited the dreadful 3 hrs before announcing it.

 

[PADDYWHACK]

Vicky F....., 25, a mother-of-two, told the Daily Mirror: “It was wet and cold and the other girl told April not to get into it. But April said: ‘It's all right, I know them’.”

Great 'treat'. :twocents:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...ses-on-areas-highlighted-by-arrested-man.html

(name edited by me)

from same article, just to confuse the issue more!

Mr Jones, 43, and his wife, 40, reported April missing immediately, and it emerged last night that they had told police who they suspected the driver of the car was.

Mr Bridger, a father-of-six, who was known to April’s family and had lived near her at various times, was arrested at 3.30pm yesterday as he walked along a main road to the north of the town.

Neighbours said he was a former soldier who had worked as a lifeguard, a welder, and at a slaughterhouse. He had two vehicles, one of which was a left-hand drive Land Rover Discovery made in Spain.

Ben Edwards, 22, a neighbour, said: "He is a nice guy, and absolutely brilliant with his son and daughter. He was always putting his kids first."

Mr Edwards’s mother, Gloria, said she had seen Mr Bridger shortly before he was arrested. He was walking quickly towards the bridge that led into the town, wearing sunglasses and a khaki jacket and with his head down.

Officers were understood to have begun searching the river after tyre marks were found on the bank at a spot where vehicles would not normally be parked.

I thought it was clear and dry on that day?

 

[veggiefan]

No 4G network in Wales - or just no coverage?

There is no 4G network anywhere in the UK at present, least of all Wales, although it is imminent and London and a few other cities are expecting to get a service by Christmas.

 

[veggiefan]

So April could have been missing for quite a while and the police waited the dreadful 3 hrs before announcing it.

I am not sure what you mean by "announcing it". If they put out a press statement, it would not have been broadcast before the late evening news (which it was) and it wouldn't have appeared in newspapers until the next day.

Obviously, they were liasing with people searching on the estate, but I don't see what mechanism they could use for making an announcement beyond the area in which they were operating.

 

[Dirk Gently]

It doesn't. I was simply using it as an example to highlight the apparent lack of response to reports of AJ being abducted in a vehicle. I'm trying to understand why the initial response was so localised and why LE didn't immediately position traffic officers at key junctions on the A487, A489, A470 and A458 (these being the only main routes out of the area) with instructions to pull over and spot check vehicles matching the description given.

Just to add, at the very least I would have expected LE to place the town and immediate surrounding area on 'lock down'. This could have been done relatively quickly and with a minimum of manpower simply by placing officers at strategic points on the A487, A493, A489 and B4404 in such a way as to make entry or exit via the handful of smaller roads in-between very difficult. Half-a-dozen cars and a dozen or so officers would have made a reasonable job of this. Anyone coming into, or attempting to leave, the area in a vehicle matching the description should have been flagged down, questioned and their registration number and personal details noted.

Given that LE issued a statement at 10:30pm confirming that AJ was taken away in a vehicle why did they not establish roadblocks until the morning of the next day?

 

[veggiefan]

Just to add, at the very least I would have expected LE to place the town and immediate surrounding area on 'lock down'. This could have been done relatively quickly and with a minimum of manpower simply by placing officers at strategic points on the A487, A493, A489 and B4404 in such a way as to make entry or exit via the handful of smaller roads in-between very difficult. Half-a-dozen cars and a dozen or so officers would have made a reasonable job of this.

I very much doubt that they had even "a dozen or so officers" available initially. We are talking about one of the smallest constabularies in England and Wales, and it covers the largest area of any - 10,976 square kilometres. Officers on duty would have had drives of up to 90 miles on poor roads from other parts of the region in which they were on patrol, and no doubt many off-duty officers had to be called in, which is not an instantaneous matter and again they could be based in places such as Pembrokeshire, involving a very long drive.

Given that LE issued a statement at 10:30pm confirming that AJ was taken away in a vehicle why did they not establish roadblocks until the morning of the next day?

There were roadblocks in place in Machynlleth that night, although obviously too late to be effective. The blockade the next morning was specifcally of the A487, no doubt because by then they had a pretty good idea of who they were looking for, and a rough idea of his address.

 

[DIRK SCHILLER]

dear people do not talk about the past please,
we are trying to help finding April, than you

 

[Marymead]

A quick and interesting read
http://mysite.verizon.net/res11yid5...toprotectyourchildfrombeingsexuallyabused.pdf

A very interesting read indeed. Almost feel it should be handed out in schools to teachers etc. and certainly made available to all parents. Thanks.

 

[uk_sleuth]

Anyone that knows the area.... is Mach out of the way? or is it easy to get into/out of from main routes? Specifically out of if you went through the town like the OAP said.

(i failed Geography and don't drive)

 

[Marymead]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2012/oct/02/april-jones-missing-five-live
FWIW
Godmother speaks
London's Evening Standard newspaper has quotes from April's godmother, Mair Raftree, about the impact on the family:

I was the first person Coral called. She was absolutely devastated. She was in shock. She was upset, saying ‘April’s gone. She was put in a van. She was taken away’.

I told her to call the police immediately and she said she was about to. She called me first because she was in a state of shock. She had just been told by April’s little friend that she was snatched. I was just gobsmacked. It didn’t register until I’d put the phone down.

I wonder when and where the words "she was put in a van, she was taken away - been told by April's little friend that she was snatched"
originated ? Only seems odd that if they came from April's friend, why weren't April's parents (and police) informed straight away. If my child came home and told me that had happened to their friend (my point being that they are words used in panic) I would have acted immediately. Alternatively the friend saw nothing that made her concerned or frightened for April, and this is an example of chinese whispers. Hope I'm clear, underlining would help but I can't manage that.

 

[Inge Jones]

I wonder when and where the words "she was put in a van, she was taken away - been told by April's little friend that she was snatched"
originated ? Only seems odd that if they came from April's friend, why weren't April's parents (and police) informed straight away. If my child came home and told me that had happened to their friend (my point being that they are words used in panic) I would have acted immediately. Alternatively the friend saw nothing that made her concerned or frightened for April, and this is an example of chinese whispers. Hope I'm clear, underlining would help but I can't manage that.

She's only 7. If April said "it's ok I know them" then maybe she thought "oh thats ok then" and thought no more of it till her mom asked when she last saw April. She's not expected to think "I'd better be safe than sorry and let someone know" at that age - she wasn't in a position of responsibility for April's care.

 

[PADDYWHACK]

Alternatively the friend saw nothing that made her concerned or frightened for April

One of two things arises here. Her lack of concern could mean she knew the man, or she didn't see what she said she saw, someone told her she saw it.

 

[Inge Jones]

One of two things arises here. Her lack of concern could mean she knew the man, or she didn't see what she said she saw, someone told her she saw it.

IMHO her lack of concern beyond her initial warning to April means she was *seven* years old. She probably had other things on her mind a moment later, like was there someone else out who could play, what story was Mummy going to read her that night, was it her favorite dessert after tea?

 

[PADDYWHACK]

She's only 7. If April said "it's ok I know them" then maybe she thought "oh thats ok then" and thought no more of it till her mom asked when she last saw April. She's not expected to think "I'd better be safe than sorry and let someone know" at that age - she wasn't in a position of responsibility for April's care.

Exactly, she is only 7 yrs old. Not only incapable of understanding danger, but incapable of telling the time. She may well have seen April getting into a vehicle, but she wasn't there to see if she got out, or was then placed into another vehicle. Were there two people in said vehicle?

 

[Cherwell]

IMHO her lack of concern beyond her initial warning to April means she was *seven* years old. She probably had other things on her mind a moment later, like was there someone else out who could play, what story was Mummy going to read her that night, was it her favorite dessert after tea?

Yes, I wouldn't be so sure there was a "warning". She may well have asked April not to go, but that might have been because she wanted to carry on playing with her, not because she was worried.

 

[Elainera]

About Powys (in which Machynlleth lies):

Powys is the largest county in Wales, covering a quarter of Wales’ landmass. The county is typically rural and one of the most sparsely populated areas in England and Wales.

Powys has tremendous landscape assets, from the dramatic mountains of the Brecon Beacons National Park in the south through the rolling hills of Radnor Forest and Cambrian Mountains to the Berwyn Mountains in the north.

The economy is based around agriculture and tourism, with high self-employment and small businesses predominating, and an important contribution to employment opportunities from the public sector. The main population centres are aligned to the policing sections of Welshpool, Newtown, Llandrindod Wells, Brecon and Ystradgynlais.

In policing terms the county is typified by low crime. The most serious offences tend to be committed by criminals travelling from urban areas outside the county. Powys has 44% of the trunk roads within the force area and has seen a high proportion of fatal road traffic crashes in recent years, many of which have involved motorcycles. This vulnerability to travelling crime and fatal crashes is reflected in the divisional priorities.

http://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/en/in-your-area/powys

Crime reported in August 2012 within 1 mile of Machynlleth, Powys:
All crime 24
of which
Burglary 0
Anti-social behaviour 18
Robbery 0
Vehicle crime 0
Violent crime 1
Public disorder and weapons 0
Shoplifting 0
Criminal damage and arson 2
Other theft 2
Drugs 1
Other crime 0

Crime reported in August 2012 within 1 mile of Corris, Ceinws: 0

http://www.police.uk/

Note: 13 of the 24 offences in Machynlleth were in the area of the town where Bryn-y-gog, where April lives, is located.

 

[jigzy]

I agree, the time is very important because April could have been outdoors all afternoon and no one bothered to check of her whereabouts until it was considered her tea time.

I'm quite adept at making a sandwich and can do it in 5 mins or under, a cooked meal would take me about 40 mins if meat and veg. The press said Coral returned home at 7pm and went inside to make tea.

The police reported that April was abducted at 7. 30pm, but what time were the police informed?

Jmo, not that it's really important, but maybe worth mentioning, in Wales many locals use the term 'supper' for their evening meal and 'tea' is the term used for tea, cakes, sandwiches, etc. around 4pm (old fashioned teatime like you'd have at granny's house).

The term 'tea' when used for evening meal is not a local welsh term.

Making tea would most probably mean making a cup of tea if a direct quote by a local person, or else might have been a misunderstanding when reported by a non- local, e.g. Media report.

Seems too late for A to wait for an evening meal. Kids of that age would be wanting a meal earlier than the time it would be served if CJ started making it around 7pm. (swimming or any exercise always makes my kids ravenous.)

I believe that if CJ returned from parents evening near 7pm (despite Powys County Council's careful wording of their statement saying the parents left at 3.30pm, which may have been when they picked her up from school prior to swimming) she went in to make a cup of tea.

I would post a link to a blog that reports just that about the cup of tea, but probably not allowed to here.

 

[jigzy]

About Powys (in which Machynlleth lies):
........
Note: 13 of the 24 offences in Machynlleth were in the area of the town where Bryn-y-gog, where April lives, is located.

And most of the muppets see fit to mention their brushes with the law on their fb walls.

 

[Dirk Gently]

I very much doubt that they had even "a dozen or so officers" available initially. We are talking about one of the smallest constabularies in England and Wales, and it covers the largest area of any - 10,976 square kilometres. Officers on duty would have had drives of up to 90 miles on poor roads from other parts of the region in which they were on patrol, and no doubt many off-duty officers had to be called in, which is not an instantaneous matter and again they could be based in places such as Pembrokeshire, involving a very long drive.

That may be so but the force's Divisional HQ is in Aberystwyth, which is less than 18 miles away. In this context, it's interesting to note their performance as regards response times to "Grade 1 - Immediate Response" calls.

http://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/en/about-us/performance/response-times

There were roadblocks in place in Machynlleth that night, although obviously too late to be effective. The blockade the next morning was specifcally of the A487, no doubt because by then they had a pretty good idea of who they were looking for, and a rough idea of his address.

I've read plenty of reports from the 2nd October that refer to roadblocks but none from the 1st. Is there a source confirming this?

 

[Marymead]

One of two things arises here. Her lack of concern could mean she knew the man, or she didn't see what she said she saw, someone told her she saw it.

Thank you for clarifying my post, well put, that is what I was trying to get across. :blushing: