Deceased/Not Found UK - April Jones, 5, Machynlleth, Wales, 1 Oct 2012 #4 *M. Bridger guilty*

[Sarah]

LH drive Land Rover Discovery, note driver's side mirror on door!

Nope fairly certain that's a RH drive.
There's a side mirror on both sides, the angle of the image just make it difficult to see the RH one while the LH one really sticks out at that angle.

If you look at the orientation of the windscreen wipers, they indicate a RH drive - i.e. they start on the passenger side and swoosh up to the drivers' side.
I think that they "swoosh" the opposite way on a LH drive, so that the top of the sweep is always on the driver side.

I'd imagine that 4WD vehicle are a popular choice in a rural location like that (note the car next to it)

 

[LegallyBrunette]

Is that common? This means that MB is not the only one who has a left hand drive vehicle on this estate?

If that Google photo is 2009, he was probably still living in the estate, had been with VF for 2 years and another local lady before that.

 

[Clio]

Is that common? This means that MB is not the only one who has a left hand drive vehicle on this estate?

I read somewhere that there were only two LHD vehicles in the area. No idea if that's true or not. However, it's not impossible that the one in the google maps picture from 2009 belongs to MB. We know that ED lives on the estate and perhaps he was not as estranged from her as he was with his wife JW. He could have been visiting his children S & C.

 

[LegallyBrunette]

Nope fairly certain that's a RH drive.
There's a side mirror on both sides, the angle of the image just make it difficult to see the RH one while the LH one really sticks out at that angle.

If you look at the orientation of the windscreen wipers, they indicate a RH drive - i.e. they start on the passenger side and swoosh up to the drivers' side.
I think that they "swoosh" the opposite way on a LH drive.

I'd imagine that 4WD vehicle are a popular choice in a rural location like that (note the car next to it)

Understand what you mean but can't see clearly in Google photo. On Police photo of MB car you can def see what you're saying about direction of wipers.

 

[Why why why]

Nope fairly certain that's a RH drive.
There's a side mirror on both sides, the angle of the image just make it difficult to see the RH one while the LH one really sticks out at that angle.

If you look at the orientation of the windscreen wipers, they indicate a RH drive - i.e. they start on the passenger side and swoosh up to the drivers' side.
I think that they "swoosh" the opposite way on a LH drive.

I'd imagine that 4WD vehicle are a popular choice in a rural location like that (note the car next to it)

I have a left hand drive & the wipers are facing the same way as on that vehicle.

 

[LegallyBrunette]

I have a left hand drive & the wipers are facing the same way as on that vehicle.

The plot thickens

 

[Why why why]

Could have been going into Mach for a drink or two and didn't want to drive home? Just an example.

Maybe his car was in the garage (breakdown).

 

[veggiefan]

What is the street lighting like near the houses and especially the garages?

The one street lamp on the road at the far end is probably not going to shine much light on the garage area:

 

[Sarah]

Understand what you mean but can't see clearly in Google photo. On Police photo of MB car you can def see what you're saying about direction of wipers.

:lol: Glad that you understood what I meant.
I wasn't sure that I'd explained myself very well !!!

I have a left hand drive & the wipers are facing the same way as on that vehicle.

Hmmmm . . . bear with me, while I check this out.
I'm sure that the normal convention is for the top of the sweep to be on the driver's side so that side of the windscreen gets the greatest degree of clearance / visibility.
Of course, as in your case there may be exceptions.

 

[Why why why]

Is it possible that someone else was using his car? Somebody mentioned on here that the car may have been parked up to deliver something or see someone - little April recognized the car, said "I know them" & climbed in. Her friend didn't want to join her so she went off home, to "tell", the person using the car came back, drove off and... after that I don't know! Where is this little girl? I've exhausted myself applying everybody's theories on here.

Btw, you are all excellent at finding & posting links in the blink of an eye - don't know how you do it but bravo!

 

[LegallyBrunette]

I read somewhere that there were only two LHD vehicles in the area. No idea if that's true or not. However, it's not impossible that the one in the google maps picture from 2009 belongs to MB. We know that ED lives on the estate and perhaps he was not as estranged from her as he was with his wife JW. He could have been visiting his children S & C.

Relevant to nothing in particular, but on that subject (children) MSM published a few days ago a family tree thing showing connection between MB and April (uncle by 'marriage' to her two half siblings through her Dad PJ)
Also in MSM are photos of her with her sister and brother, J 16 and H 10 (faces pixelated). Not much else is said and at first I had assumed J and H were the half siblings from her Dad. But not so.

 

[LegallyBrunette]

:lol: Glad that you understood what I meant.
I wasn't sure that I'd explained myself very well !!!



Hmmmm . . . bear with me, while I check this out.
I'm sure that the normal convention is for the top of the sweep to be on the driver's side so that side of the windscreen gets the greatest degree of clearance / visibility.
Of course, as in your case there may be exceptions.

WWW, is your car a conversion from RH drive?

 

[Why why why]

WWW, is your car a conversion from RH drive?

The mechanic in the family told me my car is not conventional so I shouldn't consider it. Sorry, I'm confused now. Sure you all know better.

 

[PADDYWHACK]

The one street lamp on the road at the far end is probably not going to shine much light on the garage area:

That is what I thought when I googled the numerous garage areas on the estate. A poster pointed out earlier that darkness after sunset takes around 40 minutes. Sunset tonight will be at 18.09. I shall be observing.

 

[George Gently]

It's certainly possible, but after leaving the B4404 the road is un-tarmaced and narrow - little better than a farm track in places, with large stones embedded in the soil. It could have been tricky if the Ford Discovery was already having mechanical problems.

On the other hand, it could have been the cause of those problems, of course.



I'm not local, but we've holidayed in the immediate area many times, so I know it quite well.

I don't know this particular road but have driven similar ones in Wales.

They may be shorter point to point than some of the better A roads but following the contour at a higher level they can drop off quite sharply on one side into the valley below.

Dangerous roads at night even with headlights.

 

[Sarah]

OK a quick Google reveals that there are indeed different wiper motors with opposite directions for LH and RH vehicles - can't find anything that explicitly backs up what I'd thought though.

The closest is in this discussion here (post #13)

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/right-hand-drive-rhd-thread-1413238/#post14187477

The mechanic in the family told me my car is not conventional so I shouldn't consider it. Sorry, I'm confused now. Sure you all know better.

I'd never presume to know better than anyone else on here.

It would be interesting if others with LH drive vehicles could check out the direction of their wipers though.
Both of our RH drive cars have the same orientation as the one in the picture of the garages.

 

[Sarah]

That is what I thought when I googled the numerous garage areas on the estate. A poster pointed out earlier that darkness after sunset takes around 40 minutes. Sunset tonight will be at 18.09. I shall be observing.

I'm going to put that to the test tonight as well - and take note of when the street lights come on. My recollection of the Monday when she went missing is based on memory so it would be good to monitor it more scientifically.
Clear skies here again at the moment, so similar to that week.

 

[PADDYWHACK]

OK a quick Google reveals that there are indeed different wiper motors with opposite directions for LH and RH vehicles - can't find anything that explicitly backs up what I'd thought though.

The closest is in this discussion here (post #13)

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/right-hand-drive-rhd-thread-1413238/#post14187477



I'd never presume to know better than anyone else on here.

It would be interesting if others with LH drive vehicles could check out the direction of their wipers though.
Both of our RH drive cars have the same orientation as the one in the picture of the garages.

Left hand drive range rover. Wipers the same as for right hand drive?
http://imganuncios.mitula.net/land_...uto_onyxleft_hand_drive_96444719692215504.jpg

 

[LegallyBrunette]

I'm going to put that to the test tonight as well - and take note of when the street lights come on. My recollection of the Monday when she went missing is based on memory so it would be good to monitor it more scientifically.
Clear skies here again at the moment, so similar to that week.

For Anglesey: 14/10/12

First Light: 7:07am - Sunrise: 7:42am
Sunset: 6:25pm - Last Light 7:00pm

 

[PADDYWHACK]

I'm going to put that to the test tonight as well - and take note of when the street lights come on. My recollection of the Monday when she went missing is based on memory so it would be good to monitor it more scientifically.
Clear skies here again at the moment, so similar to that week.

My own car sits directly under a street lamp and is the same colour as MB's. I want to know if the colour can appear light grey in the darkness, or under street lamp. I have never bothered to look before.