Mark Bridger was found guilty of child abduction, murder, perverting justice and the unlawful concealment and disposal of a body – most of April’s remains were never found
The older sister of April Jones has broken her silence almost 14 years after the five-year-old was murdered.
April Jones vanished while playing on her bike just yards from her home in the quiet Welsh town of Machynlleth, Powys, in October 2012. Despite a massive search effort being launched, her body has not been found. Mark Bridger rented a flat close to where the abduction took place and he was given a whole-life term in 2013.
He was found guilty of child abduction, murder, perverting justice and the unlawful concealment and disposal of a body. While most of her remains were never found, fragments were discovered at Bridger’s cottage and later buried in April’s hometown of Machynlleth, North Wales.
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The father of April, Paul Jones, 56, died suddenly after contracting a virus – eight years on from being diagnosed with encephalitis – a serious brain condition. The former pub doorman never found out what happened to April’s body after she was abducted.
Almost 14 years on, her older sister Hazel Jones, now 31, is breaking her silence on the tragedy that tore her family apart. She says Mark Bridger, the man who killed her, should be made to ‘suffer’ as he serves his life sentence.
After hearing about the second attack on Bridger behind bars Hazel told MailOnline: “He deserves everything he’s getting. He literally deserves it all.” Speaking about proposals to chemically castrate sex offenders Hazel said: “Chemically castrating paedophiles is 100 per cent right. I’m so backing that. I read a lot of the comments on news articles about sex offenders and people are saying it should be the death penalty. But I don’t think so.
“They should be made to suffer. The death penalty is an easy way out. He didn’t give April an easy way out did he Make him suffer, make him live every day because he’s not coming out. Make him live in fear.”
Hazel said: “It’s been 13 years now and it’s still not actually sunk in. I still don’t believe it. I don’t know whether I don’t want to believe it but I just don’t believe it happened to us. I’m still waiting to wake up from this nightmare.”
Fondly recalling her last moments with April, Hazel said: “She was in the kitchen, she was with my dad and they were making hot chocolate, and laughing. She was wearing army pyjamas.”
She added: “But that was the last time I ever saw her. But I wish I knew that was the last time.”
