Jurors see clips of little girl at local leisure centre just hours before her disappearance and images tracking Bridger's movements
A jury has been shown the last CCTV images of April Jones, captured in a local leisure centre just hours before her disappearance.
The CCTV footage was shown on Friday, day four of the trial of Mark Bridger, 47, at Mold crown court.
April vanished while playing on her bike near her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, on 1 October last year.
Elwen Evans QC, for the prosecution, began the first day of evidence with a chronological look at the CCTV images in the case.
Among a series of clips shown to the jury, which tracked the movements of the defendant, were two video images taken from the local leisure centre where April went swimming earlier on the day she went missing.
The first, taken at 4.50pm, showed April, dressed in a white T-shirt and black trousers, running into the foyer and playing with a friend, who appears to be jumping on and off a set of weighing scales.
April then appears to enter the centre's cafe for a few moments before then running off towards the changing rooms.
The five-year-old, who has been described in court as "slight", can be seen leaning hard on the heavy door as she tried to open it.
More footage, taken at 5.39pm, shows her leaving the changing room with an older girl.
Again she appeared active and happy as she played with the girl in the foyer before going back into the cafe and then leaving the centre at 5.40pm.
Bridger, wearing glasses, sat upright in the dock with his head turned right towards his own television screen.
The jury was also shown a series of CCTV clips tracking Bridger's movements in his Land Rover as he made trips to and from his home and into town.
April's body was never found despite the biggest search operation in British policing history.
The prosecution say Bridger, of Ceinws, near Machynlleth, snatched and murdered April in a "sexually motivated" attack.
The former abattoir worker denies abduction, murder and intending to pervert the course of justice by disposing of, concealing or destroying April's body.
He says he accidentally killed April when he ran her over and accepts that he must have got rid of her body. But he says he cannot remember how he disposed of the body because he was suffering memory loss caused by alcohol and panic.
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Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 hours ago.
A jury has been shown the last CCTV images of April Jones, captured in a local leisure centre just hours before her disappearance.
The CCTV footage was shown on Friday, day four of the trial of Mark Bridger, 47, at Mold crown court.
April vanished while playing on her bike near her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, on 1 October last year.
Elwen Evans QC, for the prosecution, began the first day of evidence with a chronological look at the CCTV images in the case.
Among a series of clips shown to the jury, which tracked the movements of the defendant, were two video images taken from the local leisure centre where April went swimming earlier on the day she went missing.
The first, taken at 4.50pm, showed April, dressed in a white T-shirt and black trousers, running into the foyer and playing with a friend, who appears to be jumping on and off a set of weighing scales.
April then appears to enter the centre's cafe for a few moments before then running off towards the changing rooms.
The five-year-old, who has been described in court as "slight", can be seen leaning hard on the heavy door as she tried to open it.
More footage, taken at 5.39pm, shows her leaving the changing room with an older girl.
Again she appeared active and happy as she played with the girl in the foyer before going back into the cafe and then leaving the centre at 5.40pm.
Bridger, wearing glasses, sat upright in the dock with his head turned right towards his own television screen.
The jury was also shown a series of CCTV clips tracking Bridger's movements in his Land Rover as he made trips to and from his home and into town.
April's body was never found despite the biggest search operation in British policing history.
The prosecution say Bridger, of Ceinws, near Machynlleth, snatched and murdered April in a "sexually motivated" attack.
The former abattoir worker denies abduction, murder and intending to pervert the course of justice by disposing of, concealing or destroying April's body.
He says he accidentally killed April when he ran her over and accepts that he must have got rid of her body. But he says he cannot remember how he disposed of the body because he was suffering memory loss caused by alcohol and panic.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 hours ago.