Free April by Paul and Coral Jones Page B

we couldn’t stray far from the town, but the meeting was postponed
several times. This didn’t do anything for our nerves. It was important Dave and Hayley had mobile phone reception to allow them to speak to Andy whenever he called, so Dave then drove us up
one of the hills on the south side of Machynlleth. He told us to spend a few moments together, while he and Hayley waited in the car.
    From early on, it was clear that our relationship was important to Dave. He knew how much we needed each other, but he was also painfully aware of how the murder of a much-loved child can rip
even the strongest of marriages apart. I’ve heard varying statistics on the issue, but it’s believed fewer than ten per cent of couples will stay together after experiencing this kind
of trauma.
    It was only then Coral and I realised we hadn’t had any time alone together since April was taken. Those precious few moments, where we could cry together and console each other, provided
a little comfort, albeit small. Although it would be pushing it to say we enjoyed ourselves – with April gone, we felt like we’d never, ever enjoy anything again – the fresh air
and serenity of the countryside did give us a sense of relief. While the whole country appeared to be rallying round us, no one in the world felt the loss of April as keenly as we did.
    In that moment, I spontaneously removed a pink ribbon from my pocket and tied it to a fence post. In the coming weeks and months, I’d climb this hill many times to do the same thing. It
would become a daily pilgrimage and soon I had tied over eighty pink bows to that same post.
    A few minutes later, we were interrupted by Dave, who’d got out of the car and was rushing towards us.
    ‘We need to go,’ he said. ‘Andy is heading to the sanctuary now.’
    With no time to waste, we got back into the car and Dave drove us back into the town. Andy had already arrived at the sanctuary by the time we got there.
    ‘We’ve had the go-ahead from the Crown Prosecution Service,’ he said. ‘Mark Bridger has been charged with murder, abduction and attempting to pervert the course of
justice.’
    Andy reassured us that the search teams were still focused on finding April. Tears sprang to Coral’s eyes, but my first feeling was one of relief. I was just so glad Bridger was off the
streets and that we would get our day in court. Naively I assumed this meant we’d soon find out exactly what he did with April.
    But, over the next few hours, reality began to set in. Our friends and family were still gathered in our living room, anxious for news. A breakdown in communication between the Crown Prosecution
Service and the police meant the news was released to the media before Dave had a chance to update them and we returned home to a very tearful group of people. It was only then I began to process
that the charges were confirmation of the unthinkable. April was dead.
    It was difficult to imagine feeling any worse than we did. In fact, the agony was only beginning.

5
The Evidence
    T wo days after Mark Bridger was charged, he appeared in court in Aberystwyth. Neither Coral nor I felt strong enough to attend, so we watched the
coverage on television at home with Dave and Hayley. It was only a five-minute hearing, and the television cameras were not allowed in the courtroom, but the scenes outside when Bridger arrived
were quite something.
    Huge crowds had amassed and they were obviously baying for his blood. None of those gathered got to see him, as he was driven into court in a van behind a police escort, but several had to be
restrained by the police. Others stood at the side of the road and hurled insults at the van as it passed. It was a strange feeling – we felt sorry for the police, who had to control the
crowds, but it was hard to feel any anger towards the people who’d turned out. Most of them would be parents and grandparents themselves and this was their worst nightmare. Compared to