Stuart Hall admits indecent assaults

2 May 2013 Last updated at 07:26 ET

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Ed Thomas reports: "Again and again the question was put to Stuart Hall - what have you got to say to your victims?"

BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall has admitted 14 charges of indecently assaulting girls including one aged nine.

The 83-year-old of Wilmslow, Cheshire, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to the offences, involving 13 victims, which occurred between 1967 and 1985.

Three charges of indecent assault and one of rape will lie on the court file.

His lawyer said Hall apologised to his victims and added: "He is all too aware that his disgrace is complete."

He has been bailed until sentencing on 17 June.

A BBC spokesperson said: "The BBC is appalled by the disgraceful actions of Stuart Hall and we would like to express our sympathy to his victims. We will continue to work with the police to assist them in this and any other inquiries they are making."

'Opportunistic predator'

Hall admitted the offences last month but they could not be revealed due to reporting restrictions.

Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West, Nazir Afzal, described Hall as an "opportunistic predator".

He added: "We prosecuted Stuart Hall because the evidence of the victims clearly established a pattern of behaviour that was unlawful and for which no innocent explanation could be offered.

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DCI Neil Esseen and Nazir Afzal from the CPS spoke outside the court

"His victims did not know each other and almost two decades separated the first and last assaults but almost all of the victims, including one who was only nine at the time of the assault, provided strikingly similar accounts.

"Whether in public or private, Hall would first approach under friendly pretences and then bide his time until the victim was isolated.

"I would like to thank the victims for having had the bravery to come forward. This case clearly shows that the victims of abuse will not be denied justice by the passage of time and abusers will be held to account."

Mr Afzal said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) would not be proceeding with the rape charge as the woman who made the allegation no longer wished to give evidence in light of the guilty pleas.

Football commentator

The court heard in the 1980s Hall molested a nine-year-old girl by putting his hand up her clothing.

Continue reading the main story

Judith Moritz North of England correspondent, BBC News

---

Court Ten at Preston Crown Court was so packed for the short hearing, the police officers present had to sit on the jury bench.

Stuart Hall cut an elderly figure, allowed to sit alongside his barristers rather than being made to sit inside the dock.

He only spoke to confirm his details, and sat impassively during proceedings, as his lawyer told the court that Stuart Hall was sorry.

He also kissed a 13-year-old girl on the lips after he said to her: "People need to show thanks in other ways."

On another occasion in the 1970s he fondled the breast of a girl aged 16 or 17, the court was told.

Hall was initially arrested in December and made a statement labelling the claims "pernicious, callous, cruel and above all spurious".

He has been a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for half a century, and was awarded an OBE in the 2012 New Year Honours.

The former It's A Knockout presenter was working as a football commentator on BBC Radio 5 Live and wrote a weekly sport column for the Radio Times magazine until his arrest.

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Soldiers' deaths a 'hammer-blow'

2 May 2013 Last updated at 07:37 ET

The deaths of three soldiers in Afghanistan are a "hammer-blow", a spokesman for the battalion in which the men served has said.

A bomb killed Cpl William Savage and Fusilier Samuel Flint from the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment Of Scotland.

Pte Robert Hetherington, of the 51st Highland, 7th Battalion, a Territorial Army member, was also killed.

Pte Hetherington had joined the 2nd battalion to go to Afghanistan.

Maj Tim Petransky said Pte Hetherington "embodied the ethos of the Territorial Army, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us".

"Our thoughts are with the families of these brave men"

Maj Petransky described the mood in the battalion as "sombre but determined".

He said that the battalion would "carry on in a manner that will make these three men proud".

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ECB cuts interest rates to new low

2 May 2013 Last updated at 07:51 ET

The European Central Bank (ECB) has cut its benchmark interest rate to a new record low amid ongoing worries about the eurozone's economic health.

The widely-expected cut to 0.50% from 0.75% is the first in 10 months.

Worries about eurozone economies were underlined on Thursday with data showing manufacturing activity across the 17-nation bloc shrank in April.

In Germany, the eurozone's biggest economy, manufacturing contracted for the second month running.

Austerity debate

Official data released on Tuesday showed record high unemployment in the eurozone, and inflation at a three-year low.

Well ahead of the ECB's announcement, many economists were forecasting that lower interest rates were likely, but said the fresh data released this week made the case for a cut even stronger.

ECB president Mario Draghi is due to hold a news conference later when he will expand on the reasons behind the rate decision.

There are concerns that the ECB's low interest rates are not feeding through to those economies most in need of a boost, with potential lenders still worried about the economic health of countries such as Greece and Spain.

In recent months there have been growing calls for European countries to move away from austerity measures, which critics say are stifling growth. Instead there are calls for a greater focus on stimulus measures.

Both French President Francois Hollande and newly-elected Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta have urged a reconsideration of austerity policies.

On Thursday, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said governments must take immediate action to promote growth and the creation of jobs because patience with austerity measures is wearing thin in some countries.

"Taking these measures is more urgent than anything," he told a conference in Portugal. "After three years of firefights, patience with austerity is wearing understandably thin."

Shrinking

Thursday's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) highlighted the problems facing many eurozone countries. The index for Germany's manufacturing sector, which accounts for around a fifth of the economy, fell to 48.1 in April from 49 in March. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.

And in France, Italy and Spain, the eurozone's next three biggest economies, the PMI data also revealed contractions in manufacturing activity.

For the 17-nation eurozone bloc as a whole, the PMI index fell to 46.7 last month, from March's 46.8.

"There is nothing here to suggest that manufacturing will turn the corner and stabilise any time soon, putting greater onus on policymakers to act quickly to reinvigorate growth," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, which collates the PMI figures.

The euro fell to $1.3115 from around $1.3150 just before the ECB's decision. But it then recovered to hit a session high of $1.32105, taking it near a two-month peak of $1.3243 reached on Wednesday.

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Jury visits April Jones's estate

2 May 2013 Last updated at 07:57 ET

The jury trying a man accused of murdering five-year-old April Jones in a sexually motivated attack has visited the estate where she went missing, and will also see his home nearby.

Mark Bridger, 47, from Ceinws, Powys, denies abducting and murdering April, who disappeared near her home in Machynlleth on 1 October 2012.

On Thursday, jurors arrived to see key locations in connection with the case.

Prosecutors have told Mold Crown Court that blood found at his home was hers.

'Extensive clean-up'

There were blue skies and sunshine as the jury arrived in Machynlleth, with pink ribbons put up to mark April's disappearance still visible.

The jury's first visit was to April's school, Machynlleth Junior School, on the edge of Bryn-Y-Gog estate where April lived and disappeared from while playing with friends.

Jurors were accompanied by several police motorcycle outriders and a police car, and officers stopped traffic going to the area of the estate where they were.

The court heard on Wednesday that April's parents Coral and Paul and the defendant had attended parents' evenings at the school on the evening April disappeared.

The jury then walked from the school to the estate itself, and is due to to visit other locations including Mr Bridger's home.

The next port of call was the war memorial in Machynlleth via the back road from Bryn-y-Gog before jurors were taken to Machynlleth Leisure Centre, where the last known CCTV images of April were recorded.

The court on Wednesday was shown footage of April arriving at the leisure centre with a friend shortly after 16:30.

While she was at the leisure centre, her mother and father went to her school for a parents' evening.

The jurors were also taken to the clock tower in the centre of Machynlleth - close to where Mr Bridger was seen on CCTV on the day April went missing - and Tuffins garage which the court has heard he was seen driving past.

Prosecuting counsel Elwen Evans QC has told the court the defendant burned evidence in his fire at home and used detergent as part of an "extensive clean-up".

But blood stains at various locations around Mr Bridger's house matched April's DNA, she said.

Ms Evans said that when the prosecution referred to a one-in-a-billion match "that is, in fact, April's blood".

Tests on bone fragments at Mr Bridger's house "strongly support" the fact they came from a human skull, she said.

The prosecution had outlined Mr Bridger's movements on the day of April's disappearance.

He had approached two young girls - aged eight and 10 - who were playing on bicycles, the court was told.

One was friendly with his daughter and he invited her for a sleepover but she declined and he drove away.

Earlier in the day he had propositioned three women via Facebook asking two of them to meet up "with no strings attached".

He had also exchanged texts with a former girlfriend about their break-up.

Mr Bridger had told police during interviews he had accidentally hit April with his car and "panicked", the jury was told.

"I didn't abduct her. I did my best to revive her," he said.

The defendant also denies intending to pervert the course of justice.

The trial continues.

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Fake bomb detector seller jailed

2 May 2013 Last updated at 08:01 ET

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Det Spt Nigel Rock told the BBC's Daniela Relph: "McCormick is a practiced conman"

Fraudster James McCormick has been jailed for 10 years for selling fake bomb detectors.

McCormick, 57, of Langport, Somerset perpetrated a "callous confidence trick", said the Old Bailey judge.

He is thought to have made £50m from sales of 7,000 of the fake devices to countries including Iraq.

The fraud "promoted a false sense of security" and contributed to death and injury, the judge said. He also described the profit as "outrageous".

Police earlier said the ADE-651 devices, modelled on a novelty golf ball finder, are still in use at some checkpoints.

Sentencing McCormick, Judge Richard Hone said: "You are the driving force and sole director behind [the fraud]."

He added: "The device was useless, the profit outrageous, and your culpability as a fraudster has to be considered to be of the highest order."

One invoice showed sales of £38m over three years to Iraq, the judge said.

The bogus devices were also sold in other countries, including Georgia, Romania, Niger, Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

Truck bombs

Prosecuting QC Richard Whittam said the justice and foreign affairs ministries in Baghdad were hit by truck bombs - which drove through the checkpoints where the useless devices were operated.

The prosecution said the "inescapable conclusion" was that Iraqis died because of their use.

Detective Superintendent Nigel Rock, of Avon and Somerset Police, said that soldiers, police, border guards, and hotel security staff had all trusted the devices.

Reiterating the judge's comments from inside court, Mr Rock said: "McCormick's profits were obscene, and it fed his greedy and extravagant lifestyle.

"And finally, and perhaps most importantly, he has shown no shame, he has shown no remorse, and he carried on with complete cavalier disregard for the consequences of his con-trick."

He said the next stage was to ensure that the "extravagant lifestyle is taken away" from McCormick, saying Iraqi authorities will now be "pursuing compensation through the civil court process in this country".

During the trial, the court was told the detectors, which cost up to $40,000 (£27,000) each, were completely ineffectual and lacked any grounding in science.

McCormick bought novelty "golf ball detectors" which were little more than radio aerials from the USA for less than $20 each before selling them as bomb detectors for $5,000 each.

He then made a more advanced-looking version which he was to sell for for tens of thousands of dollars each. Police say the only genuine part of the kit - and the most expensive - was the carrying case.

McCormick had claimed the devices could bypass "all forms of concealment", detecting drugs and people, as well as explosives, the court had heard.

He said in court that he "never had any negative results from customers".

BBC Two's Newsnight programme conducted an investigation into the devices sold by McCormick's company, resulting in a UK government ban on their sale in Iraq and Afghanistan in January 2010.

A whistleblower told the programme that he had confronted McCormick saying he did not want to be any part of the business if the devices did not work.

McCormick is said to have responded: "It does exactly what it's designed to. It makes money."

How the device was meant to work:

• 1. A small amount of the substance the user wished to detect - such as explosives - was put in a Kilner jar along with a sticker that was intended to absorb the "vapours" of the substance
• 2. The sticker was then placed on a credit-card sized card, which was read by a card reader and inserted into the device
• 3. The user would then hold the device, which had no working electronics, and the swivelling antenna was meant to indicate the location of the sought substance

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Knox considers Italy retrial return

1 May 2013 Last updated at 02:07 ET

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Amanda Knox: "For all intents and purposes I was a murderer, whether I was or not" - Courtesy ABC

Amanda Knox, who was convicted and then cleared of murdering her British flatmate Meredith Kercher, says she may return to Italy to face a retrial.

"My lawyers have said that I don't have to... I'm still considering it, to be honest," she told USA Today.

Ms Knox, 25, also went on US television to publicly protest her innocence as she released her autobiography.

Last month, an Italian court overturned her acquittal along with that of her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.

Meredith Kercher, 21, was found stabbed to death in the flat she shared with Ms Knox - an exchange student- in Perugia in November 2007.

Prosecutors say she died in a brutal sex game that went wrong.

Another man - Rudy Guede from Ivory Coast - was convicted in a separate trial and sentenced to 16 years for the killing.

Continue reading the main story

• 1 November 2007: Kercher is killed at her apartment in Perugia. Police find her a day later.
• 6 November 2007: Kercher's US housemate Knox is arrested, along with Sollecito and Congolese national Patrick Diya Lumumba.
• 20 November 2007: Rudy Guede detained in Germany and extradited to Italy. Mr Lumumba released without charge
• 28 October 2008: Guede sentenced to 16 years. A judge rules Sollecito and Knox will face a murder trial
• 4 December 2009: Knox and Sollecito found guilty of murder and sexual violence, and jailed for 26 and 25 years
• 3 October 2011: Knox and Sollecito acquitted
• 26 March 2013: Re-run of appeals ordered. Acquittals overturned

The case has drawn intense media interest in Italy, the UK and the US, and put the Italian police and justice system under great scrutiny.

'Need for justice'

Ms Knox told USA Today on Tuesday that the thought of returning to Italy for the retrial was "scary".

"But it's also important for me to say: 'This is not just happening far away from and doesn't matter to me.'

"So, somehow, I feel it's important for me to convey that. And if my presence is what is necessary to convey that, then I'll go."

The Italian courts cannot compel her to return for the retrial but they could request her extradition - at which point it would be up to the US authorities to determine her fate, our correspondent says.

In a separate interview with ABC TV, Ms Knox said claims that she was a "she-devil" and "heartless manipulator" were all wrong.

She added that what happened to her "was surreal but it could've happened to anyone".

"It's one thing to be called certain things in the media and it's another thing to be sitting in a courtroom fighting for your life while people are calling you a devil," she said.

"For all intents and purposes I was a murderer, whether I was or not. I had to live with the idea that that would be my life."

In a reference to the Kercher family, Ms Knox said she wanted them to understand "that my need for justice for myself is not in contradiction with theirs".

She said she hoped "that eventually I can have their permission to pay respects at her grave".

The interview was timed to coincide with the release of Ms Knox's autobiography, Waiting to Be Heard, for which she was reportedly paid more than $4m (£2.5m), says the BBC's David Willis in Washington.

In the book, she maintains that on the night of Meredith Kercher's death she was at Raffaele Sollecito's flat smoking marijuana and watching a movie.

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Charities criticise S Africa aid cut

1 May 2013 Last updated at 05:56 ET

Charities have criticised the UK after the government announced it would stop direct aid to South Africa in 2015.

UK ministers said their relationship with South Africa should now be based on trade and not development.

But international charity Action Aid said it was the "wrong decision at the wrong time".

South Africa's government warned that ending the aid programme, currently worth £19m a year, would have "far-reaching implications".

It said it had not been properly consulted or informed about the move.

'Widespread poverty'

Action Aid accused the government of "running away from middle-income countries" and drew parallels with the UK's decision last year to withdraw aid from India.

"It seems to imply a more general UK policy of withdrawing aid from middle income countries abruptly and without the progressive phasing that would help communities adjust to new realities," spokeswoman Melanie Ward said.

Oxfam called on ministers to ensure the decision to end direct aid would not cost lives.

Continue reading the main story

This is what happens when aid clashes with politics.

The row is certainly not just about the relatively small £19m ($30m) UK aid programme for South Africa. That's a tiny part of the worldwide UK aid effort and small beer to South Africa too.

On the UK side, the shadow secretary for international development Ivan Lewis has accused Justine Greening of making the cut "to please certain sections of the press" ahead of local elections. UK aid is political because it has been "ringfenced" from spending cuts - unlike most government departments.

On the South African side, there has been an angry warning that the "unilateral announcement no doubt will affect bilateral relations".

On the face of it that seems very strong - but ties between former colonial powers and former colonies are fraught with emotional sensitivities. Both sides have to get diplomatic messages just right - or tempers can fray.

"Whilst South Africa should be in a position to fund its own development, there remains widespread poverty and inequality, so UK aid is still a lifeline for poor people," said Emma Seery, head of development finance and public services at the charity.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening made the announcement to end the aid programme at a conference of African ministers and business leaders in London on Tuesday.

She described South Africa as "the region's economic powerhouse and Britain's biggest trading partner in Africa".

"I have agreed with my South African counterparts that South Africa is now in a position to fund its own development," she said.

"It is right that our relationship changes to one of mutual co-operation and trade, one that is focused on delivering benefits for the people of Britain and South Africa as well as for Africa as a whole."

But South Africa said there had been no "proper consultations" about the move.

"This is such a major decision with far-reaching implications... and it is tantamount to redefining our relationship," the Department of International Relations and Co-operation said in a statement.

"The UK government should have informed the government of South Africa through official diplomatic channels of their intentions."

In response, UK officials said they had had "months of discussions" and "many meetings" with their South African counterparts prior to the decision.

Speaking on London radio station LBC, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg defended the ending of aid, saying the "principle... is the right one".

Labour said ministers had taken the "wrong decision" and the South African authorities had "contradicted" Ms Greening's version of events.

Shadow international development secretary Ivan Lewis said it was important to maintain financial help to countries like South Africa, which he described as "strategically" very important.

"This looks like a serious breach of trust with one of our most important strategic partners. Justine Greening must explain why she is saying one thing about her conduct while the South African government is saying another," Labour said in a statement.

"Behaving in what looks like a high-handed and patronising fashion towards South Africa is no way to treat one of the world's key emerging nations and is not in Britain's national interest."

UK aid to South Africa is focused on reducing the mortality rate among women giving birth and supporting businesses.

At its peak in 2003 it was worth more than £40m.

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Three UK soldiers die in Afghanistan

1 May 2013 Last updated at 06:22 ET

Three British soldiers have died in Afghanistan after their armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Helmand, the Ministry of Defence said.

The soldiers were from the Royal Highland Fusiliers, the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Next of kin have been informed.

Six other soldiers were also injured after the bomb blast on Tuesday.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the country had paid a "very high price" for its work in Afghanistan.

He added: "It is important work because it's vital that country doesn't again become a haven for terrorists, terrorists that can threaten us here in the UK.

"But today our thoughts should be with the families and friends of those that have suffered."

'Great loss'

The number of UK service personnel to have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001 is now 444, with the latest deaths bringing the total of British troops killed in Afghanistan this year to six.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

This roadside bomb has doubled the number of British deaths in Afghanistan this year to six but does not necessarily signal a change in tactics by the Taliban. They have long used improvised explosive devices, leading the MoD to order ever-more protected vehicles for British troops over the years in Helmand.

There is always balance to be struck between heavy armour and allowing mobility, with Mastiff vehicles trusted for the protection they offer and their relative mobility.

Sadly, like the Warrior armoured vehicle blown up last year, a very big explosive device can defeat even the heaviest armour, while injuries or deaths can be caused by vehicles rolling or the force of the impact of the vehicle landing following a major blast.

Despite this latest incident, the rate of British casualties has slowed noticeably since the worst years of the violence, in 2009 and 2010. Last year, there were 44 British fatalities in Afghanistan, compared with 108 in 2009. The bulk of today's deaths are of civilians and Afghan soldiers and police. They are now the heaviest casualties of this conflict.

The soldiers were travelling in the heavily armoured Mastiff vehicle on a routine patrol in the district of Nahr-e Saraj when the blast happened.

The MoD says the three soldiers were evacuated by air to the military hospital at Camp Bastion but died of their injuries.

The spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Major Richard Morgan, said: "Their deaths come as a great loss to all those serving in Task Force Helmand. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to their family and friends at this difficult time."

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said the armed forces "deserve our deepest gratitude and respect for the job they do in some of the most difficult and trying circumstances imaginable".

An MoD spokesman said the incident underlined the threats faced by British personnel as they continued to hand over security operations to their Afghan counterparts, ahead of UK combat operations concluding by the end of next year.

It said security in Helmand was improving, with Afghan forces now responsible for the bulk of the province - but that the environment in which UK troops operated remained "risky and dangerous including the threat of improvised explosive devices and insurgent attack".

'Nothing indestructible'

The BBC's defence correspondent, Caroline Wyatt, said the Mastiff armoured vehicle, in which the troops were travelling, has long been deemed one of the safest of all armoured vehicles.

It is a 6x6 wheel-drive protected patrol vehicle, which carries eight people and at least two crew and was brought in to protect troops from roadside bombs.

Continue reading the main story

Mastiff armoured vehicle

• Carries eight troops, plus two crew
• Armoured side plating and V-shaped steel hull for blast protection
• Shock-absorbing "blast attenuating seats"
• Used for road patrols, convoys and by bomb disposal teams

She said vehicles British troops use minimise risks and roads are checked before troops drive down them. The latest deaths were on a well-used road, and represented "extremely bad luck," she said.

Former Army chief of staff, General Lord Dannatt, told Radio 4's Today programme the Taliban have found a way of overcoming the Mastiff's protection.

"It would seem that this was an extremely large bomb that was so powerful that actually it was able to cause fatalities within the vehicle itself," he said.

"My understanding in talking to the Ministry of Defence is that in all probability it was a very large device in terms of the amount of explosive and it may well have physically lifted up the vehicle and possibly even turned it over."

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David Cameron: 'Very high price' for UK's work in Afghanistan

The deaths double the number of British troops who have died this year, our correspondent said, although these are the first to be suffered by 1 Brigade, who took command of Task Force Helmand earlier this month.

It is the first time since last September that UK forces have had soldiers killed by a roadside bomb. Members of the Afghan army and police, as well as civilians in Afghanistan, are often killed or maimed by roadside bombs.

British troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, when all Nato combat operations are due to finish, although a small number will remain in support roles.

The number of British troops in Afghanistan was reduced to 9,000 before the end of 2012 and is set to fall to 5,200 by the end of 2013.

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Street star Roache in rape arrest

1 May 2013 Last updated at 06:57 ET

Coronation Street star William Roache has been arrested on suspicion of the rape of an under-age girl in the 1960s.

An 81-year-old man, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, is being questioned at a Lancashire Police station, the force confirmed.

The offences are alleged to have been committed in Haslingden between April and July 1967, officers said.

Neither Mr Roache, who has played Ken Barlow in the soap since 1960, nor his representatives have commented.

A Coronation Street spokesman said: "Given that a police investigation is under way it would not be appropriate to comment."

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "An 81-year-old man from Wilmslow in Cheshire has this morning, Wednesday May 1 2013, been arrested by Lancashire Constabulary on suspicion of rape.

"The man will be interviewed at a police station in Lancashire during the course of the day."

Mr Roache has an award from Guinness World Records for being the world's longest-serving soap actor, having played Ken Barlow since Coronation Street's first episode.

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April Jones accused 'panicked'

1 May 2013 Last updated at 08:11 ET

Blood found at the home of the man accused of murdering missing April Jones in a sexually motivated attack matched that of the five-year-old, Mold Crown Court heard.

Mark Bridger, 47, from Ceinws, Powys, denies abducting and murdering April, who disappeared near her home in Machynlleth on 1 October 2012.

It was a one in a billion chance the blood was not April's, the jury heard.

Earlier, the court heard he had asked a young girl to his home for a sleepover.

The court was earlier told that Mr Bridger had said to police: "I just wish I knew what I'd done with her".

He told police he had crushed her with his car and panicked, the jury heard.

The jury heard when arrested on the day after April went missing, Mr Bridger said: "I know what it's all about."

The prosecution said Mr Bridger also told police: "It was an accident. I crushed her with the car. I don't know where she is."

He later told police he had been looking for April all night on foot because his car was in the garage.

"I didn't abduct her. I did my best to revive her," he said.

He went on: "I panicked." He said as he drove through the night, he got more drunk.

He added: "I just wish I knew what I'd done with her. I need to say sorry to her family."

'Uncomfortably hot'

He also told police: "I wouldn't have dumped her. She's a human being."

Mr Bridger had become a suspect the day after April went missing and police arrived at his home at 15:00 BST to arrest him.

Officers said his home was "uncomfortably hot" and smelled of detergent, Mold Crown Court heard.

The first officers on the scene said the house was hot and smelled of cleaning products, air freshener and washed clothes.

Prosecutors say the fire was used to dispose of evidence and the detergent to clean up.

The jury has already heard how bone fragments consistent with those of a juvenile human skull and a concentration of blood was found near his wood burner, as well as evidence of an extensive clean up.

Earlier on Wednesday, the court was told that Mr Bridger had approached two girls aged eight and 10 on the day when April went missing.

One was friendly with his daughter and he invited her for a sleepover.

The approach was made shortly after he had attended a parents' evening at the same school where April was a pupil.

Continue reading the main story

He invited the older girl to go for a sleepover with his daughter"

End Quote Elwen Evans QC Prosecutor

Prosecutor Elwen Evans QC said: "Bridger left the school parents' evening at around 5.45pm and shortly after he approached a couple of girls who were playing in the area.

"They were a 10-year-old and an eight-year-old who were riding their bikes.

"He invited the older girl to go for a sleepover with his daughter.

"She hadn't had a sleepover with his daughter agreed - and he drove off from the area."

The court was also told about Mr Bridger's movements around Machynlleth that evening.

The prosecution said Mr Bridger's vehicle was parked close to garages on the Bryn-y-Gog estate where April lived at about 19:10 BST.

Evidence suggests "the abduction happened quickly", the court heard.

The jury was told a man saw Mr Bridger drive back in the direction of Ceinws at about 19:20 BST.

He said Mr Bridger seemed to be travelling fast.

Longer hair

Prosecutor Ms Evans said: "Where did he go? Where did he take April? He says he doesn't know."

The jury was told CCTV images show Mr Bridger had longer hair on the day April disappeared, but it was shorter the following day.

The court heard that witnesses will say Mr Bridger's left-hand drive Land Rover Discovery was seen reversing into his drive at about 20:30 BST.

Mr Bridger was next seen shortly before 09:00 BST the following day, 2 October, said Ms Evans.

One person who had joined the search for April and travelled through Ceinws told police she saw Mr Bridger near a layby carrying what looked like a black bin liner in his hand.

"What was Mark Bridger doing at that location? What was in that black bin bag?" said Ms Evans.

"In fact, 90 police officers were involved in clearing and excavating that layby and that bank, and they found nothing."

The jury heard how on the day after April went missing, a postman had asked Mr Bridger if he had heard about what had happened.

He said he had and appeared affected and shocked, the court was told.

Mr Bridger asked the postman what sort of vehicle was being sought.

He was told that it was possibly a Land Rover.

The defendant later drove his vehicle to Dyfi Autos in Machynlleth.

He spoke to mechanics and said the news was terrible and said he was going to see if he could help.

"Lies and tears appear to come easily," said Ms Evans.

The court heard that Mr Bridger, who was not a suspect at this time, was captured on film by police helicopter walking his dog and his appearance was different to the previous day.

Smoke was seen coming from the chimney of his home shortly after 10:30 BST.

Mr Bridger had received a text from a friend saying: "Have you heard about April being kidnapped? Saw you on the estate... just wondering if you saw anything conspicuous?"

Mr Bridger replies: "Saw nothing strange, trying to rattle my brain."

The court heard DNA which might have come from April was found on Mr Bridger's trousers.

Facebook messages

Earlier, the court heard how on the morning before April went missing, Mr Bridger had propositioned three women via Facebook.

He sent the messages after breaking up with a girlfriend with whom he exchanged text messages.

The court was told Mr Bridger texted his employer on 1 October to say he was not going to be in.

He said he wanted to "get my head round things".

Just before midday, he was on Facebook and sent a message to a woman asking if she fancied meeting up, "no strings attached".

More than two hours later, he contacted another woman on Facebook saying: "Hadn't realised you were single as I am.

"Do you fancy a drink... see how you feel and let me know."

He sent another Facebook message to a third woman: "Do you fancy a drink and a chat some time, no strings okay."

He had earlier exchanged texts with ex-girlfriend Vicky Fenner.

The jury was shown CCTV images of April's movements in the hours before she disappeared - the last known pictures of her.

Viewing images

She had been to school, went home and eaten.

April then went for a swimming lesson at the local leisure centre with a friend, shortly after 16:30 BST.

Her parents, Coral and Paul, went to a parents' evening at the school "where the defendant was later to go".

The public gallery at the court was earlier cleared to allow the jury to continue viewing images from Mr Bridger's computer.

They were shown images viewed by him on 30 September.

Mr Bridger, wearing a short-sleeved blue shirt, tie and grey trousers, wore headphones to hear everything said in court.

April's parents were in court.

April, who had mild cerebral palsy, disappeared while playing near her home in Machynlleth and has never been found.

Mr Bridger also denies intending to pervert the course of justice.

On Tuesday, the prosecution told the jury that Mr Bridger had gone to enormous lengths to conceal what he had done.

An extensive clean-up had been carried out by the defendant at his home, she said, but bone fragments consistent with those of a juvenile human skull and a concentration of blood was found near his wood burner.

The trial continues.

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