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| April Jones trial: jury hears bone fragments could have come from child | April Jones trial: jury hears bone fragments could have come from child |
| (4 months later) | |
| Experts found "strong evidence" that fragments of burnt bone discovered at the home of the man accused of abducting and murdering the schoolgirl April Jones were from a human, a jury has been told. | Experts found "strong evidence" that fragments of burnt bone discovered at the home of the man accused of abducting and murdering the schoolgirl April Jones were from a human, a jury has been told. |
| On the final day of the prosecution case against Mark Bridger, the court also heard about tests that suggested some of the bone could have been from a child's skull. | On the final day of the prosecution case against Mark Bridger, the court also heard about tests that suggested some of the bone could have been from a child's skull. |
| The jury was told such samples were treated very carefully partly so that what remained of them once they had been examined could be given back the family of the deceased. | The jury was told such samples were treated very carefully partly so that what remained of them once they had been examined could be given back the family of the deceased. |
| Bridger, 47, a former slaughterman and lifeguard, is accused of abducting April from the town of Machynlleth in mid Wales on 1 October last year and murdering the five-year-old in a sexually motivated attack. He is also charged with concealing, disposing of or destroying her body. | Bridger, 47, a former slaughterman and lifeguard, is accused of abducting April from the town of Machynlleth in mid Wales on 1 October last year and murdering the five-year-old in a sexually motivated attack. He is also charged with concealing, disposing of or destroying her body. |
| He denies all the offences and has claimed he accidentally knocked April over in his Land Rover, panicked and drove off with her – but could not remember what he did with the body. | He denies all the offences and has claimed he accidentally knocked April over in his Land Rover, panicked and drove off with her – but could not remember what he did with the body. |
| Mold crown court in north Wales was told 18 fragments of what is believed to be bone were found in Bridger's home, Mount Pleasant in the village of Ceinws, three miles from Machynlleth. Seventeen of them were burnt and discovered in the log burner in the living room; the 18th was unburnt and recovered from the bathroom plughole. | Mold crown court in north Wales was told 18 fragments of what is believed to be bone were found in Bridger's home, Mount Pleasant in the village of Ceinws, three miles from Machynlleth. Seventeen of them were burnt and discovered in the log burner in the living room; the 18th was unburnt and recovered from the bathroom plughole. |
| The forensic anthropologist Julie Roberts studied five of the fragments found in the log burner. She said: "There is strong evidence to support the view that three fragments are human bone." The fourth was "more likely to be human than non-human" and the fifth was not possible to determine. Roberts said one of the bone fragments had features similar to the skull of a child aged between four and eight. | The forensic anthropologist Julie Roberts studied five of the fragments found in the log burner. She said: "There is strong evidence to support the view that three fragments are human bone." The fourth was "more likely to be human than non-human" and the fifth was not possible to determine. Roberts said one of the bone fragments had features similar to the skull of a child aged between four and eight. |
| She also told the court that one fragment was subjected to a DNA test, she added but it was not possible to obtain a profile because it was so badly burnt. | She also told the court that one fragment was subjected to a DNA test, she added but it was not possible to obtain a profile because it was so badly burnt. |
| Bespectacled Bridger watched intently as magnified images of the bone fragments were shown. | Bespectacled Bridger watched intently as magnified images of the bone fragments were shown. |
| Roberts suggested the pieces of bone were transferred into the fire "in fragments, rather than the remains of a whole body or a head being put into the fire". | Roberts suggested the pieces of bone were transferred into the fire "in fragments, rather than the remains of a whole body or a head being put into the fire". |
| Asked by Elwen Evans QC, for the prosecution, whether the transfer could have happened during cleaning of the living room, she said: "Yes, that is a possibility." | Asked by Elwen Evans QC, for the prosecution, whether the transfer could have happened during cleaning of the living room, she said: "Yes, that is a possibility." |
| The prosecution also called a Milan-based expert, Christina Cattaneo, who has studied the burnt remains from victims of organised crime. She told the court that "as little as possible" of these sort of remains were used so that the rest could be returned to the families. She told the court it was "more likely than not" that the fragments she had examined were human. | The prosecution also called a Milan-based expert, Christina Cattaneo, who has studied the burnt remains from victims of organised crime. She told the court that "as little as possible" of these sort of remains were used so that the rest could be returned to the families. She told the court it was "more likely than not" that the fragments she had examined were human. |
| A witness for the defence, Sue Black, a forensic anthropologist based at the University of Dundee, told the court the prosecution's experts had drawn an "unsafe conclusion" when it claimed some of the pieces were fragments of human skull. | A witness for the defence, Sue Black, a forensic anthropologist based at the University of Dundee, told the court the prosecution's experts had drawn an "unsafe conclusion" when it claimed some of the pieces were fragments of human skull. |
| She claimed prosecution witnesses may have approached the samples believing they were from a young human. She said: "If you go looking for faces in the clouds, you will find them, but that doesn't mean they exist." | She claimed prosecution witnesses may have approached the samples believing they were from a young human. She said: "If you go looking for faces in the clouds, you will find them, but that doesn't mean they exist." |
| Cross-examined by Evans, Black said a member of the defence team had asked her that afternoon if the bone could have been from an antler. She said it was "unlikely but it could be". | Cross-examined by Evans, Black said a member of the defence team had asked her that afternoon if the bone could have been from an antler. She said it was "unlikely but it could be". |
| The trial continues. | The trial continues. |
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