April Jones' family join calls for a new criminal offence
The Prime Minister has been invited to meet with the family of murdered Machynlleth girl April Jones to discuss the creation of a new criminal offence for desecrating a body.
April was only five years old when she went missing on the evening of October 1, 2012, after playing on her bike with friends near her home on the Bryn-y-Gog estate.
Her disappearance shocked the nation and became the biggest search in British police history with specialist teams scouring around 40 square miles over six months.
Paedophile and former slaughterman Mark Bridger, 47, was given a whole life sentence for April's abduction and murder, as well as being convicted for perverting the course of justice of disposing, concealing or destroying the girl's body.
There had been strong evidence of a burnt human skull found in the fireplace of Bridger's cottage in Ceinws, which was a 10-minute drive from April's home.
Mark Bridger was convicted of April's abduction and murder. The families of people who have been murdered, including Michael O'Leary and Sarah Everard, have called on the Prime Minister to create a new criminal offence of desecrating a body.
At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday (June 11), Sir Keir Starmer was asked to meet with the families of people who have been murdered and hear their plea to make it a crime to desecrate a body.
Plaid Cymru MP Ann Davies, who represents Caerfyrddin, said: 'My constituent Mr Michael O'Leary was brutally murdered five years ago, and his body was desecrated.
'I've made a number of requests to discuss his and other victims' cases with ministers and to explore introducing legislation making the desecration of a body a criminal offence.
'Would the Prime Minister meet with Mr O'Leary's family, along with other victims' families, including April Jones of Machynlleth, Sarah Everard and Helen McCourt, to hear why they are calling for a new criminal offence of desecrating a body to be introduced?'
Responding, Sir Keir said: 'Can I thank her for raising this horrific case and the other similar cases and my thoughts, and I'm sure the thoughts of the whole House, are with Michael's family and all those affected by such vile crimes.
'I think we all need to listen to what they have to say…
'I'm sure the justice minister will be in touch at the first opportunity to take this forward.'
Mr O'Leary, a 55-year-old father of three, was shot dead by his friend Andrew Jones in 2020, after Jones found out the victim was having an affair with his wife.
He then burned Mr O'Leary's body on a funeral pyre made of wood pallets, and tried to make it look like he killed himself.
Sarah Everard, 33, was kidnapped and murdered by off-duty police officer Wayne Couzens in 2021, who then burned her body in the woods.
Helen McCourt was 22 years old when she was killed while walking home in Merseyside, and her murderer never revealed the location of her body.
Her mother, Marie McCourt, has campaigned for Helen's Law, which would make it a criminal offence to conceal a body, and Helen's Law 2, which would make a new offence of desecrating a body.
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