Latest news with #CoralJones
The Sun
22-05-2025
- The Sun
My daughter April Jones was killed by paedophile – forget chemical castration, predators like him should have it cut off
The mum of murdered schoolgirl April Jones has backed the government's bid to chemically castrate paedophiles and rapists. Coral Jones, whose five-year-old daughter was kidnapped and murdered by sick paedophile Mark Bridger, said he and all other sex offenders should lose their right to a sexual urge. 5 5 5 Bridger was given a whole-life term for abducting and murdering April on October 1, 2012, in Machynlleth, mid Wales. The Judge said he sexually abused the schoolgirl before disposing of her body. But the paedophile has never confessed to his crime and the location of April's remains is still unknown. Here mum Coral gives her view on the government's latest proposals. By Coral Jones When April vanished almost 13 years ago my whole world was thrown upside down. I will never get over the heartache of losing my beautiful girl that day and when I later learned that sick paedophile Mark Bridger had kidnapped and murdered her, I was sick to my stomach. I cannot begin to describe the hatred I still have for him to this day. During sentencing trial judge Mr Justice Griffith-Williams told Bridger that there was no doubt in his mind that he was 'a paedophile, who has, for some time harboured sexual and morbid fantasies about young girls'. Police also found Bridger's laptop containing a library of vile sexual images of children. Chilling moment April Jones' 'fantasist' killer Mark Bridger lied to police during interrogation And for me vile paedophiles like him will never change. They will always fantasise about young children and harbour sickening sexual thoughts. The government's proposal to chemically castrate paedophiles and rapists like him, is something that has been on my mind for over a decade. I've said from word go that this should happen and I'm surprised it has taken so long. I would welcome any steps to chemically castrate offenders like Mark Bridger. To be honest, if I had it my way he should have it chopped off completely, but I can't see the justice secretary agreeing to that. Putting a paedophile or rapist's name on the sex offenders register is no longer enough of a deterrent - for too long we've turned a blind eye to it. Many sex offenders continue to reoffend, sometimes over and over again. Bridger won't ever see the light of day for what he did, but it keeps me awake at night that he still has sexual fantasties about my daughter and other children. It makes my body shiver, it makes me feel sick. All prisoners who have sexually abused children should have this sexual urge removed - that goes for men and women. If they've done the deed they should pay the price. They don't deserve to enjoy the same sexual urges as everyone else. The only question is how long does the procedure last? Is it permanent? Can its be reversed. All these things need to be addressed. In my book sex offenders should also be sterilised so they can't have their own children and continue the cycle of abuse. There will always be people who are against strong measures like this. They will cite human rights as the reason not to act - but until they have lost a child or seen a family member sexually abused, they will never truly understand why this is so important. Ever since April was taken from us I have campaigned for changes in the law. I have fought to introduce April's Law which would rid the internet of child abuse images. Easily accessibly vile online pictures are fuelling paedophiles' evil crimes and myself and others have demanded search engine firms should do much more to prevent people posting and accessing the shocking content. I'll never stop pushing for change and I welcome the latest proposals by the government. It's time we all took a stand. 5
The Sun
15-05-2025
- The Sun
April Jones' dad to be buried alongside remains of his daughter after he died without knowing what happened to her body
THE TRAGIC father of murdered schoolgirl April Jones will be buried in the same grave as his five-year-old daughter, a relative has revealed. Paul Jones, 56, died suddenly after contracting a virus eight years after being diagnosed with the brain condition encephalitis. 10 10 The former pub doorman died without ever discovering what April's killer Mark Bridger did with her body after kidnapping her from a street where she was playing in 2012. But some of April's remains were found in Bridger's cottage and they were buried in a grave in the little girl's hometown of Machynlleth, North Wales. Paul's stepfather Dai Smith, 72, said: 'The funeral arrangements are still being made but they'll put him in April's grave. That would be the fitting thing to do'. Paul and April's mum Coral Jones split up after the horrific murder and he was later diagnosed with encephalitis. He went into a care home in Swansea because he could not look after himself. 'Paul was devastated by what happened to April and it's fair to say he never got over it. 'People have said that he became ill because of the tragedy of losing his little girl but that's not the case. 'It was more or less dementia; he had been in hospital for eight years and couldn't remember anything about April. 'But he had long term memory - he could remember things from 30 years ago. Family's heartbreaking final words to murdered April Jones are revealed 10 years after five-year-old was abducted ''He was a fantastic man, very strong, he'd walk 15 miles with the dogs and think nothing of it. He was fit and loved the outdoors. "He went down from 13st to 8st and when he was first in hospital he would wander around the wards but didn't know where he was.' Mr Smith said the family believe his stepson contracted encephalitis from visiting a local swimming pool. Paul's mother Linda died of cancer in July last year and was bitter over the way Coral had treated her eldest son. Linda and her husband, who live in New Quay, Cardiganshire, felt Coral abandoned their son when he became ill. 10 10 10 Before she died Linda said: 'In my book, if you marry someone it's in sickness and in health. I know Paul would have been there for Coral if it had been the other way around.' The couple had a huge bust up with Coral over the way she treated Paul, and they never spoke to her again. Mr Smith, who is still grieving for his wife, said: 'She used to say it was a blessing that he couldn't remember anything and I think she was right.' Paul's daughter, Jazz Jones, announced his tragic passing on Tuesday. She said: "It is with broken hearts that my brother and I wish to let people know our dad (Paul Jones) passed away early hours this morning. It was very unexpected and we are all in shock. "Harley and myself will update people with further information as we know more but please give us our privacy to mourn our loss." The 29-year-old told The Sun she is 'heartbroken' over his death and the family still processing his loss. 'It was very unexpected and we are all in shock,' she said. 'It's only been 24 hours, it's a lot to get our head around. 'As a family we're heartbroken, but we're still trying to process the fact that dad has passed away, so we're not sharing any information on his death out of respect for him. 'Dad didn't want any media attention towards the end, he wanted his privacy, and as a family we need time to grieve.' Who is Mark Bridger? Mark Bridger abducted and murdered five-year-old April Jones in 2012. The former abattoir worker went to prison for his horrific crimes and is serving a life sentence. He was born in Carshalton, Surrey on November 6, 1965 and was just 19 when he had his first run-in with the law. He pleaded guilty to firearms offences, theft, attempted theft, and deception. That was to be the first of many convictions throughout his life. He was convicted of driving offences and assaults before he moved from England to Wales. He fathered six children by four different women. One woman he dated was Elaine Griffiths and they had two children together. Elaine's sister Karen dated Paul Jones and they had two children before Paul met Coral and had April. April's disappearance and murder April disappeared near her home in Machynlleth on October 1, 2012. She was seen getting into a vehicle in the area on the day of her disappearance. Eyewitnesses saw April talking with a man before climbing into a Land Rover Discovery with him and driving off. After fitting the description of the man seen talking with April, Mark Bridger was arrested for her abduction. After his initial arrest, the police found a large collection of child abuse images on Bridger's personal computer. A large search operation was then conducted by the police and search teams in the hope of finding April. After an extensive search for April provided no insight into her whereabouts, police officially turned the case into a murder inquiry on October 5, 2012. Just a day later, on October 6, Bridger was charged with child abduction, murder, and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He was additionally charged with the unlawful concealment and disposal of a body on October 8. On January 14, 2013, at Mold Crown Court, Bridger pleaded not guilty to the charge of murdering April Jones but accepted that he was "probably responsible" for her death. Mold Crown Court heard from a forensic expert that human bones and blood matching April's DNA were found in areas of Bridger's home. He claimed that he had accidentally run April over with his car and could not remember disposing of her body due to heavy drinking and panicking about what he had done. His trial began on April 29, 2013, and on 30 May 2013, Bridger was found guilty of abduction, murder, and perverting the course of justice. He was sentenced to life in prison with a recommendation that he should never be released by the Judge. Despite his conviction, the whereabouts of April's body remain unknown. Bridger was last reported to have been moved to HMP Wakefield in Yorkshire, where he is defined as a Category A prisoner - the most dangerous in the country. 10 10 10
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Father of April Jones dies aged 56 - 13 years after the five-year-old was kidnapped outside her home and murdered
The father of murdered schoolgirl April Jones has died at the age of 56, leaving his family heartbroken. Paul Jones, who previously suffered from encephalitis - a serious condition that causes swelling the brain, passed away yesterday morning. It is believed he was being cared for at a specialist home in Swansea after the illness damaged his memory in 2018. Paying tribute, Jazz Jones wrote on Facebook: 'It is with broken hearts that my brother and I wish to let people know our dad (Paul Jones) passed away in the early hours of this morning . 'It was very unexpected and we are all in shock.' April, five, was snatched from outside her home in Machynlleth, mid Wales, in October 2012 before being murdered by paedophile Mark Bridger. Bridger refused to tell police what he had done with the youngster's body – although officers did recover fragments of her skull from his fireplace. It was previously reported that Paul, who separated from April's mother Coral in 2019, had to suffer the devastation of learning of his daughter's death twice. In 2018, Paul asked why April had not been to see him as he recovered from a severe case of encephalitis, a potentially lethal brain condition, which causes memory loss. It is understood he spent more than a year recovering in hospital before being taken into care. April's mother, Coral, told the Sunday People how Paul had recognised the youngster in family photos used to jog his memory. 'I had to tell him she was no longer with us and that she'd been killed,' she said. 'He broke down. It was an awful conversation because he was so emotional and it was so hard for me to speak about it. 'I couldn't go on, I just couldn't tell him any more. It was like reliving it all over again.' April parents' marriage withstood the immense strain of the harrowing ordeal of her murder, although Pauls' illness came as a major blow. Coral said: 'How much more can my family take? The search for April (pictured) was the largest search for a missing person in the UK, and lasted until April 22, 2013 'I've already lost my daughter and now I have lost my soulmate and my rock and I feel so alone. 'Paul is the only person who can truly understand the pain I have felt over losing April.' Bridger was jailed for life for April's murder in 2013 but has refused to admit that he killed her. Her disappearance sparked the largest police search in British history, and her killer tried to cover his tracks by helping with the search before his arrest. Police believe Bridger dismembered April before dumping her body parts at various locations in the hills, rivers and forests surrounding his home in Ceinws, Mid Wales, after traces of her blood were found all over his rented cottage. Police raided his home and found evidence linked to the murder and a cache of child porn on his computer, including Facebook pictures of April and other local girls. Pools of April's blood were found under the carpet in front of the living room fire where small fragments of her bones were recovered by police. April's blood was also found in the bathroom and hallway of the cottage despite a desperate bid by Bridger to clean up his rented home using detergents and bleach. Father-of-six Bridger was given a whole-life tariff by a judge in May 2013 at Mold Crown Court after he was found guilty of her kidnap and murder. Sentencing Bridger, Mr Justice Griffith Williams said: 'There is no doubt in my mind that you are a paedophile, who has for some time harboured sexual and morbid fantasies about young girls.' He said Bridger abducted April for a 'sexual purpose' after he had been jilted by his girlfriend and then murdered the schoolgirl and disposed of her body to 'hide the evidence of your sexual abuse of her'.
