Father relearns of murder

The father of murdered schoolgirl April Jones suffered the devastation of learning of his daughter’s death for a second time after a virus damaged his memory, her mother has said.

Paul Jones, 49, asked why his daughter had not been to see him as he recovered from a severe case of encephalitis, a potentially lethal brain condition.

April’s mother, Coral, told the Sunday People how her husband had recognised the youngster in family photos used to jog his memory.

“He asked, ‘What happened to April?’

“I had to tell him she was no longer with us and that she’d been killed.

“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, five, was snatched from outside her home in Machynlleth, Wales, on October 1 2012 before being murdered by paedophile Mark Bridger.

Her parents’ marriage withstood the immense strain of the harrowing ordeal, although Mr Jones’ illness came as a major blow.

Mrs Jones said: “Paul is the only person who can truly understand the pain I have felt over losing April.”

Mr Jones reportedly fell ill 18 months ago and spent more than a year in hospital recovering.