April accused told ‘lie after lie’

THE former slaughterman accused of abducting and murdering schoolgirl April Jones denied weaving a “complex web of lies” when “fabrications” about his life history were yesterday revealed to a jury.

Mark Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, mid-Wales, took to the witness box at Mold Crown Court where he was accused of “lying through his teeth” as a catalogue of his own lies regarding his personal life were put to him.

Prosecutor Elwen Evans QC accused Bridger of being a “fantasist” who told “lie after lie”.

Bridger claimed to have had a glittering military career and told police he had worked as an SAS-trained mercenary.

But the failed firefighter and former welder admitted he had maintained a string of lies for 23 years since moving to Wales and that he carried on lying about it when he was arrested.

Earlier, Bridger, for the first time, admitted he had a “recollection” of laying April down on his living room carpet following what he describes as a car accident.

He said he could not remember what he had done with her body and told the jury that when he woke up the following morning he thought it had all been a “nightmare”.

Bridger denies abduction, murder and intending to pervert the course of justice by disposing of, concealing or destroying April’s body.

The prosecution say Bridger snatched and murdered April in a “sexually motivated” attack.

Bridger says he accidentally killed April when he ran her over and accepts he must have got rid of her body.

The trial continues.