A WISH for April Jones /Spudgun

http://spudgunsspoutings.blogspot.nl/2012/10/a-wish-for-april-jones.html



One of the reasons that the BBC series ‘Life on Mars’ was so popular, is that it so radically deviated away from the modern way of policing in the 21st century!

For those not familiar with the show, (and to be honest, I have watched very little of it, although I CAN see its appeal), it tells the story of a modern day Manchester cop being transported back to 1973, a time when corruption and police brutality were regular stock in trade methods of securing convictions.

Now, there ARE those that might assert that such outrageous and unacceptable methods are still pursued by various Constabularies around the Country, but in general, the Police and their Modus Operandi is strictly controlled by the Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984, along with its innumerable updates, Statutes and other legislation that governs how they can and can’t behave whilst investigating crime.

Which, ostensibly, is a necessary and essential best practice for a humane, judicial and democratic society.

EXCEPT...................

I can’t help wishing that some of the crimes being investigated today aren’t being DONE so utilising some of those ‘rogueish’, barbaric methods of days gone by.

I am, essentially, a libertarian and I have frequently been quick to lambast what I perceive to be appalling policing, such as the death of Ian Tomlinson or the undisciplined lines of police cordons arbitrarily lashing out at protestors.

BUT, I am also prone to write, proffering PRAISE where I believe it to be due. And I DO believe it to be never more due than it is in Dyfed-Powys, in Wales.

For it is there that Police, together with TEN specialist teams and volunteers, have spent the past days searching high and low amongst the Welsh countryside in the most appalling of weather conditions and under the most severe PRESSURE, in an effort to find missing five-year old girl, April Jones.


As I write this, Mark Bridger, a local man known well to the family of the missing girl, has spent five days in custody, being questioned, before finally being charged with the little girl’s abduction and murder, in addition to attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Consequently, because of sub-judice issues, I obviously have to take some care with what I write.

However, I AM willing to ‘suggest’ a few observations and interpretations as to how I feel the case has, thus far, transpired:-


We already know that April was, allegedly, seen getting into a vehicle, belonging to Bridger. We already know that the police apprehended him very quickly; the day after the girl was reported missing.

We can only make educated guesses as to what might have happened subsequent to that arrest and the charges being made five days later.

Unquestionably, he would have had legal representation throughout the whole interrogation process, as is his right. ANY solicitor worth his salt would vehemently recommend that his client make ‘NO COMMENT’ responses to any question that might possibly incriminate him.

It is also NOT unreasonable to deduce that whatever answers or information Bridger DID give to the police during his questioning may have been subterfuge, fabrication or just downright lies, given that he is also being charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Whatever he did or didn’t say, was obviously of very little help to the inquiry because the police have spent every waking hour since the girl was reported missing LOOKING for her, alongside very many volunteers who worked tirelessly helping with the search.

After four days into the search, the volunteers were stood down and the search was continued using only specialised teams and groups employing a variety of unique methods.

It is almost certainly one of these teams, probably specialist DOGS trained to detect cadaverine, that have led police to conclude that April is dead.

As I write this, the police and the specialist teams, mountain rescuers, cavers, divers and dog handlers are STILL continuing with their search, along with helicopters and patrol boats.

MANY of those searchers are doing so without pay, expenses or remuneration of any kind, especially the mount ain rescue teams.

Such an emotive and emotionally charged display of dedication and unending spirit, determined to bring some closure, solace and peace to a family and community whose heartache and pain does not bear thinking about.

For which I personally have the utmost and irrevocable admiration for each and every one involved.
And YET..........

Despite my obvious belief in, and support of, the necessary judicial process; I can’t help thinking, almost HOPING and wishing, that some ruthless, thuggish maverick COP......

... were to have TWISTED the suspects arm, firmly behind his back, slamming his head into the interrogation table in the process, forcing him to tell the truth.

Maybe that way, we would know. The whole truth. Without the multi-million pound exercise, the innumerable man-hours, searches, vehicles, dogs, helicopters, boats, mountain rescuers, divers, crews and volunteers.

In all probability it would NOT have saved the little girl.


But it WOULD have saved her parents and family from such tortuous, sustained anguish, pain and indescribable heartache.

And for THAT fact alone, I make no apology for wishing that police brutality were alive and well in the admirable and stoic hearts of the men and women of North-West Wales.

I've said more than once this week that it's a good job I'm not a policeman in Wales right now.
I'd be getting 'medieval' on his ass.
They just can't though. It would prejudice anything he did tell them.
It's heartbreaking.

Excellent observations by Spudgun, like his video,shows a sensitive caring Man . Obviously, being in Jail Mark Bridger is unaware of the superhuman efforts everyone is making to find April , even though they realise she is probably dead. Maybe if he could see this, he might confess and put April's family out of their misery.

However, that is presuming his guilt which has to be proved beyond reasonable doubt.

the slave wrote:I've said more than once this week that it's a good job I'm not a policeman in Wales right now.
I'd be getting 'medieval' on his ass.
They just can't though. It would prejudice anything he did tell them.
It's heartbreaking.

Yes, it would prejudice anything he had said. PACE was introduced following complaints about the treatment of prisoners in custody and is, I think, a good piece of legislation. It protects the police as well as the detainee when the police can show that all procedures have been followed according to the law.

I know of one well known case where an appeal against conviction was won simply because the police had planted evidence. I got this from a serving police officer who told me that yes, the police had planted evidence. That was the basis of the appeal and the men who had been found guilty walked free.

I heard about this when I was working in a situation where the clients were mostly people who had lived on the underbelly of society, been in and out or prison. I was sitting there in the smoking room one day when one of the clients was trying to describe how to get to a particular pub and he said, "You know, the one where ****** stashed the shotgun behind the bar after he had shot *****" When I asked the client a few days later, he told me that the barmaid had withdrawn her statement about this after being intimidated by certain people. (I'm being vague as you can tell) She was the best witness and the police officer I spoke to told me that the officers involved had been so angry and frustrated because they knew who had committed the crime that they foolishly planted evidence. And it was that foolish act that led to the winning of the appeal. A good barrister and those men walked free. No other evidence was presented at the appeal, just that the police had been shown to have planted evidence.

So, I think the police have to be squeaky clean and leave no wriggle room for guilty people to slip through.

"find the body and prove we killed her" as said by Gerry McCann.

Yes they have Mark Bridger in custody and it appears the CPS are happy the police have the evidence to charge him with Aprils murder. That being the case if I were MB I would be taking a leaf out of McCanns book. Evidence is one thing, a body is different evidence all together. For him to say where April's body is, if she is dead, is an immediate admission of guilt. To say nothing and hope she will not be found, well, the ball is back in the police and CPS's court to get a conviction when the time comes.