THE FUNERAL OF murdered schoolgirl, April Jones, has taken place in her hometown of Machynlleth.
The inquest into her death concluded ten days ago, allowing her remains to be released to her family. The funeral is taking place just five days before the first anniversary of her murder.
In May, paedophile Mark Bridger was convicted of her murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
Bridger maintained that he had knocked down April accidentally while he was drunk and said he could not remember what he had done with the body.
Five-year-old April’s body has never been found. The only remains of the body were tiny bone fragments that were recovered by detectives from the fireplace of Bridger’s cottage.
Crowds line the street
According to Sky News, crowds of people lined the streets today and locals who wanted to pay their respects all wore pink, April’s favourite colour.
(Peter Byrne/PA Images)
The coffin arrived at St Peter’s Church to Emeli Sande’s song ‘Read All About It’ playing on the loudspeakers outside the church.
A white horse-drawn hearse, with two white horses, moved slowly through the town. April’s parents Paul and Coral and their two children followed behind.
(Peter Byrne/PA Images)
No relatives spoke at the ceremony but the reverend said:
No words can alleviate our sorrow or take away our pain.
On the order of service pamphlet, a message written from April’s family said:
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their overwhelming kindness, sympathy and support during this sad, sad time.
A memorial garden, which has a bench in April’s name and a pink treehouse, has been built in the estate where the five-year-old grew up and today April’s father looked over the tributes that had been left for his daughter.
(Peter Byrne/PA Images)
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