5 yr old girl "snatched" in Wales

[mumblechum1]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-19795761

Let's all keep our eyes peeled

I agree Janey. And you are right...it IS a really strange case. They allowed volunteers to look for so long...I think they thought she was alive or there was a chance of that for quite some time.

They've obviously suspected murder for a few days and been waiting for the forensics before charging. My friend works as a forensic officer and it takes days for small dna/blood/fluid samples to multiply to become useful. They must have something on him or they could have just charged him with abduction which still would hav prevented his release. To charge him with murder suggests they clearly have evidence.

I must have missed something if people doubt his involvement - I've followed this loads and my understanding is that the child with April recognised mark bridge as the police were specifically looking for him on the Tuesday? there was a delay because of the witnesses age etc during questioning.

I think it's really important that we remember there are 10 children victims of this incident here. April, her two siblings, the girl she was playing with and the 6 children of the charged man. Whatever is said now will be available for 9 of them to read in months and years to come.

I can't imagine letting my child out to play with a friend, then being catapulted into a media frenzy and murder investigation. I hope that time will bring justice.

I just hope, I really hope, that they are able to find her. With virtually no hope of her being Ok, at least may the family have some closure somehow.

They may hav hoped she was alive but forensics (which again take time o process) may have suddenly shown something?

Lougle, you're right of course but arguably there are millions of lesser victims too - the children who will have their freedom curtailed by frightened parents.

To reiterate what Lougle said on what we write now could be read later.

My cousin was murdered a few years ago (she was an adult at the time, not a child). I do go back and read the old news reports and the things people said on various forums.

Hello.

Just a general warning from us that, now Mark Bridger has been formally charged with abduction and murder, we will have to delete any posts that speculate on his guilt or innocence, or which speculate on any of the evidence that form part of the eventual trial.

We do understand that people would like to keep discussing this case and we have no wish to stop you but we're sure you wouldn't want to post anything that could prejudice a fair trial.

We'd also like to remind you that a small girl is missing, presumed abducted and murdered, and her family are undoubtedly going through all sorts of torment. We haven't had any reports of speculative/blame-apportioning comments about the family but, obviously, we'd also remove any that came to our attention. We're sure you'd all understand that.

I wish we could GPS tag or microchip all our kids until they're 18

Seriously

I hope April is found alive, i really do

It makes you hold your kids to you tighter.. and yes, grovel is right.. this will impact on people in other ways and there will be a lot of kids that aren't allowed to play out not because you can't 100% supervise them 100% of the time :(

GPS tagging is a terrible idea. Next thing we'd be able to bloody make them walk in certain directions when we wanted!!

yes it does make me hug and hold grateful they're safe
and it's desperately sad for parents of runaways or missing children
i hope April family are well supported in this trauma

Thankyou Helen, for clarifying what we should say and not say.

That does help.

Changebags I am sorry for what you have been through x

GPS tag our children. Yes cause that would be a really rational sensible thing to do

It does indeed scottishmummy
I hope April's family are supported through this awful time and my heart goes out to them.A nightmare no parent should have to suffer

No need to be snarky. I think sometimes it might be a really good idea to have a way to trace children when they disappear.

Like with pets. No one has a cat that they make walk round in circles by remote control and laugh at.

It's just useful if they get lost

Please let's not fight each other.

I think gps is a good idea, what exactly is bad about it?
It can only be a good thing and maybe save a childs life in the future.

Its terrible but progressing degrees of freedom is a natural part of raising emotionally healthy . I for one shudder at the thought of satellite tracking.

But if it stops tragedies like this happening its worth a lot more than 'emotional' freedom!

No Pumpkin. It's open to far too many abuses.

Children are not pets.

I give up.

Well maybe it is something that could be explored within certain parameters and careful guidelines.

I don't see it being a long time before it is seriously considered for some purposes with humans...they do it with prisoners, yes, but then you have people who cannot look after themselves - with alzheimers disease for example - who are likely to wander, and need to be found quickly.

And small children being lost in a big area like at the Olympics, or a shopping centre - it would be brilliant to know you could find them again quickly.

I hadn't even thought about it till this thread but I quite like the idea of it.

Do you really think it would either
a. prevent abductions
b. prevent children from being murdered?
Firstly this sort of crime is exceptionally rare and if a criminal know the child is "tagged" they would only kill and dispose of a body even quicker.

I hope I never live in a country that would even contemplate "tagging" it's citizens, young or old.