Bridger pleaded not guilty to her murder and abduction in a hearing at Mold Crown Court this morning reports the Daily Mail, and he will stand trial later this year.

Mr Justice Griffith-Williams said in court: ‘You have indicated that the defendant’s case is that he was probably responsible for the death of April.’

Bridger was arrested the day after April went missing, but her body has never been found. However, the search is expected to continue in same scale and with equal numbers into the new year.

April Jones’ parents leave Mold Court on January 14, 2013, image via Getty