Mark Bridger 'downloaded photographs of April Jones'
The man accused of murdering April Jones had viewed and downloaded Facebook photos of the five-year-old in the days before she disappeared, a jury heard.
April, who had cerebral palsy, vanished while playing on her bike near her home in Machynlleth, Mid Wales, on October 1 last year.
Mark Bridger, 47, denies abducting and murdering the schoolgirl in a "sexually motivated" attack.
Giving evidence yesterday, Merfyn Ray, manager of the High Tech Crime Unit at Dyfed Powys Police, showed the jury picture files and folders on Bridger's Acer laptop, which was found at his home in Ceinws following his arrest.
Questioned by Elwen Evans QC, prosecuting, Mr Ray said the computer contained images of naked under-age girls and adult women as well as explicit cartoons.
There were also photographs of clothed girls, including youngsters from the Machynlleth area, murdered schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman and the victims of similar cases.
Earlier, the public gallery was cleared as the jury was shown some of the images found on Bridger's laptop.
Mr Ray said there were a total of 100 to 150 indecent images on the computer, 65 of which he considered to be of a "criminal standard".
Crime scene investigator Melanie Barlow was tasked with forensic searches of a wood burning fireplace in the living room at Bridger's cottage, Mount Pleasant.
She said she noticed that areas of the fire had been "cleaned up".
She said: "I noted an area of wiping down or cleaning up around the fire which was not consistent with the area as a whole and stood out to me."
The case continues.
