Former slaughterhouse worker Mark Bridger has been found guilty of abducting and murdering schoolgirl April Jones.

April vanished while playing on her bike near her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, on October 1 last year and her body has never been found.

A jury at Mold Crown Court convicted Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, of abducting and murdering April and of unlawfully disposing of and concealing her body with intent to pervert the course of justice.

The disappearance of April, who had cerebral palsy, sparked a massive outpouring of support for her family, with hundreds of people joining in the search.

The jury returned the unanimous verdicts following four hours and six minutes of deliberations. From the dock, Bridger, wearing a blue shirt and spotted tie, looked nervous before the verdicts were read. He closed his eyes and appeared to hold back tears as the guilty verdicts were read.

April's parents Paul, 41, and Coral, 43, who have attended every day of the month-long trial, were following the verdicts from the public gallery, on a balcony overlooking the court room. Mrs Jones appeared to wipe away tears as the verdicts were announced. Trial Judge Mr Justice Griffith Williams said he would sentence Bridger at 2pm.

Bridger is a "cold-hearted murderer" who "spun a web of lies and half-truths" to try to get away with his "truly horrific" crime, prosecutors said after the verdict.

In a statement, Ed Beltrami, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wales, said: "Ever since his first interview with police in October last year, Mark Bridger has relentlessly spun a web of lies and half-truths to try and distance himself from the truly horrific nature of the crime he perpetrated. He has refused to take responsibility for what he did to April and has stopped at nothing to try and cover his tracks.

"Despite his best efforts to evade justice, he has been brought to account by a highly professional investigation by Dyfed Powys Police, coupled with the diligence and hard work of the prosecution team. Working together, we have been able to comprehensively dismantle Bridger's version of events and expose him as a violent, cold-hearted murderer and a calculated liar."

"At the very heart of this case are April's family, who have been through - and continue to go through - an ordeal of appalling magnitude. They have conducted themselves with a humbling dignity throughout. We can only hope that today's verdict will be of some help to them as they continue to try and come to terms with the loss of April."