The man accused of murdering schoolgirl April Jones was a "fantasist" who had "a clear interest in child pornography and in child murder cases", a court has heard.

Mark Bridger, 47, who claimed to have served in the SAS but was in fact an abattoir worker, murdered the five-year-old and played a "cruel game" in an attempt to cover his tracks, Mold Crown Court heard.

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.

The court yesterday heard investigators found numerous indecent images on the defendant's laptop, as well as pictures of young girls who had been murdered, including Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman from the Soham murder case. Bridger also had images of April and her half-sisters, aged 13 and 16, the jury heard.

On the first day of his trial, the court heard Bridger accepts he "probably killed" April in a car accident, but that he "blanked out" afterwards and cannot remember what he did with her body.

The jury was shown a photo of the cottage where Bridger lived – and where April's blood and DNA were found.

Elwen Evans ,QC, prosecuting, told the jury: "This is the house where the blood, the bone fragments were found."

Speaking of Bridger's claims he was in the Army, Miss Evans said: "Military records have of course been checked. His account of any career in the Army, in the forces, was a lie and a fantasy."

Miss Evans also told the jury about the kind of obscene material which had been found on Bridger's laptop. She said: "In addition to child pornography and photos of young girls, the defendant also had an interest in child murder and rape cases."

The trial continues.