Cameron to meet April Jones' parents over abuse images

Prime Minister David Cameron has agreed to meet April Jones's parents after they challenged him to get involved personally in the fight against indecent images of children online.

Paedophile Mark Bridger, 47, abducted and murdered five-year-old April after viewing images of child sexual abuse.

Paul and Coral Jones, of Machynlleth, Powys, said the UK government was not doing enough to police the internet.

Ministers say agreements with internet firms will bring "fundamental change".

Firms such as Google and Microsoft were summoned to a meeting in Whitehall on Tuesday amid calls for them to do more to remove illegal material, and have agreed to give the Internet Watch Foundation more powers and resources to search out abusive images.

The prime minister has pledged to "put the heat on" companies to make removing obscene material and blocking access to indecent images more of a priority, saying he is not "satisfied" enough is being done.

Internet service providers in the UK have been at the centre of the debate about online images showing the sexual abuse of children following two high-profile court cases where offenders were known to have sought child pornography online.

Bridger was sentenced to life in May for April's murder, and police who searched the Croydon home of Stuart Hazell, jailed for life in May for murdering 12-year-old Tia Sharp, said they had found "extensive" pornography featuring young girls.

April Jones was abducted and murdered by Mark Bridger in a sexually motivated attack

The meeting, chaired by Culture Secretary Maria Miller, was attended by Yahoo!, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook, BT, Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Vodafone, O2, EE and Three.

In an interview with Channel 5, April's parents said more needed to be done and called on Mr Cameron to become an "ambassador" to lead the fight.

Later, answering a question at the G8 summit, Mr Cameron said he had agreed to meet April's parents to discuss the problem.

"My heart goes out to them for their horrific loss and I will be very happy to meet with them," he said.

Sexually motivated attack

He went on to say that if he had not been at the G8, he would have been at the seminar in London, and he was "personally committed" to the issue.

April was abducted while playing with a friend near her home last October and brutally murdered in a sexually motivated attack. Her body has never been found.

Bridger's trial was told he searched for child sexual abuse images online and had a "library" of such material on his computer.

April's parents said they were determined to continue the battle in memory of their daughter.

Mrs Jones said: "I'd like to get David Cameron involved as well because he could be the ambassador for this fight and we want the whole world to know it's not just the UK we're fighting for, it's everyone.

"I've had messages off people from Australia, Canada and other places that want to do it in their countries as well.

"I'd like to meet David Cameron and put our points through to him, and let him know that me and Paul and other children and other people would like his help to fight this campaign.

"He's a dad too and we'd like him to back us and help us promote April's fight and get the law sorted and get it done in his name."

April's parents said if action was taken it would be a "legacy" for their daughter.

"April was a fighter from the word go and I promised her I'll do this for her," said Mrs Jones.

"I said I'll help other children so their family don't have to go through this, their brothers and sisters. It's not just us it affects, it affects brothers and sisters as well."

Steven Carter, the biological father of Tia Sharp, told Channel 5 News that stopping indecent images of children from being published online could have saved his daughter's life.

"I just want it stopped and I think the government should put more pressure and get it done now," he said.

"I'm going to do April's internet fight so everyone else can help as well. If they see something they don't think is right, contact the police, so that person can help themselves before it goes too far and someone else is killed or abused."