THE GRANDAD of murdered schoolgirl April Jones wants Britain to leave the EU to lessen European influence over restrictions on life sentences.

Dai Smith, of New Quay, said he was “definitely” voting for Britain to leave the EU at the referendum on 23 June, due to European courts reviewing life sentences in the UK.

Life sentences were considered to breach human­ rights in several cases taken to the European Court of Human Rights.

The court also thought cases should be reviewed after 25 years at the latest. This would apply to April’s killer Mark Bridger.

“We should have the right to have our own courts,” said Mr Smith.

“We should be able to judge our people within our own country.”

Mr Smith said he was reminded of five-year-old April’s death on her birthday every year.

His wife Linda said: “I know there’s human rights, but my granddaughter had human rights as well.”

April was abducted and murdered by Bridger in October 2012.

European judges have accepted the British system has the ability to release life-prisoners on “exce­ptional grounds” in a ruling last year.

This relates to the power given to the Secretary of State in order to free prisoners on compassionate grounds.

But the European Court said foreign criminals should not be automatically deported if they have children as this breaches the children’s rights as EU citizens.

Judge Sir Francis Jacobs said British courts will only be sovereign if we leave the EU and that Euro­pean law would always “prevail over natio­nal law” as long as Britain remained in the EU.