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Jon Venables ‘pictures’ circulate on the internet
The identity of the killer of James Bulger could be exposed as online campaigner breaks court order
The identity of James Bulger killer Jon Venables could be exposed after pictures, said to be of him as an adult, began circulating on the internet, even though the publication of such details is forbidden by a court ruling.
Two national newspapers have reported that photographs, allegedly of the 28-year-old, have been viewed by at least 1 million people since they were posted on various websites, which cannot be named, over the past few days. The papers claim that Venables's personal details, protected by a court order, have also been published.
Venables is currently serving a two-year jail sentence for possessing child pornography, but becomes eligible for parole in the next few weeks.
The online campaigner who broke the court orders protecting Venables told the Sun that he wanted to 'out' him because: "I don't believe Jon Venables or any convicted sex offender has the right to anonymity or a protected identity. It is the public that needs protection."
Bulger's father Ralph, appeared to welcome the news that the pictures were circulating. He said: "I've always said the public should know what Venables and [Robert] Thompson look like. The ban on identity is ungovernable and ridiculous as millions have seen the photos and have access to the net."
The murder of two-year-old James Bulger in 1993 shocked Britain. Venables and Thompson were both only 10 when they lured the toddler away from a shopping centre and tortured him to death on railway tracks.
The pair were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in November 1993. Venables served eight years behind bars before being released on license in 2001 and was given a new, secret identity.
Last year it was revealed that he had been returned to prison for breaching his parole and he was jailed once again after pleading guilty to child pornography charges at the Old Bailey. At the time Venables's former solicitor, Lawrence Lee, said that allowing the press to report on the second court case has undermined Venables's anonymity and jeopardised his safety. ·
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When the alternative is vigilante justice, yes.
The root of the problem is Ralph Venables. Not the boy who committed the act.
"Jeopardised his safety"!!!!! What about the safety of the 2 year old boy he brutally murdered?
So the "On-line Campaigner" gets to decide the law??? Throw them in jail for contempt of court. Courts should be merciful, they have both served their time in prison, that will never be enough for some people.
Our country is so wrong, I mean we work and pay taxes to keep sex offenders and other criminals SAFE ?? When our children are at risk surely we should be protecting the innocent and casting out these people who pray on the weak and defenceless. Why should they be able to move on and live normal lives when Jamies parents are haunted by the cold blooded killing of their child everyday and will be untill they die. No justice in this world. It completely irritates me.