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BALLOT: Does James Bulger's mum have the right to know?

2:21pm Thursday 4th March 2010


THE tragic case of James Bulger has been brought back in to the spotlight this week.

The two-year-old was murdered in February 1993, after being tortured by 10-year-olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson.

The boy's body was found on railway lines two days after his abduction from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside.

After their conviction for the horrific killing, Venables and Thompson were released in 2001 under new, undisclosed, identities.

Among the many conditions of their release they were told never to contact one another again and never to return to Merseyside without written permission.

Now Jon Venables is back in jail for 'breaching the terms of his release'.

The vagueness of the term has sparked huge debate and a national newspaper has today printed what it believes to be the reasons behind the 27-year-old's incarceration.

There have even been calls for the reasons to be made public, with some people saying that James's parents deserve to know the truth.

With this in mind we have a question for you, and we'd like to know your opinions.

If we play devil's advocate for a moment, John Venables has been punished to a level deemed suitable by the law of the land. He has served his sentence and been allowed to get on with his life - albeit with limitations.

Do James's parents have the right to know what he's done to be locked up again or is it really none of their concern any more?

Is this just a case of the public's curiosity or does the gravity of the 1993 murder put this in a category of its own?

Please vote in our poll and let us know your thoughts in the comment box, below.


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MrStJohns, St Johns Worcester says...
2:43pm Thu 4 Mar 10

He was given every chance to turn his life around, and released be released back into society, but he chose not to do that and broke the rules placed up on him stop wasting tax payers money and release the details. Why he was even let out in the first place is beyond me. I certainly hope the person he attacked is going to sue the government for allowing him to work with a convicted murder without informing him beforehand!

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Olga, Worcester says...
4:29pm Thu 4 Mar 10

Sometimes MrStJohns you say the most stupid comments - look at the picture - I can't imagine having to live with the actions or conscience of what I did when I was ten - I certainly wasn't responsible at that age.
Look at the picture and think of your kids at ten.
Sue the government for allowing someone to work alongside someone who has been penalised since they were almost four foot eight inches tall.

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jb, worcester says...
4:39pm Thu 4 Mar 10

I believe that Jamie's parents should have the right to be told the reason for Venables recall to custody. They would have been notified when he was released from detention so there should be no reason for them not being told the truth behind this decision. My only hope is that the government are not trying to keep the reasons secret because Venables has a family of his own and they are protecting them. Olga, this wasn't some prank that went wrong when these boys were ten years old it was the torture and murder of an innocent toddler. They were detained as children and never saw the inside of an adult prison, which if they had done may have been an extra incentive for them never to commit another crime. They were damanged children, baby faced maybe but any child who could inflict such horrendous injuries on a child unable to defend himself does not deserve any sympathy. Look to their families for blame but never forget it was the boys who carried out this murder themselves.

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Dereck, Fernhill Heath says...
5:02pm Thu 4 Mar 10

We are not allowed to know what is behind the recall of the release.
Justice should be seen to be done but no court has presided over the ending of Venables Licence. That is not how Justice should be carried out - with pertinent facts not judicially heard.

Lets not forget that in the months to come Venables will be out again to ( presumably) breach the Terms of his release again.

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Avante, Worcester says...
7:59pm Thu 4 Mar 10

I think parents of the victim probably do have the right to know, however, I see no reason for it being public knowledge. so, he's broken the terms of his release, which involved what could be considered pretty mundane things like not visiting Liverpool, or talking about his childhood. He may have been arrested for being drunk, or a road traffic offence. whatever it might be, if the public are advised, what difference would it make? What would the general public do with the information?
The sad truth is that these two children lost any hope of a childhood at the age of ten, and having spent 8 years outside of civilisation during these, have little hope of coping with life. They are serving a life sentence whether living a lie in prison or trying to live a lie in a community they don't understand, whilst everyday lookinmg over their shoulder knowing that one slip means they will probably face death. Many will say they deserve this.
In Norway, they would have never been arrested, never been tried, never been convicted, and would have continued to live in the community, managed by personal councillors who would work with them in mainstream school. Murder of children by children is viewed, and dealt with, as a social tragedy, and not murder. Maybe its a better approach than stringing up a couple of damaged 10 year old by the balls!

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Avante, Worcester says...
10:47am Sat 6 Mar 10

So now we know, he was going back to the place he was born (which is a reasonable thing for anyone to do - except of course he's barred from doing so) and having a few beers. To most people these would just be normal nights out for a young man.
So what are we (all those people who have demanded the right to know why he was recalled) going to do with this information now?

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ChrisBfast, Belfast says...
2:32pm Sat 6 Mar 10

No one has the right to take anybodys life no matter what their age, the fact that these boys where ten years old when they commited murder is disturbing in itself. Yes these boys have lost out in their childhood but they have no one to blame... what about James - he was TWO YEARS OLD where is his chilld hood? This young boy lost his life- he will never be able to grow up.
What kind of example is this to put to any child today - that they can commit murder, serve a little time and get a second chance with a new identity??? Look at the case where two young boys assaulted two younger boys and left them for dead. What if this was your child that was murdered. Is this how we want to bring our children up in a society that allows young children to commit murder and think this ok wit a free second chance - I dont think so.
My thoughts and prayers are with James' parents and family.

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Hymie, Fernhill Heath says...
4:34pm Sat 6 Mar 10

The recall of Venables needs to be explained to stop these daily 'news' reports adding to speculation! The longer the cover-up continues the more it seems this murderer is been protected. if Venables has committed more offences and not only just broken the terms of his licence then he should be prosecuted. Or are 27 year old murderers above the law now ?

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Worcesterman, Worcester says...
7:10pm Sat 6 Mar 10

Hymie,Fernhill Heath
i agree with what you say, you get people for or against him, but not many think of the boy James who was tortured and abused by these two, why is it that many blame society, for making these lads to do what they did, the War in the 1940s, did not make me go out and kill, all i wanted to do was play cowboys and indians, and we only pretended to kill
each other, in those days we had lots of fun, and there was no tv.

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moonpig, Worcester says...
7:55am Sun 7 Mar 10

I actually don't think the Bulger family have the right to know what has happened in this instance. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the case he has served time for the crime of killing Jamie Bulger and the crime he has been recalled for now is presumably a new one and nothing to do with the Bulger familiy. A better question for the ballot would be "should the public be told why he has been recalled?" and to that I would answer yes.

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Energetic, Malvern says...
11:50am Sun 7 Mar 10

He is only 27 so, as Olga says, he cannot be held responsible for his actions. And when he was ten, he only beat a toddler to death with an iron bar after torturing him, just like any other New Brit from a sink estate. Why not let him out to "care in the community" to see whether he does it again?

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claire73, worcester says...
6:16pm Sun 7 Mar 10

I think it is disgusting he was allowed back out .As for some people saying he was only ten and he must of found it hard living with himself !! well i'm sorry but there is no way any ten year olds that i know would dream of doing anything like that he knew what he was doing he just pure evil and so is the other one .He's been in prison and protected then let out with a new identity .He's an animal they should be stood in the street and stoned .....

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KILLER: John Venables in 1993 KILLER: Jon Venables in 1993


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