Denise Fergus(pic on December 6) shared a link to a petition which calls for an investigation into the child killer’s release and subsequent alleged reoffending on Twitter
James Bulger’s mother has demanded a public inquiry into how the police and justice system have handled her son’s killer, Jon Venables.
Denise Fergus shared a link to a petition which calls for an investigation into the child killer’s release and subsequent alleged reoffending on Twitter.
She wrote on the post: ‘As I have always said – I will continue to fight for justice for my son James – please support the new petition for a public inquiry #JusticeForJames I will never stop fighting for my little boy.’
The petition has 2,615 signatures but needs 10,000 to be considered for a debate in Parliament.
Venables was returned to prison in November after he was allegedly caught with child abuse images.
He tortured and killed two-year-old James in Liverpool in 1993 with his friend Robert Thompson. They were both aged 10 at the time.
The Crown Prosecution Service released a statement last Friday revealing that he had been charged and was to face trial.
The statement said: ‘The man formerly known as Jon Venables has been charged with offences relating to indecent images of children and will appear in the Crown Court.
‘In order that justice can be done, no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.’
Jon Venables(pic in police mug shot) tortured and killed two-year-old James in Liverpool in 1993 with his friend Robert Thompson. They were both aged 10 at the time
She wrote on the post: ‘Please support the new petition for a public inquiry #JusticeForJames I will never stop fighting for my little boy’
After serving eight-year sentences, they were granted lifelong anonymity that saw them released under new identities in 2001.
James’s father Ralph Bulger has previously called for Venables to be stripped of his anonymity.
He said: ‘Secret justice is no justice at all. He should be identified in court like every other criminal.
‘To do otherwise is to send a terrible message that the worse the crime you commit, the more you will be protected.’
James Bulger was just two years old when he was tortured and killed by Venables and Thompson
‘If people saw a photo of him as the adult monster he truly is they would have a very different perception of the person committing the crimes instead of a picture of so called childhood innocence,’ he told The Sunday People last year.
When news of Venables’ latest arrest emerged, James’s mother said: ‘Venables has now proved beyond any doubt what a vile, perverted psychopath he has always been.’
Jodie Blackstock, of the pressure group Justice, said: ‘The principle of open justice is integral to the operation of our courts.
James’s father Ralph Bulger has previously called for Venables to be stripped of his anonymity. The boy is pictured in an undated file photo
Ms Fergus says the latest case shows Venables is still the ‘vile, perverted psychopath he has always been’
‘Fair and accurate reporting of court proceedings enables wider public scrutiny of the charging and trial process.
‘Any departure from this must be for exceptional reasons.’
Geoffrey Robertson QC added: ‘You can’t have a totally secret trial in England and if anyone at the CPS thinks you can they should be sent back to law school to learn about open justice.
‘There’s good reason to protect the identity of Venables …but the public must be entitled to learn the facts of the case, the prosecution case, any details of his defence and the reasoning of the judge.
‘Any judge who went along with the CPS idea of keeping these proceedings a total mystery would not be fit for office.’
It is the second time he has been recalled to prison over child abuse images.
In 2010, Venables was sent back to jail for two years after pleading guilty to charges of downloading and distributing child pornography.
In September 2008, he was arrested on suspicion of affray after a drunken brawl and was given a formal warning by the probation service for breaching the good behaviour terms of his licence.
Later the same year he was cautioned for possession of cocaine after he was found with a small amount of the class A drug.
Following his arrest in November, the Attorney General launched an investigation into claims his identity had been revealed on social media.
In 2013, two men who posted images they claimed to be of Venables and Thompson were given nine-month sentences, suspended for 15 months.
Breaking the injunction on identifying them carries a punishment of up to two years in prison.
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