does it make a difference that he was a kid when he committed this evil act?

this week i've read the court report about what they did to that poor child, i've read the arresting officers interview in the paper and also his interview with panorama, last night i sat and cried reading what they had done. it makes my blood boil. to try in anyway to excuse their actions on the fact that they were children themselves and that they were abused is laughable!

there are plenty of abused children who grow up and never abuse. my own brother in law was abused, he grew up and became a social worker working in childrens services trying to stop the same things that happened to him.

jon venables was rearrested and charged in 2010 with child pornography offences, tell me that he didn't know what he was doing on that fateful day? tell me that prison has rehabilitated him?

i can truely understand some peoples view that they wish these two harm. they will never, ever live a quiet, normal life. everyday will be spent looking over their shoulders awaiting the moment someone realizes who they are and what they did, and what action that person may take. but do they really deserve millions of pounds having their identities constantly changed, new NI numbers issued, new addresses, new lifes? they committed the crime, they served the time/sentence handed down, they have been released into society, maybe, just maybe they should live with the consequences of their actions?

You have completely ignored what I wrote. All that you say above was considered and the case against them was made that they a) knew what they were doing i.e. deliberately led the victim away to be killed with that act in mind and b) knew what they were doing was wrong. How old they were doesn't alter that is what the case was built on.



What crimes did Bin Lid commit that you are a victim of? Taking on the role of "proxy victim" doesn't count and in any case you can't even say he was responsible for (say) the deaths of British Soldiers in Afghanistan (that would be the Afghan Taliban and Bin Lid was holed up in Pakistan). Just what did he do that directly affected you personally?



The taking out of an offender is unrelated to a topic about vigilantism? Really?

The question was put. Yes, you would be happy to see one of your daughters with Venables, or having him as a neighbour, or no you would not.

A simple reply, from a simple man like yourself would suffice.

Kudos for spelling smorgasbord though.

A slight thread drift, or at least a change of tack.

The point has been raised on this thread, if Venables starts dating, and moves on to perhaps a possible long term relationship, should the partner of his choice be kept in ignorance of who he really is, and is it reasonable that they should live their life with him based on official lies as to his identity?

How would they feel if, say in 10 years, they found out the truth?

The question is relevant because in the news today is the inquiry about a situation where just this actually happened, except the official fake identity was that of a police officer who infiltrated an activist group.
Reporthttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21629991rl

Reading the harrowing accounts of how learning the truth affected the women concerned, the years of their life which they can't replace that they had 'wasted' by putting their energies into a realtionship with someone who wasn't who they thought he was, where is the balance of fairness? Would it have somehow made it OK, as long as the women had never found out the truth? Or is there a difference between the state providing fake identities for officers, as opposed to for offenders?

I think there is a difference as police officers will always assume this identity temporarily whereas an offender would have to 'become' that new identity.

Still a very difficult one though

I'd think from the womans point of view, 'temporarily' would be worse than 'permanently'