Jon Venables’ Lawyer Laurence Lee Says Government Has Created Hysteria And Damaged Justice
JON Venables’ solicitor for his 1993 trial for the murder of two-year-old James Bulger in Bootle, Merseyside, one Laurence Lee, says the Government’s handling of the recall from life-licence of the now 27-year-old Venables was so bad it has led to “led to hysteria and speculation, which is not good for the cause of justice.”
That scoop comes from the Law Society Gazette the august sometimes very staid trade magazine for the legally-minded. The LSG is not known for breaking hard news but it stole the lead on the nationals yesterday.
Lee describes how is was catapulted into the limelight when in 1993:
“The trial was one of the highest-profile cases any lawyer could be called upon to handle. I just happened to pick up the telephone in the magistrates’ court and it was a desk sergeant looking for an available duty solicitor.”
“Venables, who was 10 at the time, was found guilty of the murder along with another boy of the same age, Robert Thompson. Venables was released from prison on licence in 2001, but is now back behind bars after the Ministry of Justice claimed he had breached his probation terms. He has a new identity and his whereabouts are unknown.”
Lee warns “every prison in the country will be looking round to see whether or not there’s a 27-year-old who looks a little bit like that boy“.
Then:
‘I’m unhappy with the way the government has handled Jon Venables’ recall to prison. The almost total lack of information has led to hysteria and speculation, which is not good for the cause of justice – either for the Bulger family or for Jon Venables.
‘The case raised questions about the age of criminal responsibility. Do 10-year-olds have the maturity to answer for their actions? There was a similar case in Norway around the same time as the Bulger case, where two boys aged six killed a five-year-old girl. They were back at school within a couple of weeks, and there was no tabloid hysteria or petitions calling for long jail terms… Can we honestly say our system is better?’
What Laurence has to say about The Sun’s claim armed police yesterday pulled Venables from his prison cell for questioning remains to be seen
Jon Venables and James Bulger – the story so far
Posted: 19th, March 2010 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
