Local people read about the release of the killers of James Bulger in the Liverpool Echo newspaper, outside the Strand shopping centre in Bootle from where James was abducted by Venables and Thompson. The killers of toddler Jamie Bulger were preparing to be released. *The Parole Board ruled that they should go free. The board ruled that Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, now aged 18, were no longer a danger to the public after spending eight years in secure accommodation. But the decision has sparked anger among campaigners who wanted the pair to serve longer sentences.