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Original poster

re Facebook and the pictures of James Bulger's killers

347 replies

NessieMcFessie · 15/02/2013 16:11

A friend of mine on Facebook has posted the pictures of James Bulger's killers as they look 'today'. I have no idea where they have come from or if they are actually the two men involved (and I don't know if she knows any of this information).

AIBU to report these pictures? She has had loads of support under her post.

OP posts:
Original poster
NessieMcFessie · 16/02/2013 10:38

bottleofbeer - I agree with everything you say. But we are where we are - what would you do with them now?

OP posts:
bottleofbeer · 16/02/2013 10:43

JV has committed a crime as an adult, he rightly went to prison.

RT, if he's living a decent life, leave him be.

I think we did the only thing we could (we: the system). I honestly can't see anything else that could have been done.

Original poster
NessieMcFessie · 16/02/2013 10:51

Yes, you are right. Meanwhile on FB, the photo has 20,000+ shares. Very depressing.

OP posts:
pigletmania · 16/02/2013 10:55

I disagree bottle they should have been incarcerated fr a lot longer to fit the gravity of the crime. No I don't agree with killing them,but a much longer custodial sentence would have been much better. Yes they are children but they murdered and defiled a little boy and tat is a very serious and heinous crime

bottleofbeer · 16/02/2013 10:55

Have you read the knuckle headed comments on the photos?

Same kind of people who attacked a paediatrician because they didn't know the difference between that and a paedophile. That's the kind of person this shit attracts.

pigletmania · 16/02/2013 10:59

I totally agree with that bottle some very stupid and gnorant people about. Those pictures may or may not e those boys but tey are being circulated at a rate of knots and f ty are not them, have the potential touring t lives of innocent men

pigletmania · 16/02/2013 11:00

Meant ruining

Original poster
NessieMcFessie · 16/02/2013 11:04

Yes piglet, maybe they shouldn't have been released, but the point is they were....so what now?

OP posts:
LittleChimneyDroppings · 16/02/2013 11:07

A comparison of the Norway and Bulger case. Maybe Britain could learn from some of this, they certainly seem more at peace with their outcome. Here, the hatred just continues.

here

and here

DreamsTurnToGoldDust · 16/02/2013 11:28

Bottle what a great post.

VitoCorleone · 16/02/2013 12:21

Its very wrong, some innocent man could have his life ruined for this, besides isnt Venables still in jail?

I have to say though, at 10 years old, abused or not they KNEW that what they where doing was wrong, it was claimed that they both suffered Post Traumatuc Stress Disorder after the murders, Venables was alleged to have suffered with nightmares about what he'd done. They knew it was wrong, they knew what they where doing to that poor little boy and the 'sentance' they recieved was a joke.

They should have been taken out of the secure units at 18 and put in jail, and served a proper life sentance for their crime.

VitoCorleone · 16/02/2013 12:22

After the murder - not murders.

piprabbit · 16/02/2013 12:38
  1. I do not see what good is done, sharing these picture. Sharing them damages society, justice and the individuals who may be affected if the information is acted on (either because they are stupid enough to try and be vigilantes or because they are wrongly attacked because they look a bit like one of the men in the pictures).
  1. I do not want to look at pictures of these children (or men) every time I log on to FB. I do not need reminding, my memory is long and my imagination is strong. I do not need reminding.

So I will block, delete and defriend.

bottleofbeer · 16/02/2013 13:05

Yeah they knew it was wrong, but on what level did they know?

They were emotionally and cognitively stunted.

Do people really see them as culpable as an adult who does the same thing?

Child murderers are integrated back into society when their sentence is finished, does society bay for their blood in the way it bays for JT & RT's? Does it hell.

VitoCorleone · 16/02/2013 13:54

Yes society does bay for blood of other child killers. Do you think people would turn a blind eye to Ian Huntley?

One child killer was murdered in prison recently, there was a thread about it just yesterday

People are never going to put down the pitchforks when it comes to murdering innocent, defencless children, and quite rightly IMO

pigletmania · 16/02/2013 13:58

No Vito people most certainly will not turn a blind eye to Huntley. It's not because these boys were children, ts because they killed a child in the most horrific way, nobody hold have to ndur what that littl boy went through. The same sentiment would be true if they were 10 year older

gordyslovesheep · 16/02/2013 14:00

this is what pitchforks do

thegreylady · 16/02/2013 14:13

What has bothered me is that I have seen two different sets of two photographs.They cant both be accurate! I have 'hidden' the pictures and ignored the posts I wont 'defriend' over it though.

thegreylady · 16/02/2013 14:23

In the Norwegian case the killers were only 6.Had Venables and Thompson been 6 they would not have been tried in the same way and I think their identities would have been kept secret.

IneedAsockamnesty · 16/02/2013 15:42

The wouldn't have been tried in Norway at the age they were.

ophelia275 · 16/02/2013 15:59

I wonder how much money has been spent protecting and changing the identities of these two men? According to some sources, well over a million. I wonder if James Bulger's family received anything like this amount in assistance (doubt it). Perhaps it would have been cheaper to keep them in prison for life (actual life rather than 25 years or whatever life means these days). They would have their freedom taken away from them in the same way that they took the freedom away from James. Then they can pay for their crime without being a danger to the public and a punishment that is as close to equalling the taking of a life as is possible.

somewherewest · 16/02/2013 16:06

In the Norwegian case the killers were only 6.

The two cases don't look at all comparable. In addition to the age difference, there is also the premeditated nature of the Bolger killing. Thompson and Venables set out to abduct a child (they had already tried and failed to snatch another boy that day). I'm normally fairly 'Guardian reader' on justice issues and agree that they should have been given new identities and a second chance at life, but I do think they are entirely culpable for their horrific actions. In some quarters they're spoken of almost as if they were victims.

somewherewest · 16/02/2013 16:09

I should add that the Guardian coverage of this case generally makes me bang my head against the wall. A few days ago the paper ran an article entirely based on the assumption that Thompson and Venables were victimised by being tried (no mention of the details of their abduction, torture and murder of a little boy), whereas I think they were treated bloody well.

LittleChimneyDroppings · 16/02/2013 16:20

It wouldn't have been cheaper to keep them in prison.

Why would James Bulgers family need that amount of money in assistance??

pigletmania · 16/02/2013 16:24

I totally agree with you somewhere west. The real victim is james whos life was cut tragically short, who will obviously never do the things these boys are able to do. It was premeditated as somewherewest has pointed out, they knew whtey were doing, they should have served a much longer custodial sentence, so that they do not have te freedoms and life that ordinary people have. Looks like JV has not been punished properly, he is still committing crimes and bragging about being involved, hardly remorseful!