I’ve read this thread with interest. When I first clicked on it and realised it was about James Bulger I was abit
as it made me think about this case again (I know how awful this sounds, how absolutely horrific that this was, and still is, the reality for James’s parents
). I don’t live in the UK so I’m not really exposed to ongoing news media about things like Tina Malone etc. I read James’s fathers book some years ago and it was truely heart wrenching.
I think this captured world wide attention at the time because of how young the offenders were. I also think this is why the pair are dubbed ‘evil’. Simplistically, it seems like they can’t be anything but given their ages at the time. I think people think they were ‘born evil’ or some such. In contrast to adult offenders who seemed to be viewed as ‘evil’ only if they do something totally depraved (like this was). I don’t know if I’ve worded that well but I know what I mean
.
Maybe they will make an example of Tina Malone as she is some kind of public figure (I have no clue about her, just from reading this thread and looking at an article). Prosecuting someone high profile may act as a deterrent to others but I don’t know how that works if others who shared the photo aren’t prosecuted IYKWIM. Maybe she will have grounds for appeal based on that.
I looked up ‘JV now’ and found the pictures easily. One of the pictures certainly looks like it could be him, the other one not so much. I think they really messed up releasing the pictures of the boys in the first place, I wonder why they did that? Maybe we can put it down to the fact it was the 90s.
This situation seems like a total mess imo. They can’t make the identities of this pair known because of vigilante justice yet innocent men who are mistaken as them are targeted. Personally, I think they should have their identities released and come what may. That might ensure more protection for those that look like them as the public will have the real images and individuals themselves have to be responsible for their own behaviour. Yes they committed a truely abhorrent crime but is Joe Public willing to ‘go down’ and lose their own liberties just so they can take a pot at one of these two? I don’t know.