Child killer faces kiddie porn charges

A

AALARD

Guest
Child killer faces kiddie porn charges
LONDON, (UPI) -- A fair trial on pornography charges may not be possible for a man who killed a toddler when he was 10, a former top British prosecutor said Tuesday.

Jon Venables, 27, was arrested in February. The charge against him, downloading and distributing pornographic images of children, only became public Monday, The Times of London reported.

Venables and Robert Thompson were given life sentences for kidnapping and killing 2-year-old James Bulger. In 2001, they were paroled and given new identities. Venables has been charged under his current name.

Sir Ken Macdonald, former director of public prosecutions, told the BBC in an interview he generally agrees with opening up the legal process. But he said the information that one of the most notorious young criminals in British history has been charged with child pornography will make it hard for Venables and other defendants to get a fair trial..

"The difficulty, I think, is going to be that we know his age and we know what he's charged with, so there is a bit of a risk that any man of that age facing those sort of charges coming before a court in the weeks and months ahead may be suspected of being Jon Venables whether he is or isn't," Macdonald said.
 
Top