Straw defies calls from James Bulger's mother to clarify prison recall for killer

Justice Secretary Jack Straw is defying calls by the mother of James Bulger for more details about why her son's killer is back in prison.

Mr Straw defended the need for secrecy hours after Denise Fergus made a public plea to know why Jon Venables was recalled to custody.

She accused the Government of treating the issue like a political football and of closing doors in her face.

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But in a Commons statement Mr Straw said releasing further information was “not in the interests of justice” because it could threaten the fairness of any future trial.

He also revealed that details of the alleged breach of licence conditions came to light after officials were told that Venables’s new identity had been compromised. According to reports, 27-year-old Venables, who was 10 when he and Robert Thompson carried out the brutal killing in Bootle, Merseyside, is being investigated by police over allegations he was looking at child pornography.

Mr Straw told MPs he understood the concern of the public and James Bulger’s parents and he had given “active consideration” to whether it would be appropriate to provide more information.

“But I have concluded that this would not presently be in the interests of justice.”

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“It is critical that if charges do follow, it is possible to hold a fair trial – fair for the defence and fair for the prosecution.”

Later the judge who granted anonymity to the killers warned Venables would risk being killed by vigilantes if his new identity were to be revealed.

Baroness Butler-Sloss, former president of the family division of the High Court, speaking in the Lords, stressed “the enormous importance of protecting his anonymity now and if he is released because those who wanted to kill him in 2001 are likely to be out there now”.

Mrs Fergus, from Kirkby, Merseyside, said the days after learning news of Venables’s return had been a “massive rollercoaster” and added “my head has been all over the place. I don’t know what he has done. I don’t know whether he has gone on to kill someone else.”

Venables and Thompson were released with new identities in 2001, having served eight years. They can be recalled to prison at any time.

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