BULGER KILLER GIVEN £260K IN LEGAL AID
Evil Venables handed taxpayers’ cash to bring court cases
JON Venables has received £260,000 in state cash for a catalogue of court cases since he murdered James Bulger.
The jailed 35-year-old racked up the legal aid bill for criminal hearings and civil claims.
James’s furious dad Ralph – denied state help for his fight to keep the killer in jail – said: “It’s a joke. All this and nothing for us.”
THE dad of murdered James Bulger has told of his fury that Jon Venables got legal aid for a string of court cases – while the family got no help trying to keep him jailed.
Ralph Bulger spoke out after it was revealed his son’s killer received £259,585 to pay for civil claims, judicial reviews and applications for new identities.
And the figure could be much higher as it does not include his original trial or most recent child sexual images charge.
Ralph said his own legal aid bid was blocked when he tried to fund an appeal against a decision that Venables and his accomplice Robert Thompson were eligible for parole after they served eight years for James’ murder.
He said: “It’s a disgrace to pay this to Venables from the public purse. He is a sexual predator and child killer who got all this money and yet I have consistently been denied legal aid over the years trying to keep him locked up and away from the public.
“I have always said that the killers have been treated better than us and this proves my point beyond any doubt.
“It’s a real insult to James’ memory to continue to protect his killer in this way.
“I don’t argue with the right for justice but in our case it has been a one-way street. All this legal aid for Venables and nothing for us. It’s just a joke but it’s sickening for me and my family.
“But it comes as no surprise. We have treated as though we didn’t count from day one. The system is messed up and needs to change.”
Venables, 35, was jailed for 40 months after admitting possessing 1,000 indecent images of children last month.
It is believed if any legal aid bill for that case plus the killer’s murder trial were taken into account it would take the final total past the £300,000 mark.
A Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice revealed Venables first received almost £180,000 in state cash to challenge his 15-year sentence for murder set by then Home Secretary Michael Howard. It was later reduced to eight. Other hand-outs included applying for several new identities, which then each cost a further £250,000 to set up, plus two judicial reviews with a bill of more than £22,000.
Post-release he also got help to sue police for wrongful arrest and false imprisonbeen ment, although again there are no details of the incident. Harry Fletcher of the Victims Rights Campaign said: “It is scandalous, families of victims receive no help whereas perpetrators seem easily to access funds.” Venables and Thompson were both 10 when they murdered James, two. A petition calling for a public inquiry into the case has more than 211,00 signatures. James’ mum Denise Fergus said: “Thanks to everyone who signed.”
I have been denied legal aid to try to keep him away from the public RALPH BULGER TELLS OF HIS ANGER AT LEGAL AID FOR KILLER