Justice undermined

Two cases before the courts yesterday provided further evidence of serious problems in the criminal justice system that urgently need to be addressed. The imprisonment of Jon Venables, one of the killers of James Bulger, on child pornography charges suggests that the probation service has been remiss in keeping a watch on his activities. Venables has been jailed for similar offences before and is on life licence for the murder committed when he was 10 years old. Moreover, he breached a ban on accessing the internet two years ago, yet the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to charge him and kept the matter secret. Since Venables has been awarded lifetime anonymity by the courts, the public needs to be reassured that all the elements of the system are working to ensure he does not pose a continuing danger to children. Clearly they are not.

Nor does the case of John Worboys, the so-called black cab rapist, inspire confidence. The parole board has decided he should be released after less than 10 years in jail, a mystifying decision given the scale of his offending, though no one can know the reasons why. The initial police investigation into accusations against Worboys was inadequate, as was the sentence handed down by the courts. Now a judicial review of the parole board’s decision is to be heard following an appeal by victims.

Both cases will further undermine public faith in every aspect of the criminal justice system – the police, prosecutors, judiciary, prisons and probation.

The Lord Chancellor, David Gauke – who inexplicably declined to pursue a judicial review in the Worboys case on behalf of the Government – needs to get a grip on these failings.