James Bulger's killer Jon Venables to be freed in days, will be moved to Canada in overnight operation
Jon Venables, the killer of two-year-old James Bulger, is reportedly set to start his new life abroad in Canada in just a few days as that will be cheaper for British taxpayers than to give him a new start in the UK.
News of Venables' prospective move comes days after officials reportedly made the plan to move Venables abroad after growing tired of constantly creating identities for him, according to The Daily Star.
The 1993 murder of two-year-old Bulger sent shockwaves across the UK after it was revealed that the murderers were merely 10 years old. The toddler's parents have since repeatedly requested that the new identities of the killers—Robert Thompson and John Venables—be revealed as they do not deserve a life of anonymity.
Venables and Thompson had snatched the toddler from a shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside, before torturing and killing him.
A worldwide order was made in 2001, allowing Venables to live anonymously after his release from a life sentence for kidnapping, torturing and murdering the two-year-old in February 1993.
Venables, now 36, has been given multiple different identities since, however, he is constantly outed by members of the public.
A source told the outlet that the move abroad is imminent for Venables and that he is "being kept quietly away from the general prisoners." His move will likely be scheduled during the night in an effort to avoid security risks as a "handful of people know who he really is and where he is."
After the release of Thompson and Venables from prison, Thompson was never heard of again. Venables, however, has since been jailed twice after admitting to owning more than 1,000 child porn images, including a pedophile manual, reports state.
"Venables is costing a fortune," the outlet quoted their source as saying. "The thinking is that it would be cheaper to get rid of him abroad, than keep forking out." The source added that he is most likely to be sent to Canada within days, however, the officials are considering New Zealand and Australia as options too.
It was revealed earlier this year that the legal battles to keep his identity a secret had cost UK taxpayers £65,000 ($79,000).