James Bulger's killer Jon Venables' fight to keep his identity a secret has cost taxpayers more than $82,000
The latest fight that Jon Venables is embroiled in is to hide his identity and that has now cost taxpayers $82,834. His lawyers were able to get more than $10,000 in legal aid in order to fight a bid by James Bulger's father to unmask him earlier this year. The stance put forward by the child killer was backed by government lawyers who had been paid more than $70,000. 36-year-old Venables has now cost the public more than $400,000 in court cases alone since 2-year-old James Bulger was tortured and killed in 1993.
In the meantime, The Sun reported that 52-year-old Ralph Bulger, James' father, was denied aid for his High Court case. Ralph wanted the ban to be lifted on revealing Venables' name and previous addresses in order to "protect the public".
Jimmy, his brother, backed him and said that details were already online. He claimed that the authorities did not want any "accountability or scrutiny" of them handling him. The brother's lawyer, Robin Makin, said: "How he has been managed should not be buried." Judge Sir Andrew McFarlane, however, said that lifting the ban may result "in possibly fatal consequences".
Venables is currently serving his second jail term in this decade for child sex offenses. Venables' fellow killer, Robert Thompson, has not reoffended. The Legal Aid made it clear that anyone who is eligible may still say "a significant amount".
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