Child killer Jon Venables is back in the limelight once again, after being scalded by boiling water in prison during a vicious attack. This attack was carried out by an alleged inmate who Venables rowed with, after revealing his former identity.
Whilst prison officers reportedly diffused the situation, Venables claims that guards did nothing to protect him at first, allowing the attack to take place.
Venables was one of two 10-year old child killers, charged with the abduction, torture, and murder of toddler James Bulger in February 1993 at a shopping centre in Bootle, Liverpool.
At the time, the crime shocked Britain, as Venables and accomplice Robert Thompson are the UK's youngest child killers in modern history.
After carrying out their sentences, both Venables and Thompson were freed on licence in 2001 and granted lifelong anonymity funded by UK taxpayers, sparking a UK debate about how to punish child killers.
Return to prison
Whilst the Ministry of Justice failed to comment further than saying, "incidents [like this] happen all the time," Venables fears for his life in prison after his real identity was exposed.
Venables is currently serving time in prison for a different crime, from when he was sentenced in November for having a sickening 1,170 indecent images of children including babies.
He was sentenced to just over three years in prison in November 2017.
Since being released for James' murder, Venables has continued to be in trouble with the law, including breaking his bail conditions, cocaine possession, and more recently for these very serious crimes against children.
According to sources, it is common knowledge by many inmates that Venables is residing in the prison, which cannot be named for legal reasons, and there are fears for his safety.
When the two were freed in 2001, aged 18, both were granted new identities after fear of reprisal attacks.
It is currently reported that Venables has a girlfriend who is fully aware of his killer past.
Calls for an inquiry
This year marks the 25th anniversary since the heinous murder was committed. Since these further arrests, the Bulger family believe Venables should be forced to waive his right to anonymity.
A petition signed by over 190,000 people has resulted in calls for a public inquiry into James' murder.
However, the Government dealt another sharp blow to the Bulger family, calling it 'unnecessary' despite very real fears that Venables could attack again if released.
