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CNN Live At Daybreak

Reporter With 'The Independent' Discusses Possible Imminent Release of Child Murderers

Aired June 20, 2001 - 07:37   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: A story that shocked people in Britain and around the world is in the news again. It has been eight years since two 10-year-old boys brutally killed a toddler. His name was James Bulger, and you probably remember the surveillance video that showed him, at two years old, being taken by the hand, the last time he was seen alive.

Hearings this week could lead to parole for the killers.

As CNN's London Bureau Chief Tom Mintier reports, the nation is divided over whether or not they should be released.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM MINTIER, CNN LONDON BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The only image the public has of the two killers is when they were 10 years old. It was 1993, the same year another camera captured the crime they were about to commit. The victim, two-year-old Jamie Bulger's last image, captured on a shopping mall security camera, as he was being led to his death.

The toddler was brutally beaten by the two boys with rocks, bricks and an iron rod. Then his body was placed on railroad tracks, leaving it to be cut in half by a train. Convicted as children, now up for parole and new identities to protect them if released.

The case, still so sensitive to the British public, the location of John Venables hearing was kept secret. Protesters did gather outside the parole board head office to insist the young men should not be released.

LYN COSTELLO, MOTHERS AGAINST MURDER AND AGGRESSION: I certainly think the officials and the people from the parole board have forgotten there was a child that was murdered over this. We seem to now be told we've got to be concerned about two murderers and forget James. We don't believe eight years was enough of a sentence.

MINTIER: But Alan Levy, who deals with child cases, says time has changed the two boys.

ALAN LEVY, JUVENILE LAW SPECIALIST: They've matured. They realize the great seriousness of what they did, and the effect on others. So they're completely different people. They're now young men who are almost 19.

MINTIER: David Smith has authored a book on the Bulger killing called, "Sleep of Reason." He feels that even if they are released, life will not be easy.

LEVY: They've probably got quite a difficult time ahead of them. There will be many people who are prepared to seek them out, hunt them down, post their pictures on the Internet. I think they face a difficult time.

MINTIER: The courts have ruled that the news media cannot publish any pictures of the pair, or even computer-generated images of what they might look like. The possibility of release for Venables and Thompson was made possible by a court ruling last year that their sentences should be shortened, and another ruling that promised to keep their identities and whereabouts a secret.

(on camera): The Bulger case still fuels plenty of emotion on both sides. A newspaper poll in Liverpool, where the crime took place, went five to one in favor of keeping the boys behind bars. Jamie Bulger's mother says it's too risky to let them out, and fears they are still dangerous -- a fear that neither the mother or public opinion can address. Only the three members of the parole board can do that.

Tom Mintier, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: Here now to talk about this case and the parole hearing is Terri Judd, a reporter for "The Independent" in London.

Terri, thanks for joining us.

TERRI JUDD, "THE INDEPENDENT": Thank you.

MCEDWARDS: If these boys do, in fact, get out of prison -- if they are paroled -- would they ever be able to stay in Britain, or would they have to leave the country?

JUDD: There was talk at one point that they would have to leave the country, but it seems to be that they might stay here with new identities and anonymity, which protects them being identified.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, it's fascinating really, I mean, how...

(CROSSTALK)

MCEDWARDS: Sorry -- how are officials proposing to give them new identities?

JUDD: Well, I think they've already been given new identities: new passports, new jobs. Their families have given new homes -- a whole new past. But obviously, initially, when they're released, they'll probably go to a halfway house, rather than directly into the community. MCEDWARDS: Is it clear yet, Terri, whether any parole hearing has actually happened? Where does it stand?

JUDD: Basically, there was parole board hearing for John Venables Monday and Tuesday, and Robert Thompson's hearing is being heard today and probably tomorrow. But there's a lot of secrecy surrounding it. We don't know where it's taking place. We only have a vague idea as to what's taking place -- either the judge, psychiatrist, and criminologist are all giving evidence, along with solicitors. But because of the very sensitive nature of this crime and the feeling in the United Kingdom, everything else about it is being kept secret.

MCEDWARDS: And is that normal, Terri? In a lot of countries, the parents of the victims, for example, would be able to appear before a parole hearing and make an argument as to why they don't think a person should be released. That kind of thing goes on. What's happening here?

JUDD: Yes, I know that Jamie Bulger's parents have been allowed to give written representations to the parole board, but that is not that custom in this country. There have been changes in the law which will soon allow victim impact statements, but it's still fairly new for us. And far as I understand, they're giving written, rather than statements in person.

MCEDWARDS: It's so emotional. I was reading that even Jamie Bulger's father has made threats to go after these boys if they're released. Is that true?

JUDD: Yes, obviously, the family, perhaps understandably, feels that they haven't been punished sufficiently, and there has been talk of vengeance, and there has been talk that Ralph Bulger promised to hunt them down. Obviously, one has no idea how much he's likely to carry that out. But generally, the community in Liverpool is still very, very angered, and feel that they haven't been punished sufficiently. Obviously, there are other points of view. Other people believe that the boys should be allowed to rehabilitate and see whether they've turned into decent adults.

MCEDWARDS: And how were the two treated in prison? What's known about the efforts to rehabilitate them, what they were able to do in prison? And what kind of mental state are they in now?

JUDD: Well, the first word is that they never went to prison, they went to a secure unit. And one of the reasons they'll likely to be released now is that the lord chief said last year that he felt that taking them into an adult prison would be very corrosive. Up until now, they've been in secure units, where the emphasis has been on rehabilitation, education -- they achieved sort of school grades -- and really trying to reform them, rather than sending them into a much harsher, prison environment.

MCEDWARDS: And after the hearings happen, how will the public know if and when the boys are released? JUDD: Well, we'll wait to see. At the moment, as I said, there's a lot of secrecy involved. It will be several days before the boys and their family themselves are informed, and it could be some time before they're released. Information will eventually filter through. This is such a huge case that it will be impossible for it to be kept totally secret. But it will probably come from unofficial sources.

MCEDWARDS: Terri Judd from "The Independent," thanks so much for bringing us up to date on this -- appreciate it.

JUDD: Thank you.

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