JUSTICE ISN'T BLIND - IT JUST LOOKS THE OTHER WAY!

This is a fantastic post by Mike Cunningham on the horrific murder of the young two year old child, Jamie Bulger. It fairly seethes with righteous anger, and I fully commend  you read it. As Mike puts it;

The killers, and I call them killers because that is what they were; were tracked down, apprehended, charged, sentenced and committed to where and what? Not to prison, or a detention centre; but instead to a "secure youth facility"! There they were given only the best, protected by law against the truly despicable grieving relatives, who only wanted vengeance for the terrible deed done against that small body, and kept safe until the age of eighteen years. Now, after an intervention by the highest sector of the British judicial system, both were freed, given new identities and allegedly a great deal of money from taxpayers funds, and total anonymity in their new identities under pain of contempt of court proceedings against anyone who publishes anything leading to their new lives!

Comments

Why the need to constantly revive hatred of these 2 boys? Many adults commit crimes as horrific, but remain anonymous to the mass of the public, serve their (lenient) sentence & return to society without a murmor from the likes of you.

[Alex]

What disgusted most decent and moral people was the fact these two little urchins were 10 or 12 years old when they killed little Jamie. Disgusted that children can do such a thing to another child, people are fully entitled to be sickened and angered at this and of the subsequet treatment (at the tax payers' expence) of these two bad little shites.

[Mike Cunningham]

Regarding the comment made by the strangely anonymous clown above, my only reply would be that we need to highlight when injustice has been done, and clamour to have it put right!

[David Vance]

Mike,

I found the anonymous comment so pathetic as to beyond my responding.

[james orr]

I dont care what age they were when they murdered Jamie Bulger - they should have been executed. Can any parent feel otherwise?

[felix quigley]

I am troubled by this posting by Mike Cunningham and also by David's criticism of first anonymous posting as that of a clown. I essentially agree with anonymous. I have to separate myself on this because of our agreement in defending Israel against the evil of anti-semitism.

My understanding of above is that these were three children. The personalities of the two killers were the personalities of children.

There is something really wrong about the opposite response. Were they children or not? What is the responsibility of society in the formation of children, especially of television?

And along with that is the basic question is it possible for people, and above all children, to change?

James Orr has defended Israel against Fascism in the past, to his great credit. I oppose him totally on this.

His views go deeper and wider than this case unfortunately. Following his logic the Birmingham Six, Annie Ward and Judith Harte would now be long executed and dead.

[Colm]

I agree with Felix here and think the response by both David and Mike to anonymous was exaggerated and unwarranted.

If Jamie Bulger had been killed by an adult, it is almost certain that it would never have generated the publicity it did. I remian convinced that they did not set out to kill him , but what started probably as a childish prank escalated into a killing. I have no problem , indeed I support a policy of deliberate adult murderers being jailed for life and meaning that, but I think the Bulger case was less clear cut and while I think they have been treated with undue leniency , I cannot see what other option the state had other than to give them the new identities on release from prison.

[Jo]

"I dont care what age they were when they murdered Jamie Bulger - they should have been executed. Can any parent feel otherwise?"

Yes, as a parent I could not support the "execution" of 12 year olds...what an insane suggestion that is.

[Madradin Ruad]

Killing Children - That's IRA behaviour. Think about it James.

[Mike Cunningham]

Jo, Colm,

My post on my own blog, made about the two young killers who took the life of Jamie Bulger was not made in support of any revival of a policy of Capital Punishment, but entirely to remind people of what had been done in the way of punishment, or rather lack of such punishment, against the two ten year-old perpetrators of this hideous and vile crime!
To give them virtually a full licence to a new life, totally behind a cast-iron anonymity grounded in the Law regarding Contempt of Court; to give them access to tax-payers funds for a full education up to and beyond possible degree status at a University of their choice; to guarantee their lives in comfort and seclusion to the point where no-one knows if they are the New Neighbour next door, is something which I can neither stomach nor forgive!
I have never worried about the 'rights' or status of criminals, as my concerns have always been centred around the rights which have been torn away from the victims!
My view has always been that this pair of devious young murderers should still be held in prison, where they might have suffered just a small amount of the torture which they so generously delivered to their tiny victim; evidence of such planned and premeditated torture was shrewdly withheld from the trials, and so they did not receive a fair trial! (fair, that is, to little Jamie Bulger)

[Eamonn]

In principle I have no objection to these two killers being released at some stage, provided that justice has been served and they have been subjected to a fitting punishment (e.g. life imprisonment). That this has not happened is blindingly obvious. That is the problem - for the barbaric murder of a toddler, these boys have been held in secure accommodation for a while before being released, and will likely have the rest of their lives heavily subsidised by the taxpayer. This is not justice, and I seriously doubt that boys capable of such an act should ever be treated as ordinary members of society again.

[Jo]

Mike
To address your fair points above - I think it timely that people are reminded about this horrific murder and that there would not appear to have been adequate punishement for the crimes. The deprivation of freedom is of itself one of the severest penalties prison can inflcit - unless of course we institionalise and officially condone the sodomy and rape that we all know goes on inside. Those calling for punishment obviously have their opwn visions and preferences of torture and pain for the convicts but these of themselves are sadistic and unworthy of civilised consideration.

We all have images of mediaeval dungeons, racks and branding irons etc - I dont think it appropriate that we have those in the 21st century, really.

[David Vance]

Jo,

I think it is the obvious lack of justice that perhaps we can all agree upon in this instance. In reminding us of it, Mike has provided a thoughtful and timely service. You only have to look at the image of the two year old tot to feel a sense of shame that justice has NOT been well served here. Jamie deserved better, and I feel bad that the system has patently let his memory down.

[felix quigley]

Looking back over my post I must correct a silly mistake, typing in a hurry I suppose, it should of course be Annie Maguire and (I think) Judith Ward.

Ah, very very difficult post to deal with. I will hold to the central idea which has at least the benefit of being optimistic, that children and people can change.

[james orr]

Let me give you all some context. I have double standards like everyone else on the planet. Thank you Felix for the earlier credit and for pointing up the apparent contradiction in my position. This specific issue is too close to my own experience for me to give an objective response.

Some of you may recall a previous post when I mentioned that around 18months ago my parents and son came within seconds of instant death outside my house - hit at over 70mph by a speeding boy racer - within a 30mph zone.

To pick up my own quivering screaming bleeding son and carry him into my house... to mop up the blood of my parents on the road at my front door... to try to keep my mother conscious until the ambulance arrived... to watch the thug who did it get away...

...anyone comes near to hurting my children and my family has me to deal with.

I hope none of you have to experience this sort of anguish and trauma - an experience which pales into utter insignificance when compared with what was inflicted on little Jamie Bulger.

[David Vance]

James,

That's terrible to read. I hope your parents and son recovered 100%.

[james orr]

DV
Thanks for that. Son and father recovered in a few weeks, my mother spent 3 weeks in intensive care followed by 5 months in hospital. She is making the best of a very bad job.

Thanks again,
J

[David Vance]

James,

You know I think that boy racers that speed at 70 in 30mph zones should be put away until they are 70 ... and made to pay for their gross recklessness.

[George Webb]

they should be still in prison, not some "secure youth shithole" little shites

[George Webb]

they should be still in prison, not some "secure youth shithole" little shites

[Gabby]

i think what they did to that little boy was terrible they are both animals and should of been sent down for life for what they did. If they were that vindictive and evil at that age what will become of them in the future? What sick kind of person would do that to a 2 year old child? and if my son did that i certainly would disown him.

[Jessica]

All I have to say to this is, what if Jamie had been your child? I don't care about Snide, and what you think are witty remarks. Say all you want. But that is how I look at this case. I love my son more than anything in the world, and if someone took his life, I'm affraid I would be all for these two boys being imprisoned. Other criminals get life sentences. What makes them so special? Because they're children? Children don't have the state of mind to take another child and kill them. THEY ARE CRIMINALS.