I retired from the magistracy in 2015 after 17 years mainly as a presiding justice

United Kingdom
My current blog can be accessed at https://thejusticeofthepeaceblog.blogspot.com/

VENABLES, LEGALLY, MORALLY, PHILOSOPHICALLY, AND FINANCIALLY

 

06. Mar. 2010. – 12:19:34

Like many others involved directly with the legal system I`ve been thinking through the facts in the Venables case. He is only the fourth individual to have had life lifelong anonymity granted to him. The others being his co defendant Robert Thompson and Mary Bell and her daughter. With Venables in custody and its being only a matter of time before full details are available officially or unofficially decisions will have to be taken on whether he has forfeited his cloak of invisibility. This is primarily a legal and arguably a moral decision. However I pose the question that if he has an absolute right to anonymity would that continue if he were to appear in court on a serious charge? Irrespective of the outcome of said trial would he be offered a further change of identity? Is this process an indefinite guarantee? The legal answers, the moral viewpoints and the financial implications are on a collision course.

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