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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Jon Venables tweet gets man suspended jail term | Jon Venables tweet gets man suspended jail term |
| (1 day later) | |
| Press Association | |
| Wed 27 Nov 2013 12.47 GMT | |
| First published on Wed 27 Nov 2013 12.47 GMT | |
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| A man who tweeted images purporting to be of James Bulger's killer Jon Venables as an adult has been given a 14-month suspended prison sentence. | A man who tweeted images purporting to be of James Bulger's killer Jon Venables as an adult has been given a 14-month suspended prison sentence. |
| The term, suspended for 15 months, was handed down at London's high court for a flagrant contempt of court on the part of 27-year-old security guard James Baines. Baines, who is from Liverpool and close to the Bulger family, will also have to pay £3,000 in costs. | The term, suspended for 15 months, was handed down at London's high court for a flagrant contempt of court on the part of 27-year-old security guard James Baines. Baines, who is from Liverpool and close to the Bulger family, will also have to pay £3,000 in costs. |
| He admitted disobeying a January 2001 injunction binding on the whole world, which prohibits the publication of any information purporting to identify the appearance, whereabouts, movements or new identities of Venables or Robert Thompson, who were convicted of the two-year-old's murder in November 1993. | He admitted disobeying a January 2001 injunction binding on the whole world, which prohibits the publication of any information purporting to identify the appearance, whereabouts, movements or new identities of Venables or Robert Thompson, who were convicted of the two-year-old's murder in November 1993. |
| It was made on the basis that the pair would face an acute risk of serious physical harm or death upon their release. | It was made on the basis that the pair would face an acute risk of serious physical harm or death upon their release. |
| The case was referred by the attorney general, Dominic Grieve, after Baines put images purporting to identify Venables as an adult on his Twitter profile on 14 February this year – the 20th anniversary of the crime. | The case was referred by the attorney general, Dominic Grieve, after Baines put images purporting to identify Venables as an adult on his Twitter profile on 14 February this year – the 20th anniversary of the crime. |
| One image showed Venables in a school photograph as a child while below and alongside were different images of an adult male. | One image showed Venables in a school photograph as a child while below and alongside were different images of an adult male. |
| They were accompanied by the tweet: "Its on bbc news about the jon venables pic on twitter saying its been removed eerrm no it hasn't." | They were accompanied by the tweet: "Its on bbc news about the jon venables pic on twitter saying its been removed eerrm no it hasn't." |
| The attorney general said in a statement: "It gives me no pleasure to bring a third case for breaching this injunction and I do so purely in the wider public interest. | The attorney general said in a statement: "It gives me no pleasure to bring a third case for breaching this injunction and I do so purely in the wider public interest. |
| "The order has been in place for many years and applies to both media organisations and individuals. It is meant not only to protect Venables and Thompson but also those members of the public who have been incorrectly identified as being either of them." | "The order has been in place for many years and applies to both media organisations and individuals. It is meant not only to protect Venables and Thompson but also those members of the public who have been incorrectly identified as being either of them." |
| Baines's counsel, Peter Lownds, said the tweet came at a highly emotional time for the community. | Baines's counsel, Peter Lownds, said the tweet came at a highly emotional time for the community. |
| Baines, who attended the same school as cousins of the Bulger family, admitted that he went "far too far". | Baines, who attended the same school as cousins of the Bulger family, admitted that he went "far too far". |
| "He had a very strong emotional reaction to the anniversary. He accepts it is not an excuse for his behaviour but it is offered as some explanation for why he became involved in the very substantial social communication over Twitter and Facebook at about that time. | "He had a very strong emotional reaction to the anniversary. He accepts it is not an excuse for his behaviour but it is offered as some explanation for why he became involved in the very substantial social communication over Twitter and Facebook at about that time. |
| "He recognises and accepts that, while he is entitled to hold his strong views, he was completely wrong to do what he did on that day and was not entitled to take the law into his own hands." | "He recognises and accepts that, while he is entitled to hold his strong views, he was completely wrong to do what he did on that day and was not entitled to take the law into his own hands." |
| He said the court had seen a letter from James's father, Ralph, which was relevant to the situation and reflected discussions he had had with Baines. | He said the court had seen a letter from James's father, Ralph, which was relevant to the situation and reflected discussions he had had with Baines. |
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