This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/dec/11/former-news-of-the-world-reporter-sentenced-jon-venables-leaks
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Ex-NoW reporter given suspended sentence over Jon Venables stories | Ex-NoW reporter given suspended sentence over Jon Venables stories |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| A former News of the World journalist has been spared jail in relation to illegal payments to a prison officer for tips about Jon Venables, one of the killers of two-year-old James Bulger. | A former News of the World journalist has been spared jail in relation to illegal payments to a prison officer for tips about Jon Venables, one of the killers of two-year-old James Bulger. |
| The journalist, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for one year. | The journalist, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for one year. |
| The reporter was also ordered at the Old Bailey on Thursday to do 150 hours unpaid work and put under tagged curfew for three months. between the hours of 6pm and 7am. | The reporter was also ordered at the Old Bailey on Thursday to do 150 hours unpaid work and put under tagged curfew for three months. between the hours of 6pm and 7am. |
| Addressing the journalist in the dock, Judge Wide said this would be “a daily reminder of how close to prison you came”. | Addressing the journalist in the dock, Judge Wide said this would be “a daily reminder of how close to prison you came”. |
| The former prison officer, Scott Chapman, 42, and his then wife, Lynn Gaffney, 40, were handed jail sentences. | The former prison officer, Scott Chapman, 42, and his then wife, Lynn Gaffney, 40, were handed jail sentences. |
| Chapman was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail, while Gaffney, who allowed her bank account to be used for payments, was given 30 weeks. | |
| The judge said that Venables had committed a “truly awful crime” when he was 10 years old, which “with justification stayed in public memory”. | The judge said that Venables had committed a “truly awful crime” when he was 10 years old, which “with justification stayed in public memory”. |
| He had been returned to prison in 2010 after admitting downloading and distributing pictures of child abuse. | He had been returned to prison in 2010 after admitting downloading and distributing pictures of child abuse. |
| Turning to the reporter, Wide said: “It is obvious that you knew perfectly well that Chapman was a prison officer but you persisted in your denials. | Turning to the reporter, Wide said: “It is obvious that you knew perfectly well that Chapman was a prison officer but you persisted in your denials. |
| He added: “You also claimed you had been acting consciously in the public interest. I don’t accept that”. | He added: “You also claimed you had been acting consciously in the public interest. I don’t accept that”. |
| Chapman made £40,450 by selling tips for 39 stories to seven newspapers: the Sun, Sunday Mirror, People, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, Daily Star Sunday and the News of the World, the judge noted. | Chapman made £40,450 by selling tips for 39 stories to seven newspapers: the Sun, Sunday Mirror, People, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, Daily Star Sunday and the News of the World, the judge noted. |
| In sentencing, Wide said he took account of the fact the reporter in the dock was only involved in two stories, that Venables had been given board games and a personal trainer, and these were not very prominent. | In sentencing, Wide said he took account of the fact the reporter in the dock was only involved in two stories, that Venables had been given board games and a personal trainer, and these were not very prominent. |
| “The two stories you wrote, separated by only a fortnight, were not very sensitive revelations and … these were, in the jargon, back of the book, “ said Wide. | “The two stories you wrote, separated by only a fortnight, were not very sensitive revelations and … these were, in the jargon, back of the book, “ said Wide. |
| He said Chapman was motivated by greed and had made more money than any other public official who had faced a similar sentence. | He said Chapman was motivated by greed and had made more money than any other public official who had faced a similar sentence. |
| He told him he had committed a “very grave” offence when he revealed to journalists the assumed name of Venables, who had been given a new identity when first released for the Bulger killing. | He told him he had committed a “very grave” offence when he revealed to journalists the assumed name of Venables, who had been given a new identity when first released for the Bulger killing. |
| In his mitigation plea Chapman’s barrister Paul Mendelle, QC, told Wide that Chapman had not “volunteered” this information but was asked for it as a way of verifying his credentials to journalists. Venables’ new name was “common knowledge” on Fleet Street, he said. | In his mitigation plea Chapman’s barrister Paul Mendelle, QC, told Wide that Chapman had not “volunteered” this information but was asked for it as a way of verifying his credentials to journalists. Venables’ new name was “common knowledge” on Fleet Street, he said. |
| “It was asked of him of a badge of genuineness, it wasn’t something he volunteered,” said Mendelle. | “It was asked of him of a badge of genuineness, it wasn’t something he volunteered,” said Mendelle. |
| Passing sentence Wide told him: “It is a seriously aggravating feature that in that first call you told the journalist his [Venables’] assumed name. | Passing sentence Wide told him: “It is a seriously aggravating feature that in that first call you told the journalist his [Venables’] assumed name. |
| “I regard that as very grave indeed. Whether it’s common knowledge in what is known as Fleet St is beside the point.” | “I regard that as very grave indeed. Whether it’s common knowledge in what is known as Fleet St is beside the point.” |
| Mendelle had pleaded with the judge for leniency arguing that Chapman would be singled out for punishment by prisoners using “boiling water with sugar so the boiling water sticks to the skin and a plastic toilet brush with twin blades, so the cuts are far apart that they can’t be succesfully stitched.” | Mendelle had pleaded with the judge for leniency arguing that Chapman would be singled out for punishment by prisoners using “boiling water with sugar so the boiling water sticks to the skin and a plastic toilet brush with twin blades, so the cuts are far apart that they can’t be succesfully stitched.” |
| Mendelle told Judge Wide: “He said to me today that the worst things in prison are number one, an ex-prison officer, number two, an ex-policeman, and number three a sex offender. “ | Mendelle told Judge Wide: “He said to me today that the worst things in prison are number one, an ex-prison officer, number two, an ex-policeman, and number three a sex offender. “ |
| Gaffney had allowed her bank account to be used for £10,000 of the payments to her former husband, | Gaffney had allowed her bank account to be used for £10,000 of the payments to her former husband, |
| Wide said: “This was effectively money laundering and you took an active part. It was not passive acquiescence.” | Wide said: “This was effectively money laundering and you took an active part. It was not passive acquiescence.” |
| The stories related to a period in 2010 when Venables was sent back to prison after admitting downloading and distributing indecent images of children. | The stories related to a period in 2010 when Venables was sent back to prison after admitting downloading and distributing indecent images of children. |
| The resulting stories hat appeared in newspapers included one in which he was described as sitting in his “den” strumming Oasis hits, and others reporting his fascination with child wizard Harry Potter and his attempts to lose weight. | The resulting stories hat appeared in newspapers included one in which he was described as sitting in his “den” strumming Oasis hits, and others reporting his fascination with child wizard Harry Potter and his attempts to lose weight. |
| The articles claimed the prison service had made life inside prison for Venables as “comfortable as possible” and the journalist had said during the trial that it was “in the public interest” to reveal Venables had been given board games and a personal trainer. | The articles claimed the prison service had made life inside prison for Venables as “comfortable as possible” and the journalist had said during the trial that it was “in the public interest” to reveal Venables had been given board games and a personal trainer. |
| Giving evidence, the journalist said: “He had been taken in by the prison service, given millions of pounds for a new identity and then repeat-offended, and the prison service deal with it by making his life as comfortable as possible. Public interest. What sort of message are they sending out to him that it’s OK to look at two-year-olds being raped?” | Giving evidence, the journalist said: “He had been taken in by the prison service, given millions of pounds for a new identity and then repeat-offended, and the prison service deal with it by making his life as comfortable as possible. Public interest. What sort of message are they sending out to him that it’s OK to look at two-year-olds being raped?” |
| The reporter denied knowing that Chapman was a prison officer and denied receiving picture messages from him showing his prison security pass and a wage slip. | The reporter denied knowing that Chapman was a prison officer and denied receiving picture messages from him showing his prison security pass and a wage slip. |
| In evidence the journalist said the consequences of articles were always thought about before publication. “I think I would have been thinking about the public interest of the story rather than the impact on Jon Venables’s mental state,” the reporter said. “I would have thought the fact he had to live with the fact he murdered a two-year-old would have more affected his mental state than a piece in the News of the World that he may or may not have seen.” | In evidence the journalist said the consequences of articles were always thought about before publication. “I think I would have been thinking about the public interest of the story rather than the impact on Jon Venables’s mental state,” the reporter said. “I would have thought the fact he had to live with the fact he murdered a two-year-old would have more affected his mental state than a piece in the News of the World that he may or may not have seen.” |
| The reporter said both tabloid and broadsheet newspapers wrote stories about Venables’s treatment in prison “because they believed the public should know these things”. | The reporter said both tabloid and broadsheet newspapers wrote stories about Venables’s treatment in prison “because they believed the public should know these things”. |
| Chapman said he sold the stories because of his concern at the “complete injustice” of what he saw as Venables’ preferential treatment in prison, and that the money was welcome but a secondary concern. “The overall total sounds staggering,” Chapman told the court, “I’m human. It shocked me. Money they were chucking at me – £2,500 for a five-minute conversation.” | Chapman said he sold the stories because of his concern at the “complete injustice” of what he saw as Venables’ preferential treatment in prison, and that the money was welcome but a secondary concern. “The overall total sounds staggering,” Chapman told the court, “I’m human. It shocked me. Money they were chucking at me – £2,500 for a five-minute conversation.” |
| The journalist also denied any knowledge of emails allegedly sent to their boss referring to Chapman as a “prison tipster” and “prison guy”. | The journalist also denied any knowledge of emails allegedly sent to their boss referring to Chapman as a “prison tipster” and “prison guy”. |
| Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC told the court bank account analysis showed Gaffney was “liquidating funds” from newspaper deals for Chapman and giving him money in cash. | Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC told the court bank account analysis showed Gaffney was “liquidating funds” from newspaper deals for Chapman and giving him money in cash. |
| Analyst Nadia Tuominem said that between April 2000 and February 2012, her expenditure outweighed her income by £12,815 – equal to around a third share of the £40,000 total payments. | Analyst Nadia Tuominem said that between April 2000 and February 2012, her expenditure outweighed her income by £12,815 – equal to around a third share of the £40,000 total payments. |
| The couple spent more than £15,000 on holidays between January 2010 and April 2012, including a family trip to Orlando, Florida, in September 2011, she said. | The couple spent more than £15,000 on holidays between January 2010 and April 2012, including a family trip to Orlando, Florida, in September 2011, she said. |
| • This article was amended on 12 December 2014. An earlier version said Lynn Gaffney was given a 13-week jail term: Judge Wide pointed out the day after the sentencing that everyone in the court had misheard him. |