The Sleep of Reason: The James Bulger Case

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David James Smith. This could not be said as an easy read, mainly due to the content. It was fairly overwhelming given I did not follow the case at the time, so the whole account was brand new to me. Bates, Stephen (16 September 1999). "Bulger's mother puts her case". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015 . Retrieved 16 March 2010.

A storyline in Hollyoaks, set to begin in December 2009, was cancelled after the makers gave Bulger's mother Denise Fergus a special screening. The storyline was to feature Loretta Jones and her friend Chrissy, who had been given new identities before arriving in the village, after being convicted of murdering a child at the age of 12. [145] The critical theorist Terry Eagleton introduced his 2010 book On Evil with the story of Bulger's murder. [146] Ralph Bulger and Denise Fergus are merely afterthoughts in this account, while the mothers and fathers of the killers are given in-depth biographies. When it came to the epilogue, the author arrogantly writes “nothing will ever convince me that they were born to kill”

Johnston, Philip (3 March 2010). "Bulger killers: identifying them was a mistake". Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014 . Retrieved 8 November 2014. everyone remembers the headline news of this tragic story. I thought I knew, two young lads abducting a toddler and leaving him dead. I just couldn't comprehend it, too horrific for words. like the entire nation I watched, I read, I followed the up dates. Harris & Bright (24 June 2001). "The secret meetings that set James's killers free". The Observer. London. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013 . Retrieved 3 March 2010. Schmidt, William E. (24 February 1993). "Liverpool Tries to Reconcile Murder and a Boy Next Door". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017.

In June 2001, after a six-month review, the parole board ruled the boys were no longer a threat to public safety and could be released, as their minimum tariff had expired in February of that year. Home Secretary David Blunkett approved the decision, and they were released a few weeks later on lifelong licence after serving eight years. [63] [64] It was reported that both boys "were given new identities and moved to secret locations under a ' witness protection'-style programme." [65] This was supported by the fabrication of passports, national insurance numbers, qualification certificates, and medical records. Blunkett added his own conditions to their licence and insisted on being sent daily updates on the boys' actions. [4] In September 1999, Bulger's parents appealed to the European Court of Human Rights but failed to persuade the court that a victim of a crime has the right to be involved in determining the sentence of the perpetrator. [9] [61] The European Court case led to the new Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, reviewing the minimum sentence. In October 2000, he recommended the tariff be reduced from ten to eight years, [9] adding that Her Majesty's Young Offender Institution was a "corrosive atmosphere" for the juveniles. [62] James Bulger killer Jon Venables charged over indecent images". BBC News. 5 January 2018. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018 . Retrieved 5 January 2018. City man defends decision to publish photos of Bulger killer". Express & Echo. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original on 8 May 2011 . Retrieved 6 May 2011.

There seems to be a leaning towards both Venables and Thompson in this book, with very little attention paid to the Bulgers. While this is a interesting stance to take, and i particularly enjoyed his reasoning behind why the crimes where committed, i found there to be a bias towards them. Foster, Jonathan (2 December 1993). "Right and wrong paths to justice". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012 . Retrieved 16 March 2010.