Simon Jenkins is a journalist and author as well as broadcasting for the BBC so he may be either accused of biting the hand that feeds him or as having a unique insight when he writes

"The chief enemy of British freedom at present is the British press"

"Following a possible breach in Venables' new identity, he was pursued and allegedly caught with pornography on his computer.
It is unclear whether this allegation, while sufficient to send him back to prison, would be enough for him to stand trial.

The media took up the cry.

BBC News, now chasing ratings with tabloid fervour, covered the Venables case extensively.
His crime was "almost too terrible to contemplate", it announced, before contemplating it at length.
The tabloids went into full outrage mode.
The Sun offered perhaps the most prejudicial front page in modern times, declaring: "On a scale of 1 to 5, Venables' child porn rated 4."

Leading a pack that included the Mirror and Mail titles, the Sun was unfazed by an attempted government injunction of restraint.
It wrote of "experts horrified" at Venables' computer material, "among the most depraved and serious anyone could possess" and involving "an element of sexual violence against children". There was no sign of Venables having done more than allegedly look at porn images.

Denise Fergus, who was demanding "justice" and the "right to know". Why victims' families should enjoy special rights long after a case is over is not explained.

The history of justice is of the channelling of personal vendetta and communal revenge into the rule of law.
Now the law seems to be going backwards, towards the lynch mob."

full article 9th March