Killer of James Bulger gaoled for downloading indecent images

The BBC reports that one of the killers of James Bulger has been gaoled for two years after admitting downloading and distributing indecent images of children. Jon Venables was 10 when he and Robert Thompson committed the crime in 1993.

Under Section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978, it is an offence to take or make, distribute or show any indecent photograph or pseudo photograph of a child. Under Section 160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, it is an offence to have any indecent photograph of a child in the Defendant’s possession.

However both of those offences were limited to photographs or pseudo-photographs. Section 63 to 69 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 criminalised possession of extreme pornographic images, and now section 62 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 makes it an offence to possess prohibited images of a child under 18.