This belief is shared by Detective Superintendent Albert Kirby who’s in charge of the investigation. He dismisses the boys as murderers but still wants to question them. Kirby believes they are looking for teenagers. So in a desperate bid for more information he asks Crimewatch to help. The programme is to be broadcast on Thursday 18 February. For the first time in the programme’s history an appeal is to be launched in the same week the murder has been committed. During the broadcast police release newer and better enhanced images of the two boys hoping that someone will be able to identify the two individuals.

This book is a cry of pain from a father who has stared into the gruesome face of pure evil and,even worse, has been betrayed by the judicial system that should have eradicated that evil without compunction. As Ralph says, "It was always about Thompson and Venables - their treatment, their recovery, their progress, their education and their human rights. I think that, morally speaking, they gave up their human rights the day they battered and murdered my son." Detainment' Makes Oscars Shortlist". Winchester Today. 21 December 2018. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019 . Retrieved 7 January 2019. On Thursday 18 February the arresting officers start to interview the two boys. Thompson has been taken to Walton Lane Police Station and Venables has found himself in Liverpool’s Lower Lane Police Station. Both boys have samples of their blood, hair and fingernails taken.Wood, Richard (24 June 2019). "James Bulger murder: Infamous child killer could move to Australia". Nine News. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019 . Retrieved 24 June 2019. On 22 June 2001, having served their eight years, both Thompson and Venables are released on a lifelong license. Both men are given new identities and moved to different parts of the country to maintain their safety. An injunction prevents the press from publishing any details about the two killers. In April 2010, a 19-year-old man from the Isle of Man was given a three-month suspended prison sentence for falsely claiming in a Facebook message that one of his former colleagues was Thompson. In passing sentence, Deputy High Bailiff Alastair Montgomerie said that the teenager had "put that person at significant risk of serious harm" and in a "perilous position" by making the allegation. [83] In March 2012, a 26-year-old man from Chorley, Lancashire, was arrested after allegedly setting up a Facebook group with the title "What happened to Jamie Bulger was f**king hilarious." The man's computer was seized for further investigations. [84] Two youngsters who found a new rule to break". The Guardian. 25 November 1993. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015 . Retrieved 10 March 2013.

Having watched documentaries about this case, it was an entirely different scenario hearing from Denise Fergus herself and how she has fought for justice for her son since his death. Denise is a truly remarkable woman, and her strength for her family is admirable. So much has been written about her family over the years and she has not always been treated with the respect both her and James deserve by the media and social media trolls. On 12th February 1993, Denise Fergus' life changed forever. As she was running errands at New Strand Shopping Centre, she let go of her two-year-old son's hand for a few seconds to take out her purse. All I can say is that James for me is a symbol of beauty, innocence & perfection. He encapsulates everything that I love about life when I see his smiling face, or read about his giggly & energetic character.a b "Young suspects 'intimidated' by trial". BBC. 15 March 1999. Archived from the original on 7 July 2003 . Retrieved 16 March 2010. The essence of who James Bulger actually was shone through in this book. I never knew he was a cheeky, full on, charismatic little boy. Now, 20 years' later, Ralph has decided to pay tribute to his wonderful son's short life by writing his side of the story of his precious memories of James, the events around his murder, the trial of the killers, & the years of pain & sadness & outrage that followed for Ralph & his family - including the break-up of his marriage to Denise. 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.