Two individuals have been given a suspended jail sentence of nine months for breaching the worldwide privacy injunction that protects the killers of James Bulger.

The individuals posted photographs online which they said were of Jon Venables and Richard Thompson.

Although they had not seen a copy of the injunction, the court said that it was an aggravating factor that the individuals had known of the injunction and been determined to breach it.

The court said that the suspended jail sentences were appropriate in this case because of the need to uphold the rule of law and the seriousness of the injunction which was intended to protect the lives of Venables and Thompson as well as those wrongly identified as them. In those circumstances, the court had to punish the individuals for their actions as well as send out a strong message to deter others from breaching similar injunctions.

The court also said that, in the future, individuals could expect a substantial jail term (which would not be suspended) for similar actions.

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