A British man once convicted of murder as a 10-year-old is facing new charges that will reportedly be tried behind closed doors.
According to the U.K. Guardian, Jon Venables, 35, has been hit with charges pertaining to indecent images of children. Crown Prosecution Service said the trial will be held in private in an unnamed court.
The man returned to prison last November after allegedly being caught in possession with images of child abuse.
A statement from Crown Prosecution Service to the Guardian stated that the Venables has been charged, but in order to preserve justice, “no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.”
In February 1993, Venables and Robert Thompson — both aged 10 — kidnapped, tortured and killed Liverpool toddler James Bulger, 2.
James Bulger who was beaten to death by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson on a railway line in Liverpool, England, in February 1993 is shown in this undated file photo.
The BBC reported the toddler was reported missing by his mother outside a butcher shop in Bootle, England. Surveillance video showed Venables and Thompson luring the toddler away.
Bulger’s body was found two days later on a train line. The partially nude boy was beaten to death with bricks and a metal bar.
The 10-year-olds were convicted of murder in November 1993 and sentenced to jail. After serving eight-year sentences, Venables and Thompson were released and given new identities in 2001.
In 2010, Venables returned to prison for a two year sentence after pleading guilty to downloading and distributing child porn. He was released in 2013 with a second new identity, the BBC reported.
