Attorney General v (1) Neil Harkins and (2) Dean Liddle [2013] EWHC 1455 (Admin)
9 months imprisonment suspended for 15 months.
The sentencing followed action by Attorney General Dominic Grieve against Liddle, 28, and Harkins, 35, who admitted to posting pictures on Twitter and Facebook respectively in February – two days after the 20th anniversary of the murder.
The court heard Liddle, and Harkins, who is from Bridlington, had published images that purported to depict Venables and Thompson as adults. The judges, Sir John Thomas, president of the Queen’s Bench Division, and Mr Justice Tugendhat, acknowledged that both men removed the offending pictures quickly and had apologised.
Sir John said: “In the view of the court, their [Harkins’ and Liddle’s] conduct has to be judged on the basis that they knew what they were doing was wrong, and it was no excuse that others were doing it.
“Vigilantism has no place in a civilised country and it is for the purpose of deterring such conduct that we must have particular regard.”
He added: “The social media can reach many people – as this case shows – and therefore the conduct of anyone publishing such information, whether it be on social media or elsewhere on the internet, has that very serious consequence.”