Thousands back Waterlooville gran's plea to jail James Bulger's killer for life

Jon Venables pictured after his arrest in 1992

Caroline Dawson, 43, and her partner Andy Dorey, 50, have launched a campaign calling for the murder to spend the rest of his life in jail.

Their petition has been backed by almost 20,000 people.

Venables was just 10 when he and his friend Robert Thompson kidnapped, tortured and killed the two-year-old on a railway line in Walton.

He was released after eight years and given a new taxpayer-funded identity which the press is banned from revealing. Thompson has also been released and has not re-offended.

Since his release from jail for vicious killing of the toddler on February 12, 1993, Venables has been convicted twice for possessing indecent images of children.

Cleaner Ms Dawson, of Grebe Close, Wecock, said: ‘He is a beast. He is sick, twisted and pure evil. He has shown no remorse for what he has done and is a danger to society. Do we want a man like that free on the streets? No.’

Ms Dawson said she has been ‘blown away’ by the response of the public since the petition was launched three weeks ago.

Andy Dorey, 50, of Wecock, and his partner Caroline Dawson. They've launched a petition to keep James Bulger's killer locked behind bars for the rest of his life.

‘We were thrilled when we woke up the next morning with 88 signatures,’ she said. ‘But we never imagined that three weeks later we would have 20,000 people.’

She added: ‘I remember James’s death like it was yesterday. It just shocked the world.

‘It was horrifying. My first son was three at the time, the same age as James.’

To sign the petition, search ‘Jail Jon Venables for life without parole’ on change.org.