Tina Malone summoned to High Court for 'sharing a picture of James Bulger's murderer'

25 January 2019, 11:28 | Updated: 25 January 2019, 12:32

The former Shameless star breached a High Court injunction after retweeting a picture claiming to be Jon Venables and the maximum penalty for contempt of court is two years in prison or a fine.

Tina Malone has begged her social media followers for legal advice after receiving a high court summons for contempt of court, after allegedly tweeting a photo of James Bulger's killer.

The former Shameless star, 55, has asked for a lawyer after receiving the letter for retweeting a picture claiming to be the now-adult Jon Venables, who was granted a court order protecting his identity - which prevents people from sharing pictures of him.

Read more: Controversial James Bulger film 'Detainment' nominated for Oscar

She wrote on Facebook: "I need a lawyer asap!!!! Iv been committed to the high court!!!... (sic)

"Omg anyone know any free legal lawyer for me asap!!!! Im serious!!! Becoz i retweeted something!!”

Speaking about her decision to retweet the photo to the Daily Star last year, Tina said: “I didn’t have a clue it was illegal.

"What are you going to do ... prosecute me for posting a picture? I didn’t realise. I am not au fait with the law.”

The maximum sentence for contempt of court is two years' imprisonment, but it can also be punished with a fine.

Venables, who was convicted along with Robert Thompson for murdering two-year-old James Bulger in 1993, was 10-years-old when he committed the sickening crime.

They abducted James from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, and brutally tortured him to death, in a case that shocked the world.

The pair served eight years in prison, and were given new identities when they were released from jail.

However, Venables returned to prison in 2010 for two years after being found to be in possession of child abuse images.

The Attorney General’s (AG) Office confirmed to the Liverpool Echo that the letter Tina received was in relation to retweeting the photo.

They said in a statement: “The Law Officers will review contempt of court allegations made to them, but they cannot comment on the nature of any investigations.

"The Law Officers remind everyone that an injunction is in place which prevents publication of any images or information claiming to identify anyone as Jon Venables or Robert Thompson.”

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