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| Prison officer gave press tips on James Bulger killer driven ‘by injustice at jail’ | Prison officer gave press tips on James Bulger killer driven ‘by injustice at jail’ |
| (2 months later) | |
| Press Association | |
| Tue 21 Oct 2014 19.44 BST | |
| Last modified on Thu 30 Nov 2017 06.51 GMT | |
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| A prison officer who contacted the press about Jon Venables, jailed for killing the toddler James Bulger in 1993, has told a court he was shocked at the sums of money the tabloids were “chucking” at him for stories but said he passed on information because of the “complete injustice” of the inmate’s special treatment behind bars. | A prison officer who contacted the press about Jon Venables, jailed for killing the toddler James Bulger in 1993, has told a court he was shocked at the sums of money the tabloids were “chucking” at him for stories but said he passed on information because of the “complete injustice” of the inmate’s special treatment behind bars. |
| Scott Chapman is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of accepting £40,000 in exchange for tips about Venables while the latter, at the age of 27, was back in jail for child porn offences in 2010. | Scott Chapman is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of accepting £40,000 in exchange for tips about Venables while the latter, at the age of 27, was back in jail for child porn offences in 2010. |
| “The overall total sounds staggering,” Chapman told the court, “I’m human. It shocked me. Money they were chucking at me – £2,500 for a five-minute conversation.” | “The overall total sounds staggering,” Chapman told the court, “I’m human. It shocked me. Money they were chucking at me – £2,500 for a five-minute conversation.” |
| He was allegedly the source of a string of stories in the Sun, News Of The World, Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, People, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday. | He was allegedly the source of a string of stories in the Sun, News Of The World, Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, People, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday. |
| Giving evidence in his defence, Chapman broke down in tears as he told jurors why he had first contacted the Sun. | Giving evidence in his defence, Chapman broke down in tears as he told jurors why he had first contacted the Sun. |
| He said he felt strongly about improvements at the prison where he worked because of his guilt about the suicide of an inmate on his watch shortly after he had arrived there in 2003, the court heard. All inmates were equal and entered the system in a “safe, secure and relaxed environment”, even serial killers, famous footballers and terror suspects. | He said he felt strongly about improvements at the prison where he worked because of his guilt about the suicide of an inmate on his watch shortly after he had arrived there in 2003, the court heard. All inmates were equal and entered the system in a “safe, secure and relaxed environment”, even serial killers, famous footballers and terror suspects. |
| But Venables, arriving without warning in March 2010, was treated differently and that had had a “huge impact”. | But Venables, arriving without warning in March 2010, was treated differently and that had had a “huge impact”. |
| Chapman said: “I phoned the newspaper because I thought everything that was happening was wrong. It was impacting on the good work we had been doing at the prison. It was impacting on the smooth operation of where I was working. My motivation was to try to highlight what was happening, to stop it happening.” | Chapman said: “I phoned the newspaper because I thought everything that was happening was wrong. It was impacting on the good work we had been doing at the prison. It was impacting on the smooth operation of where I was working. My motivation was to try to highlight what was happening, to stop it happening.” |
| Asked by his lawyer, Paul Mendelle QC, whether money had entered into the conversation, he said: “Yes, [the Sun journalist] raised the topic of money and payment and things like that. The gist of what he was saying was every story that was printed in the paper had to have a source and somebody had to get paid.” He went on to say the reporter had told him it was not illegal but just “the way papers run”. | Asked by his lawyer, Paul Mendelle QC, whether money had entered into the conversation, he said: “Yes, [the Sun journalist] raised the topic of money and payment and things like that. The gist of what he was saying was every story that was printed in the paper had to have a source and somebody had to get paid.” He went on to say the reporter had told him it was not illegal but just “the way papers run”. |
| Asked if he had phoned, wanting to be paid, Chapman said: “Payment never entered my mind. I just rang up with a complete injustice at the time. I just think it’s wrong.” | Asked if he had phoned, wanting to be paid, Chapman said: “Payment never entered my mind. I just rang up with a complete injustice at the time. I just think it’s wrong.” |
| He told the jury he thought it might lead to disciplinary proceedings if he got caught leaking information to the Sun, but another more senior reporter, who became his main contact, told him: “While you are an active source you are a protected source.” | He told the jury he thought it might lead to disciplinary proceedings if he got caught leaking information to the Sun, but another more senior reporter, who became his main contact, told him: “While you are an active source you are a protected source.” |
| Chapman said he started phoning other newspapers after the Sun journalist began “pestering” him on the phone, making him feel “trapped”. | Chapman said he started phoning other newspapers after the Sun journalist began “pestering” him on the phone, making him feel “trapped”. |
| He said: “I remember him saying the only way a source becomes no good to the Sun is if the information gets duplicated in other papers, because that’s what they are fighting for. I thought I would test the theory.” | He said: “I remember him saying the only way a source becomes no good to the Sun is if the information gets duplicated in other papers, because that’s what they are fighting for. I thought I would test the theory.” |
| Chapman was dismissed from his job for reasons of medical grounds in April 2011, a few months after his personal phone was seized at the prison and the information on it removed. He carried on talking to newspapers but only passed on recycled details about Venables that had already been printed, he said. | Chapman was dismissed from his job for reasons of medical grounds in April 2011, a few months after his personal phone was seized at the prison and the information on it removed. He carried on talking to newspapers but only passed on recycled details about Venables that had already been printed, he said. |
| Chapman, 42, and his former partner Lynn Gaffney, 40, of Corby, Northamptonshire, deny misconduct in a public office. | Chapman, 42, and his former partner Lynn Gaffney, 40, of Corby, Northamptonshire, deny misconduct in a public office. |
| The Sunday Star reporter Tom Savage, 37, of south London, and a News Of The World journalist, who cannot be named for legal reasons, deny conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office. | The Sunday Star reporter Tom Savage, 37, of south London, and a News Of The World journalist, who cannot be named for legal reasons, deny conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office. |
| James Bulger murder | |
| Prisons and probation | |
| The Sun | |
| News of the World | |
| Daily Mirror | |
| Sunday Mirror | |
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