How many people, like myself, were appalled at the news in Thursday's Press of the damages awarded to the killers of Jamie Bulger (Evening Press, December 16)? What sort of a crazy society are we living in? How on earth can judges in Strasbourg come up with such a decision as awarding £15,000 and £29,000 for killing an innocent toddler? No matter how you look at it, this is what it means.

How the parents of poor Jamie feel I don't know. If the parents of Venables and Thompson have any feeling in them at all they should refuse the money.

One other thing that does come out of this is that the sooner we cut our ties and release the stranglehold the European Commission has on us the better. Otherwise we will soon be having to ask their permission to blow our noses.

Alan Hill,

Church Lane, Ripon.

...The madness keeps flowing out of European Union headquarters, Brussels and Strasbourg!

They have now told our fishermen to cut their quotas of fish by 50 percent and have told our government that the two boys who murdered little Jamie Bulger did not get a fair trial.

How much longer can this country put up with so much nonsense? The British people need a referendum now on the chance to pull out of the EU now.

David Quarrie,

Lynden Way, York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.