THE Children’s Commissioner has apologised for the “hurt” she caused James Bulger’s mother by calling for a raise the age of criminal responsibility. Dr Maggie Atkinson angered Denise Fergus by suggesting Jon Venables and Robert Thompson should not have been tried in an adult court.

The pair were 10 when they killed two-year-old James in Bootle in 1993.

At the weekend, Dr Atkinson described James’ killing as “exceptionally unpleasant” but said children under the age of 12 were too young to understand the full consequences of their criminal actions.

The remarks were condemned by Mrs Fergus, of Kirkby, as “twisted and insensitive”.

Yesterday, Dr Atkinson said: “There is a private letter of apology from me going to Denise Fergus for the hurt which was caused by the comments.”

But she stood by her claim the age of criminal responsibility should be raised from 10 to 12.

She said: “You may know the difference between right and wrong. Some 10-year-olds don’t – depends how well developed they are.

“You are unlikely to understand the consequences to the rest of your life if you do something horrific, which is what those two young men, now 27-year-olds, did when they killed James.”

She said the pair should have been tried in a “juvenile setting” but stressed children under the age of 12 should not avoid prosecution for crimes.

She added: “I am not saying if a child, even under a raised age of criminal responsibility, commits an offence they should not be punished.”