"What he's done is wrong so he needs to be punished. [38] Thompson was considered to have taken the leading role in the abduction process, though it was Venables who had apparently initiated the idea of taking Bulger to the railway line. [87], On 27 November 2013, a man from Liverpool received a fourteen-month suspended prison sentence for posting images on Twitter claiming to show Venables. [37] These aspects were later criticised by the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in 1999 that they had not received a fair trial by being tried in public in an adult court. They were tried as adults and made to stand in the dock away from their parents, while the judges and barristers wore full gowns and wigs. Ian, aged 15, subsequently asked to be taken into care and when he was returned home he tried to kill himself by overdosing on painkillers. In my judgment, your conduct was both cunning and very wicked. In court, Venables was the more emotional of the two defendants, crying openly and leaning against the shoulder of his social worker. Early press reports and police statements had referred to Bulger being seen with "two youths" (suggesting that the killers were teenagers), the ages of the boys being difficult to ascertain from the images captured by CCTV. James was snatched from the Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12, 1993, by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. He pleaded guilty to these charges. It was arguably the most shocking crime in modern British history; the toddlers murderers were both just ten years old at the time. Research into the James Bulger Murders Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. [111] He pleaded guilty to charges of downloading and distributing child pornography, and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. He said he was frightened of Robert's older brother. [6][7], Closed-circuit television (CCTV) at the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle on 12 February 1993 showed Thompson and Venables casually observing children, apparently selecting a target. "[85][86] On 26 April, two men received suspended jail sentences of nine months after admitting to contempt of court, by publishing photographs that they claimed to be of Venables and Thompson on Facebook and Twitter. Both men were charged with a public order offence, but this was later dropped. so they were put in a lower year. WebBackground Crime Sentencing Robert Thompson . Once again, her absent husband was curiously left alone by the press. [9] The increased minimum term was overturned in 1997 by the House of Lords that ruled it "unlawful" for the Home Secretary to decide on minimum sentences for young offenders. James Bulger killer Robert Thompson vanished without After they left the scene, his body was cut in half by a train. "[107][108], On 21 June 2010, Venables was charged with possession and distribution of indecent images of children. Parents are invariably ordinary people with problems of their own. [117] In November 2010, a review of the National Probation Service handling of the case by David Omand found that probation officers could not have prevented Venables from downloading child sexual abuse material. "[55] The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 clarified the rules on the availability of certain types of video material to children. So whats the ultimate answer here? The use of the footage was criticised by Bulger's mother, and Seven apologised. [34] Thompson is said to have asked police whether Bulger had been taken to hospital to "get him alive again. Some seven years later, the Court of Human Rights would rule that they should never have been tried in an adult court. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Was John Wayne Gacy assisted by accomplices? James Bulger Case When a child kills, we need to look at the parents for an explanation. He has never really been what you would call a sagger off school (a truant). [24][25][26] He sustained 10 skull fractures as a result of the bar striking his head. He was working at Pizza Hut. He has been educated. [28] Bulger's severed body was discovered by a group of children two days later. In an exclusive interview with Metro.co.uk, the woman, who must remain anonymous to protect Venables' anonymity, revealed she was "seduced by the devil," and only recently found out that she'd actually dated him. [30] Forensic tests confirmed that both boys had the same blue paint on their clothing as found on Bulger's body. Both Venables and Robert Thompson An undated photo Both boys had been held back a year, and they were put in the same class. The parents themselves are not murderers, but whatever blame attaches to them has been abundantly punished. Jon's parents, who sat in court for most of the trial, said they grieved for the Bulgers. [2] Awaiting trial, they were held in the secure units where they would eventually be sentenced to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure. "[67], In the months after the trial, and following the birth of their second son, the marriage of Bulger's parents, Ralph and Denise, broke down; they divorced in 1995. I wish we could turn the clocks back,' Mrs Neighbours told of pigeons having their heads shot off with an airgun, of rabbits being tied to railway lines, of dawn rollerbooting sessions. Jon Venables (left) and Robert Thompson (Image: PA) He was held at the Red Bank secure unit in St. Helens, Merseyside, which was not revealed until after he had been released. More horrific still was the revelation that his killers were only children themselves, 10 year olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. [11], That same afternoon, James Bulger, from Kirkby, went with his mother, Denise, to the New Strand Shopping Centre. On 23 July 2010, Venables, aged 27, is jailed after admitting downloading and distributing indecent images of children. "You look at him and you say to yourself, 'How could you be involved in anything like this?'" Susan Venables was the harsher of the two parents and it was of her that Jon was afraid. Thompson and Venables were charged on 20 February 1993 with abduction and murder. They were found guilty on 24 November, making them the youngest convicted murderers in modern British history. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, HSBC says 1 bank buyout boosted profit by $1.5bn, King Charles to wear golden robes for Coronation, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month. On the other hand, little is known about the player's background or family life. And thats a theory that doesnt stand up to very much scrutiny at all. I feel so sorry for them. ', Kids Who Kill: Evil Up Close provides an all-encompassing view of these tragic stories, examined step-by-step with the testimonies from those closest to the. "I don't think we went wrong as parents at all. Merseyside police clearly didn't like her and briefed the press that her manner in the interview room was inhibiting the confession of her newly-arrested son. ", "James Bulger case: timeline of key quotations", "Judgments Reg. . [9] At the trial, the lead prosecution counsel Richard Henriques successfully rebutted the principle of doli incapax, which presumes that young children cannot be held legally responsible for their actions. Case notes observe that her "serious depressive problem" made Venables suicidal. Venables was later charged with three offences. Some of the grislier details of the murder of Jamie Bulger may indicate this here to a lesser degree, but while that was a working theory of Merseyside Police for a time, its not widely believed to be a motivator now. The boys, it's said, grew up 'afraid of each other'. The second involved distributing three indecent photographs of children in February 2010, while a third involved distributing 42 images in February 2008. Venables was formally warned by the Probation Service for breaking a "good behaviour" clause in his licence. Jon Venables ", James Bulger's killers are once again being branded monsters. Venables served seven years of a life sentence for the 1993 murder before he was freed in June 2001, aged 18. Child killer Jon Venables is expected to launch a new bid to be released from prison, it has been reported. All rights reserved. She said that the killers of James Bulger should have undergone "programmes" to help turn their lives around, rather than being prosecuted. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were only 10 years old when they became the countrys youngest murderers in 250 years. [52] During the police investigation, it emerged that Child's Play 3 was one of the films that Venables' father had rented in the months prior to the killing, but it was not established that Venables had ever watched it. The Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the reports. The naive words of the paedo's parents have come to light once again as a new documentary is set to air on ITV 25 years after the horrific murder. Sorry, the video player failed to load. (Error Code: 100013) The chilling words of Jon Venables' parents have resurfaced 25 years after he killed Jamie Bulger . [18][19] Two people challenged Thompson and Venables, but they either claimed that Bulger was their brother, or that he was lost, and that they were taking him to a police station. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. Robert was regularly beaten by his older brothers, perhaps cementing an idea of age-based hierarchy when it comes to demonstrating power. Was nurture (or more accurately a lack of nurturing) a more dominant force here than nature? Social worker who looked after We will never be able to do the fun things any more . [30], The fact that the suspects were so young came as a shock to investigating officers, headed by Detective Superintendent Albert Kirby of Merseyside Police. That being the case, the chances of both boys suffering from it is minimal. [51], Some British tabloid newspapers claimed that the attack on Bulger was inspired by the film Child's Play 3, and campaigned for the rules on "video nasties" to be tightened. [4], In 1999, lawyers for Thompson and Venables appealed to the European Court of Human Rights that the boys' trial had not been impartial, since they were too young to follow proceedings and understand an adult court. He was seen as one of the most successful murder of James "[65] This was supported by the fabrication of passports, national insurance numbers, qualification certificates, and medical records. How many years did Jon Venables and Robert Thompson get? He and fellow schoolboy Jon Venables brutally murdered toddler James Bulger after abducting him from a Liverpool shopping centre in 1993. THE NEW identity given to Jon Venables, one of the two killers of two-year-old Jamie Bulger, had been uncovered before the authorities discovered that he had [119], On 4 May 2011, it was reported that Venables would once again be given a new identity, following what was described as a "serious security breach", which revealed an identity that he had been using before his imprisonment in 2010; details of the breach could not be reported for legal reasons. James Bulger's brothers [8] The boys were playing truant from their local primary school, which they did regularly. [18] The boys went on a 2+12-mile (4-kilometre) walk across Liverpool; they were seen by around 38 people, but most bystanders did nothing to intervene. The female staff member was suspended for sexual misconduct; she never returned to work at Red Bank. Both men were charged with a public order offence, but this was later dropped. [62], In June 2001, after a six-month review, the parole board ruled the boys were no longer a threat to public safety and could be released, as their minimum tariff had expired in February of that year. fun to be with". Susan Venables, mother of Jon - referred to throughout the trial as Boy B - blamed her son's 'weakness' for the murder of James Bulger, and said he was going through torment. Home Secretary David Blunkett approved the decision, and they were released a few weeks later on lifelong licence after serving eight years. [151], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}532633.6N 025735.5W / 53.442667N 2.959861W / 53.442667; -2.959861. That assessment concluded that Venables would face the highest possible risk of being attacked if his name was either published in the media or known elsewhere in society. In the weeks and months and years that followed they have been attacked and vilified by the press. He has had security with loving parents and a loving brother and sister.". Were environmental factors solely behind this disturbance? [71] Ralph also remarried, and has three daughters by his second wife. And when rumours spread that the boys had watched the slasher film Childs Play 3, the debate was reignited. Jon Venables was just 10 years old when he and friend Robert Thompson murdered toddler James Bulger. After a number of "young girlfriends", it was presumed that Venables was having a delayed adolescence. [10] One of the boys later revealed that they were planning to abduct a child, lead him to the busy road alongside the shopping centre, and push him into the oncoming traffic. and things like that is that he was frightened. Thompson saw his mother and siblings subjected to severe, physical and sexual violence at the hands of his father. They were tried as adults and made to stand in the dock away from their parents, while the judges and barristers wore full gowns and wigs. 2023 BBC. "It was very dark and I shouted down, shouted his name. "[4], The police quickly found low-resolution video images of Bulger's abduction from the New Strand Shopping Centre by two unidentified boys. In September that year, Venables was arrested on suspicion of affray, following a fight outside a nightclub; he claimed he was acting in self-defence, and the charges were later dropped after he agreed to go on an alcohol-awareness course. [9] One of the boys threw the blue paint that they had shoplifted earlier into Bulger's left eye. "[138] In response to the controversy, Morris stated that the humour in his play was "never at the expense of the various people, Mrs Fergus included, who have suffered so much in the aftermath of James's murder". [4] Both boys were reported to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, and Venables in particular told of experiencing nightmares and flashbacks of the murder. [127] On 5 January 2018, Venables was charged with unspecified offences relating to indecent images of children. [126], On 23 November 2017, it was reported that Venables had again been recalled to prison for possession of child sexual abuse imagery. A lifetime ban was placed on reporting anything about either his or Thompson's whereabouts or their new identities after their release. "[9] The trial judge Mr. Justice Morland stated that exposure to violent videos might have encouraged the actions of Thompson and Venables; this was disputed by David Maclean, the Minister of State at the Home Office at the time, who said that police had found no evidence linking the case with "video nasties". He said that on the day James was killed, when he went to the school in the afternoon to collect Jon he was told his son was missing. Police officers stand guard outside the home of Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon in Glasgow, Scotland, Workers protest outside Google London HQ over the treatment of staff facing redundancies, Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union on the picket line outside the Passport Office in east London, as more than 1,000 members of the PCS working in passport offices in England, Scotland and Wales begin a five week strike as part of the civil service dispute, Coaches wait to enter the Port of Dover in Kent after extra sailings were run overnight to try and clear the backlog which has left passengers stuck in Easter traffic for hours, Waves crash against the lighthouse in Seaham Harbour, County Durham, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with Darlington Council leader Jonathan Dulston, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and Darlington MP Peter Gibson in Firth Moor during a visit to Darlington, County Durham, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner travel by train to the launch of the Labour Party's campaign for the May local elections in Swindon, Newborn Grevys zebra Lola, who was born during the early hours of March 17 to 12-year-old mum, Akuna, at West Midland Safari Park, Bewdley, Worcestershire, Drag Queen Dross poses during a media event launching the Eurovision EuroFestival programme, in Liverpool, The new leader of the Scottish National Party and former Health Secretary Humza Yousaf speaks after he is announced at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland, Caoimhe Dempsey throws her welly to the shore as Cambridge University board their boat prior to The Gemini Boat Race 2023, Brian Cox opens the London Stock Exchange to celebrate Succession Season 4, which premieres on streaming service NOW and Sky, The Milky Way core rises at 3am over Bamburgh Lighthouse in Northumberland, Emergency teams attend the scene after a ship tipped over at the Leith dry dock in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sir David Attenborough plants a tree, in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, for The Queen's Green Canopy in Richmond Park with school children from across London, The Superlambanana sculpture outside the Avril Robarts Library of Liverpool John Moores University painted in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, ahead of the city hosting the Eurovision Song Contest, Undated hanBumblebee nectaring on pink cherry blossom at Sheringham Park in Norfolk, Ugandas Husnah Kukundakwe in action during the Womens MC 50m Butterfly heats on day three of the Citi Para Swimming World Series at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, The Prince and Princess of Wales laugh as they arrive for a visit to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards for the St Patricks Day Parade, at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, Actor Ed McVey, who plays the part of Prince William, on set in between filming scenes at the harbour for the next season of The Crown in St Andrews, Scotland, Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt gestures as he poses with the budget box at Downing Street in London, Britain, Sir Dr. Brian May, musician, songwriter and animal Welfare Advocate, from Windlesham, is made a Knight Bachelor by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, Demonstrators take part in a protest by junior doctors, amid a dispute with the government over pay, outside of Saint Thomas Hospital, in London, A convoy of 374 Tractors make their way through Pateley Bridge in North Yorkshire during the Knaresborough Tractor Run, A Dachshund miniature strides across the judging ring on day three of Crufts at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, Cars are driven along a snow-covered road in Lever Causeway, near Birkenhead, north west England. While the claim was reported and dismissed in September 2005,[105] it reappeared in March 2010 when it was circulated widely via SMS messages and Facebook. [63][64] It was reported that both boys "were given new identities and moved to secret locations under a 'witness protection'-style programme. Read about our approach to external linking. A Ministry of Justice spokesman declined to comment on the reports. [93] In January 2020, a 53-year-old woman from Ammanford in South Wales received a prison sentence of eight months, suspended for 15 months. [80][81] A memorial garden in Bulger's memory was created in Sacred Heart Primary School in his hometown of Kirkby, the school he would have been expected to attend had he not been murdered. Before their trial in November 1993, the press ferreted around the doorways and back alleys of Walton village, Liverpool, looking for any thing that might determine that these two 10-year-olds were indeed evil or the product of evil. Born evil: What drove James Bulger's underage killers? Alex Davies-Jones Family: Children, Parents, Siblings, Husband. Then in 2007, he started drinking heavily and taking drugs, including cocaine and the recently-banned substance mephedrone. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were only 10 years old when they became the countrys youngest murderers in 250 years. Little James was led away by the depraved duo while his mother was in a butcher's shop at the busy shopping centre. The Venables were by no means wealthy, but they were more financially comfortable than the Thompsons. [143] On 24 August, co-hosts on Seven's breakfast show Sunrise asked whether the killers were now living in Australia, in an apparent tie-in with that week's episode of City Homicide. They placed batteries in Bulger's mouth[23] and may have inserted some into his anus, although none were found there. Our feelings haven't changed towards him. Jon's brother and sister both had learning difficulties and were being taught in separate special schools, while Jon himself was hyperactive and always playing up. [9][68][69] In 2001, Blunkett stated: "The injunction was granted because there was a real and strong possibility that their lives would be at risk if their identities became known. The boys were taught to conceal their real names and the crime they had committed which resulted in their being in the units. "[51] Inspector Ray Simpson of Merseyside Police commented: "If you are going to link this murder to a film, you might as well link it to The Railway Children. Vizard replied, "If the issue is on the balance of probabilities, I think I can answer with certainty." The author Blake Morrison obtained notes from an NSPCC case conference on the Thompson family. They were convicted after a 17-day trial and only then were their names and faces revealed.

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