All information on this page is true to my knowledge, and is not intended to diminish or justify either boys actions in any way whatsoever. ROBERT had a reputation in the neighbourhood for being a troublemaker. "My heart really goes out to them. This story has no borders,' NBC correspondent Denis Murphy said. We have found 88 people in the UK with the name Susan Venables. The petition, that now has 14,682 signatures, reads: "We want a Public Inquiry into the James Bulger murder case. His response couldn't have been more different as he sank into the oversized blazer he was wearing. Aged 10, he was barely literate. Left to his own devices Jon liked to spend his playtime in fairly sedentary ways. For a start, there were only three children, of whom Jon was the middle. Murder of James Bulger - Wikipedia ', A psychoanalyst and child psychotherapist comes up with yet another possible explanation. During that time, Susan felt as if she was trapped and overburdened, often taking her frustrations out on her husband, who believed it was her responsibility to take care of the children, and offered her little support in the way of childrearing. He was repulsed because he found Robert's disdain for authority scary. MOST of the boys were bright. 'I think about little James and what he must have gone through, how they must feel. School had no hold on him - there was no corporal punishment or other form of penalty that touched him. They would hang around the video shop in Walton Village where the shop girl was pleased to have their company. Last week the author Angela Phillips spoke of how the gentle son of the female friend of hers turned into a fascist skinhead: 'The boy his mother wanted him to become was not man enough for the world he was forced to inhabit. sons, were settled in council houses within easy reach of the institutions where their sons were being held. "My heart really goes out to them. The days James was abducted, February 12 1993, I was a young reporter in my home city of Liverpool. Take him home, the officer would say to her. Will you tell his mum I'm sorry?". Venables, who was released on licence in 2001 after serving eight years for the murder of two-year-old James, was returned to prison last November after he was caught with the pictures. Once he stole decorating borders from a DIY shop which he discarded at regular intervals to mark his way home. Her family were dignified throughout, but on that day one of theBulgerfamily supporters allowed themselvesa loud 'YES' as the verdicts came in. But just as he was entering the school gates he met Jon and they decided to sag off together for the fourth - and final - time. I remember watching her then on TV, her sobbing plea for information and thinking how much guts it must have taken to get up that day and face a roomful of journalists and photographers. He had a Game Boy console and hankered after a Sega machine, and when they played truant he would head straight for the computer game corner of Tandy's or Dixons. So, when he first began his association with classmate Jon Venables, in September 1992, Robert was happy to have finally befriended a boy like Jon, who could almost always be persuaded to follow in his lead. I know how I feel as a mother. This time, curiosity took the upper hand: 'I wanted to see what it was like,' he said. Sorry, we are unable to accept comments about this article at the moment. 'They would say 'take your son home'. Their age was hard to gauge from the CCTV images, so just when you imagined you couldnt be more shocked by this story, it emerged the two accused were just 10-years-old. Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James injuries. He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security . The hardliners in the police have a simpler explanation. But after a year they let Ian out again. Venables received a 40-month prison sentence after appearing via video link at the Old Bailey. To be absolutely accurate, she had only one illusion. I have lost my son as well. A police officer remembered Venables being so small that his legs didn't touch the floor as he sat in the custody office after his arrest. He would steal objects that he neither needed nor wanted, then chuck them away in the street. Our feelings haven't changed towards him. Although not officially entered into a witness protection programme they were given help by the authorities in finding new homes and taking on new identities. His mother especially has been a tower of strength, says the source. The reaction prompted James' mum Denise Fergus to let supporters know she had nothing to do with the programme. Robert's mother agreed with her son's assessment: 'Name one family in the area who would have a good word for us.'. Bulger killer had 'better life' after toddler murder - BBC News 'I couldn't be arsed talking about them,' said one. He denied having had any films that were not mainstream, or that were pornographic, in the house. He carried books on wrestling and wildlife in his school bag. Both Ann and the children knew well the sting of palm against flesh, and Bobby often used these beatings to ensure that his wife and children conformed. I don't think so. Real bottom of the gut stuff, like an animal. "I think about little James and what he must have gone through, how they must feel. Superintendent Albert Kirby, who headed the investigation, doesn't believe in the under-belly of Liverpool nonsense or stuff about the disintegration of modern society, the collapse of the nineties cities. The details of Jamess death were sickening. I used to get them for myself at night time. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Parents of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson talk about their sons, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. The guilty verdicts came quickly - within five hours. The pair was tried for the abduction and murder of James as adults owing to the fact they were over 10, which is legally deemed to be the age of criminal responsibility. ", Her husband, Neil, said: "If you had a league table of children, you would put him at the bottom of the list for anything like this.". . . ", Children accused of a crime are usually granted anonymity, but at the end of the trial the judge allowed both to be named, "because the public interest overrode the interest of the defendants.". wo. At first, Robert seemed to respond well to this, taking the initiative to help feed and clothe the baby, and doing what he could to please his mother. Both were banned from ever returning to Liverpool and given new identities at a reported cost of 1.5million. Any anxiety or animosity he might have felt was manifested largely through his school-aged thumb-sucking, a habit which elicited titters and taunts from the neighborhood children. Mrs Venables has also said that she felt. The boys, by now lacking any sense of guidance within the home, took to the streets, robbing, truanting, and some of them experimenting with drugs. They knew what they were doing," another wrote. The couple was financially strained from the start, but Ann did what she could to make it work. The best photos of birds and other wildlife from around the world. But they shouldn't have been tried in an adult court because they were still children. I couldnt make any sense of it, Robert later recalled, desolately, when asked about his fathers unexpected departure. She was a woman as large in personality and physique as the burdens she carried. To widespread dismay and condemnation from the Bulger family, the killers were given new identities, courtesy of the taxpayer. There was almost total silence there apart from the sound of shoes on the ground. The teacher had a different perspective, saying that Susan was in fact aware of the issue, and had expressed deep concern. As a new documentary is set to air on ITV, the haunting words of Jon Venables' parents have resurfaced. Sitting in the new class was a chubby boy with a cherub's face - Robert Thompson. He used to be bullied by other children for being so behind, and would return home at night visibly upset. 'I can't read hard words,' he said. Their seats were just below the raised dock where their sons would sit for the next three weeks, listening to a prosecution which aimed to prove not only that they killed James Bulger, but that they planned to, and that when they did they knew it to be wrong. "The report of the Prison Service into an incident at Red Bank secure unit has not been published. As the paedophile killer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to possessing more than 1,000 indecent images of children and a "paedo manual" - his parents words on their son's involvement make disturbing reading. Another time they were saucy and asked a sales girl if she stocked 'fishy nickers'. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. The boys at Dyson Hall were the object of some envy among their mates because they were given tracksuits and trainers upon arrival and went on trips to Alton Towers. His body was found two days later on a railway line. The abduction and brutal murder of this two-year-old by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, who were just 10 at the time, prompted a conversation in Britain that we are still having today. While Robert was described as a wily child, known to tell lies, most of the St. Marys school staff agreed that the boy posed little trouble, and, if and when he attended, was generally well-mannered during class. You know, we just try and help him as best we can to try to come to terms with things. 'It's always our family that gets the blame,' Robert said to police after he was arrested for James's murder. "In order that justice can be done, no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.". Lock him in it.'. Robert Thompson was born to Robert Sr. and Ann Thompson on the 23rd day of August 1982, in Liverpool, England. More often, he would pinch them from local shops. Neil Venables, 40, said he felt "just devastated, thinking of that little boy'. Celestial. It is just heartbreaking.". Haunting words of killer Jon Venables' parents resurface on 25th Then between 1990 and 1991, Jons teachers recognized a dramatic change in the boys behavior, which was alarming enough for one of his teachers to begin keeping a daily log. The breaking point came when Jon was suspended from Broad Square after attempting to choke a classmate with a twelve-inch wooden ruler. He did like to be liked, and loved to have friends, and he has got involved with the wrong person.". We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. However, given that the tension in the household was persistent throughout the most crucial of Jons formative years, the belief that he had moved through the ordeal entirely unaffected is questionable. I didnt, did I? she said to Neil during their interview with Gitta Sereny. Meanwhile, A petition demanding a public inquiry into James Bulger's murder case has got nearly 15,000 signatures in one day. The most agonising thing about the whole case was that so many people had stopped them and questioned them. He says 'I know, Mum'. By chance, the rest of Jon's family was driving past and spotted them. Counsel for the prosecution, Richard Henriques QC, made it clear all three elements needed to be proved for a murder conviction. In Jon's case, 'hyperactivity' went beyond mere fidgeting into outbursts of sudden anger and violence. Look at mine. What upsets me is I've no way of bringing him up for the rest of his young years so he's going to lose all his childhood. By now the two boys from Walton were part of an international freak show. release. It was during this time that Susan, having suffered from clinical depression for many years, had experienced what were later described as two traumatic incidences, both of which Jon would have witnessed. Behind them eyes bore into them - from everyone on all sides, journalists, their parents, members of the public, and of course, theBulgerfamily. This time we came together in shock and disbelief. Half way through the 1992-1993 school year, Robert had already racked up nearly 50 unauthorized absences, and was falling significantly behind in his schoolwork. In the first press conference she gave the day after her son was taken, this 25-year-old woman struck me as a girl, a desperate, grief stricken girl whose tired swollen eyes told their own story. The James Bulger murder View gallery Venables was born on August 12, 1982. A video still of James Bulger, aged 2 years old, being led away in the 'New Strand' shopping centre. football, snooker, things like that. He was fearful, he was weak and he was provoked," she said. "He is easily led. They occasionally exchanged furtive glances. What a horror it all was. Their faces affected me deeply. I cant believe people find excuses for these murderers. Three days later his body was found, and three days after that a tip-off came from a shopkeeper who had seen two boys playing truant on the day James went missing and gave police two names - Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. The family was already exhaustingly overextended, and Robert, being the fifth edition, was quick to pick up on the coping mechanisms needed to survive in a life of unremitting chaos and enmity. "Just TV programmes and little things remind me of the good times we had together . The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. The citys worst instincts produced the wrongful hounding of a family whose sons people decided were responsible. In the business world, too many people think it's all about being hard, tough, ambitious, or having grit. On the walls hung oil paintings of local judges and magistrates, their surfaces crinkled with age. Like Ann Thompson, however, both parents of Jon Venables rallied round their son and in preparationfor his release Mr Venables accom-panied him on trips to football matches. They looked, moved, fidgeted, scratched, cried - even sucked their thumbs - just like any 11-year-olds. They didnt kill him in an accident it was premeditated and they tortured that poor baby. According to a legal source we spoke to this week, Jon Venables parents have sought to be a support for their son, despite the enormity of his crime. Two boys who forged a friendship out of breaking the rules. ", Her husband, Neil, said: "If you had a league table of children, you would put him at the bottom of the list for anything like this.". The Swedes, French, Germans, Canadian and Americans had all come to gaze at Liverpool's child killers. "You look at him and you say to yourself, 'How could you be involved in anything like this?'" Just seeing the size of them that first time, the childish figures they naturally were, caught my breath. Southern. Profile: Jon Venables - BBC News 'In this state it is quite painful to see a normal relationship between mother and child. When they finally came to a disused railway track near the police station, the murderous duo tortured James, throwing stones and bricks at the baby, and kicking and stamping on him before finally dropping a heavy iron bar on to the defenceless tot. The final scene takes place among the tracks of a fun-fair ghost train where the doll, which resembles an infant with spiky hair has his face slashed before he is cut to pieces by a ventilator fan. They were in the Strand shopping centre in Bootle when the brother wandered off. He is far from it. Jon, who had the most trouble sleeping, appeared fearful of Susan, and was terrified, above all, of her condemnation. fun to be with" and always had plenty of friends. Nicola had to exchange some clothes at TJ Hughes, Denise waited nearby, watching the children. Venables, who was released on licence in 2001 after serving eight years for the murder of two-year-old James, was returned to prison last November after he was caught with the pictures. As their sweet voices rang around the courtroom, Venables hid his face in his oversized blazer and cried. I just think of James and his Dad and about all that fun with his little boy, like I had with Jon.". He took a jar of paracetamol. He has never really been what you would call a sagger off school (a truant). I wish we could turn the clocks back,' Mrs Venables, 36, said. The old wood panelled courtroom is small. Guilty of abducting and murdering James PatrickBulger. Thousands of members of Unison, Unite and the GMB unions are set to walk out across England and Wales on Monday as part of continued industrial action in the health service, Performers taking part in a parade involving costumes, lion dances and floats, during Chinese New Year celebrations in London, Everton fans hold up banners protesting against the board of directors during their Premier League match against West Ham at the London Stadium, A pair of swans fly over a frozen pond in Bushy Park in London, People take part in a demonstration in support of trans rights outside the UK Government Office in Edinburgh, A member of the Royal College of Nursing holds their dog whilst on the picket line outside Kings College Hospital in London, as nurses take industrial action over pay, The scene on the A39 Quantock Road in Bridgwater after a double-decker bus overturned in a crash involving a motorcycle, A man walks dogs in snowy conditions in a park in Hexham. Not really?. Spidery and messy. Who knows. Facebook gives people the power. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. I made notes of the pathologists evidence. When a police officer asked him why he didn't rescue James bleeding on the railway lines he replied: ' 'Cos blood stains, doesn't it, and then me mother would have to pay more money. Wiping away tears, he went on: 'I feel for that family. Susan and the children moved in with her mother for a short time, and then settled in a small cluster of derelict apartments in Old Swan, where Jon attended the nearby Broad Green Preschool. Who were their parents? The fathers of both Robert and Jon were without work. Fiction Writing. Born on August 13th, 1982, Jon was the middle child of Neil and Susan Venables. "It is hard to take in really. Mrs Venables has also said that she felt heartbreak for James and his parents and shame for her son. When social workers came round, they did so to see his sister and his brother, who had learning difficulties and was receiving special education. He appears to be a normal human, but inside the soft flesh there is indestructable metal. The two had an aberrant relationship with one another, in the sense that it was almost as though they had never divorced. I'm warning yer,' she would say. Venables served seven years of a life sentence for the 1993 murder before he was freed in June 2001, aged 18. Express. He was always getting prizes for maths at school. The other boy, Robert Thompson, we are told is now abiding by the conditions of his life license since he was released 17 years ago, and is doing well. "The age of criminal responsibility in this country is 10 that's too low. James Bulger was weeks away from his third birthday, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson behaved very differently in court, Mother who killed her five children euthanised, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Alex Murdaugh jailed for life for double murder, US sues Exxon over nooses found at Louisiana plant, Zoom boss Greg Tomb fired without cause. They probably weren't out to kill someone, but they were probably out to ruin someone else's happiness. In return, Jon would let Robert ride his bicycle, and from time to time he would suggest naughty deeds himself. But that is the common lot of thousands of 10-year-olds who have not turned into murderers. He has had more love and attention than a lot of children I know. The two bumped into each other - literally - in the school playground in the middle of a fight. The shock in the city was plain to see, but it wasn't just in Liverpool that people stared at the CCTV pictures of the boy holding James' hand, while another led the way to the exit of the shopping centre where a frantic Denise Bulger would have been desperately looking for her child. She was paranoid about being discovered. His former wife would send their boys up the street to give their father the fingers through the bay windows of his mother's house. While both boys may have felt helpless and inferior in their own settings, together they were fearless, a portrait of machismo, each playing on the others strong points. Susan Venables's bent body shrank deeper into itself. He was jailed for two years before being granted parole again in July 2013.. Jon's parents, who sat in court for most of the trial, said they grieved for the Bulgers. At Radio City in Liverpool the calls were coming through from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The boys lived off chips. The couples first child, a son, had been born with a cleft pallet, and when Jon was born, much of the Venables focus was on getting their eldest son into speech therapy. Murder of James Bulger. He had been stripped from the waist down,. Twenty-five years on, Im still prone to hot tears at the memory of it all and I do question the trial. Robert said 'If you tell anybody I'll get my big brother to batter you up'. Thompson admitted nothing. I said no. They said their son met Robert Thompson in September 1991, when Jon was transferred from another school. It would be a week before we heard their voices, in hours of taped police interviews, They stopped us all in our tracks. Between January and the day of the murder Robert had absconded 37 half days out of a possible 60 . That means he is currently 35-years-old. According to the teacher, Jon would rock back and forth in his desk, making strange noises (this behavior was later speculated to be Jons jealous attempt to emulate his elder brother, in order to receive the same special attention), bang his head on the desk or walls repeatedly, glue bits of paper all over his face, wedge himself in between desks, throw himself on the ground, throw chairs across the corridor, rip projects off the classroom walls, cut holes in his socks, and intentionally cut himself with scissors. The case of James, a two-year-old who was snatched from a shopping centre in Bootle, Liverpool, in 1993, before being tortured and left to die, shocked the nation. 'The attitude when you live where we live is that you have to be tough or else you don't survive,' she said. However, you will find some great articles which you can comment on right now in our Comment section. Revealed: The horror drawing by Jon Venables weeks before he killed She found it hard bringing the kids up in the neighbourhood. Not for long though. He said he was frightened of Robert's older brother. Susan Venables, mother of Jon, blamed her son's "weakness" for the killing and said he was "fearful" and "provoked" by his accomplice Robert Thompson. A parole board ruled that Thompson and Venables were no longer a threat. On Sundays he used to watch Thunderbirds. Jon continued to attend Broad Square, where children of the neighborhood openly mocked and poked fun at his siblings, calling them backward. Jon was also an easy target due to a squint in his eye. Recently, I dug out my old notebooks of the trial and my handwriting during the verdicts says it all. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Superintendent Kirby is a religious man. Kids fantasise about such things. James mother Denise Fergus has been saying this for a long time, but still we hoped that the boy who savaged a tiny child to death could become a man safe to be in our midst. cl gz. Read about our approach to external linking. '25 years after the James Bulger trial, I still shed hot tears at the Susan Venables - People Directory - 192.com Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? It was the kind of family neighbours compare themselves against and then feel better. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Venables on the other hand was becoming increasingly agitated in the police interviews. The Venables decided to place her with their eldest son, in a school for children with special needs. Some people thought they were as old as 12 or 13, but when they met they were both only 10 years old. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. She acknowledged her son had committed a terrible crime but claimed that her innocent younger children were being denied a proper education because of having to abandon their homes to escape attacks. It was on his way back to the interview room when Venables finally admitted it: "We did it. Grey seal pups on the beach at Horsey in Norfolk, as the pupping season draws to a close at one the UK's most important sites for the mammals. When the court was played Jon's taped descriptions of how they had truanted they simultaneously smiled. A smell of bleach lingered on some of the tiled steps that led up to the front doors. An Egret looking for his dinner! - Aswan, Egypt | Bird pictures, Aswan At night, for instance, the two boys would lie in bed together and suck each others thumbs. The experience gave Jon renewed confidence, and the second time they sagged off together he suggested it. I dont think she saw a very happy future., The author says there was no contact with the Venables family after the trial as Mrs Thompson focused, her energy on supporting her son, refusing to accept he was a monster. The judge, in sentencing the boys yesterday, voiced his strong suspicion that exposure to violent videos had played a strong part in corrupting them. They deal with drugs, they deal with everything. Susan Venabless bent body shrank deeper into itself. I came back and then (Mrs Venables) went out. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. But his comment sparked anger from viewers. He also liked to scare old ladies by jumping out in front of their noses. From their point of view it makes perfect sense. The first time he asked Jon to play truant with him was last September, only weeks after they had become friends. 'I was the softie,' Neil Venables said. But his progress took a nose dive in September 1991 when he was transferred into another class. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Their parents entered the courtroom; The Venables arrived together, Ann Thompson came with supporters but no sign of Robert's father. And there were rewards for breaking rules. 'It was good. Those who knew him well said he was a very emotional child, prone to mood swings. ', They sagged off in the afternoon and walked around the shops in County Road, near Walton. The Bulger Murder: Mother cannot believe that 'devious' child killed: "On the other hand, you are looking at him and you are saying 'Well, I know why - because he is so weak'. Once they went into a home decoration shop and hid under a pile of carpets. I wish we could turn the clocks back," Mrs Venablessaid. Lady Penelope was his favourite character because she was rich, followed by Brains with the glasses. The parents of James Bulgers killers have also come to learn that the consequences of that terrible day will stay with them for ever too. Mrs Venables walked around the area for hours, searching for him. The Americans fed 1 1/2 minutes of the Jamie Bulger story into a 22-minute bulletin of national and international news. But his outbursts of anger grew worse and he was suspended for trying to throttle a boy with a ruler. What they did was exceptionally unpleasant and the fact that a little boy ended up dead is not something the nation can easily forget. Constantly restless, his workbooks were empty, and he would often be denied recess because he was so far behind. xf fy. They have never come out of hiding. fun to be with". I wasnt on duty that day, so the very beginnings of the story washed over me. Her husband came back to Walton now and again to see his mother, but he never came to see the boys. One could draw some parallels between the film's plot and James Bulger's death. Yet, even while Susan admitted to being under huge emotional strain on a daily basis, the couple later denied that her constant hysterics would have encroached on Jon in any way, considering he was still in infancy at the time.