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Three years ago, after his mother walloped him, he went to social services and asked them to put him in care. He is broken- hearted over it. He was fearful, he was weak and he was provoked. Meanwhile Robert Thompson always regarded as the ringleader and the most likely of the murderous duo to fall by the wayside is said to be doing well. has prompted a public outcry for an investigation into issues surrounding the case. "On the other hand, you are looking at him and you are saying 'Well, I know why - because he is so weak'. Yes, these things are important, but trust. On the days he was at school he had a knack for stirring things up. On Monday night's documentary, Robert Thompson's solicitor Dominic Lloyd said: "Many years after the trial a juror said 'we found them guilty of murder but we didn't have the option to find them guilty of being two very bewildered and frightened little boys who made an awful mistake and need a lot of help'.". He liked to spend the weekend on the streets. By then, Robert and Jon had abducted James Bulger from the Strand and attempted to drown him in the nearby canal. A pathologist later said that there were so many injuries - 42 in total - that not one could be isolated as causing the little boy's fatal wound. 'It's always our family that gets the blame,' Robert said to police after he was arrested for James's murder. Egypt. On November 24, 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables became the youngest persons to be convicted of murder in Britain in almost 250 years, when the pair, both eleven, was found guilty of the abduction and murder of two-year-old James Patrick Bulger. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? He was a loyal fan, though he did not go often to Goodison Park. More press conferences, terrible details beginning to emerge about the state James was found in, and the chilling prospect, soon confirmed, that indeed it was children who had done this. "All he said when we've said 'Why didn't you run away?' It set the tone for the years ahead in which there was to be no respite from the hatred. IN their interviews with the two boys, psychiatrists could find no clues to why the boys acted so violently. Who were their parents? Heck, we don't even have murderers that young in New York.'. .". I'm bringing up on my own but if I went round and screwed every warehouse my children would have everything too.'. Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James injuries. She remained very frightened and felt that she and her son were the most hated people in the country. One of the focal points of the local community was QD Videos at the bottom of Robert's street, where the kids would browse through the horror stacks, discussing their favourites knowledgeably. The taunts upset Jons already volatile temper, and he began coming home in increasingly low spirits and crying. Take him home, the officer would say to her. 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Facebook gives people the power. "The age of criminal responsibility in this country is 10 that's too low. How can people defend their actions .#TheBulgerKillers.". They passed 36 people, with one recalling how they urged the boys to take their 'little brother' home because he was 'crying for his mummy'. They were sent home to their mother at one point, but after attempting suicide with overdoses, were placed back into care. Denise, James Bugler's mother, went with her brother's girlfriend Nicola to the Bootle Strand Shopping Centre and took James with her. He has had Christmas presents. Jon breaks into hysteria whenever the subject is mentioned. It was on his way back to the interview room when Venables finally admitted it: "We did it. The best instincts led hundreds, including me, to lay flowers a few days later at the site of James horrific end. He didn't want to hurt James. By now the two boys from Walton were part of an international freak show. They did. rk ye. 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. It was their sons picked up by detectives. He would throw things at other children, cut himself deliberately with scissors and stick paper all over his face. Drivers have been warned to leave extra time for their Monday morning commute due to icy roads during rush hour, following a weekend of wintry weather. Jon's first year after he was moved was relatively successful. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Robert Thompson was born to Robert Sr. and Ann Thompson on the 23rd day of August 1982, in Liverpool, England. The couple, who also have a 13- year-old son, who has learning difficulties, and a 9-year-old daughter, denied that Jon was bullied by his brother or that he watched violent horror films at home. He carried books on wrestling and wildlife in his school bag. I am not sure if in fact he was seen by the school psychologist, but I did complete a form for him.. I have cried for JamesBulgermany times, so God only knows the tears his parents and family have shed. Resentful of her husbands lack of involvement with the children, Susan conceded that the couple fought constantly, especially throughout 1983, but maintained that Neil had never been aggressive towards her, nor had she hit him. The Venables decided to place her with their eldest son, in a school for children with special needs. As a new documentary is set to air on ITV, the haunting words of Jon Venables' parents have resurfaced. But he liked collecting trolls, little doll-like creatures with ugly faces and spiky fluorescent hair. Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman . Then there were the separated parents, the poverty, the truanting, the videos. In the autumn term of 1992, Robert played truant for 49 half days and Jon for 40. 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. His father, Neil, an unemployed panel-beater, was separated from his mother but they lived only a mile apart, saw each other every other day, and took equal care of the children. "My heart really goes out to them. Liked by susan venables. Click here to find personal data about Susan Venables including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. Born on August 13th, 1982, Jon was the middle child of Neil and Susan Venables. They knew what they were doing," another wrote. 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. That's the thing that upsets me because obviously where I was standing poor little James must have been not. Mrs Thompson worked as an office cleaner until two years ago, when she got pregnant again by another man, who also left her. 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. When you have got people in the area threatening to blow your kneecaps off every moment of the daythats just the way they are. The only sign he was discomforted by hearing it was a near constant pulling of his tongue in his hands. Thompson, who gained five GCSEs and A-levels in design and technology, is said to have developed an interest in theatre. Such a childish voice. But his comment sparked anger from viewers. Real bottom of the gut stuff, like an animal. Since his 14-year-old brother, Phillip , had already tried to stab him, the social services agreed. Left to his own devices Jon liked to spend his playtime in fairly sedentary ways. I'm warning yer,' she would say. 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. 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. In Crosbies corner shop Ian, the next oldest to Robert, was able to tot up the shopping in his mind before the cash register rang up the total. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. "He is easily led. The citys worst instincts produced the wrongful hounding of a family whose sons people decided were responsible. The living versions on the floor of the court looked equally wrinkled and austere. He denied having had any films that were not mainstream, or that were pornographic, in the house. gk. Look at mine. "In order that justice can be done, no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.". He had that odd combination of obsession with and disdain for possessions that is characteristic of children who have never enjoyed any of their own. His mother called him hyperactive since, even more than his friend, he was scarcely able to sit still. After spending just eight years in custody, Britain's youngest killers were released and given lifetime anonymity in the UK. In the years between Venabless first return to prison and this latest conviction he was deemed to be living successfully in the community, when in fact he was working out ways to dodge his internet ban and hiding a computer in his headboard in order to download abusive images of children, including what the judge described this week as serious crimes inflicted on male toddlers. After a while the boys became used to it. The case is doomed to be picked over by every faction within the caring professionals and politics. Jon was afraid of her. He frequented local cinemas and regularly hired videos for the night. It should certainly be moved up to 12; in some European countries it is 14," she said. They and Ann Thompson, who has six other. I didnt, did I? she said to Neil during their interview with Gitta Sereny. A newspaper man from Detroit said it was because 'Liverpool is the Beatles and love, love, love. The appearance in court this week of Venables, now a 35-year-old man, on charges of possessing indecent images of children, was a jarring reminder that, still a quarter of a century on, his rehabilitation is more an ambition than a reality. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10, murdered him in cold blood. Seeing at first hand the pain of a family who have lost a toddler to an act of brutal violence is almost unbearably moving. Not their punishmentand exclusion from society for the rest of their childhood. Jon, who had the most trouble sleeping, appeared fearful of Susan, and was terrified, above all, of her condemnation. The family was put up in a hostel temporarily and later relocated by the social services. Absence of a male role model is increasingly being explored - by both left and right - as one of the main reasons why today's boys and young men are going wrong; why 90 per cent of indictable offences are committed by men. At night, for instance, the two boys would lie in bed together and suck each others thumbs. Shame? In all, they played truant four times. I wonder how many parents looked at their sons of a similar age that week, sure in the knowledge their own children could never be so wicked, but asked themselves anyway "what would I do if?". He disliked Thunderbirds because of the puppets' 'stringy thingies'. 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. 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. Behind them eyes bore into them - from everyone on all sides, journalists, their parents, members of the public, and of course, theBulgerfamily. Mrs Venables said: "He mentions James, not all the time. ', The closest either boy came to offering an explanation was when Jon was asked by police why he had taken James's shoe off by the railway tracks. To do that he put on the witness stand all those people who had seen the three boys on the route from the shopping centre to the railway line. Denise Fergus remains convinced both will always be a danger to children. He believes these were evil boys. Denise Fergus is the same age as me, a fact I only registered when I met her for the first time two weeks ago. The two bumped into each other - literally - in the school playground in the middle of a fight. Neil explained to him that the school they attended was special, and that Jon wouldnt be accepted. He always had plenty of friends. 'When you have got people in the area threatening to blow your kneecaps off every moment of the day - that's just the way they are. . Englands Ollie Chessum dives in to score his sides second try during the Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham Stadium, London, Sam Smith arrives for the Brit Awards ceremony, A robin redbreast takes flight in Dublins botanic gardens. Meanwhile, A petition demanding a public inquiry into James Bulger's murder case has got nearly 15,000 signatures in one day. Just something to do.'. She was a woman as large in personality and physique as the burdens she carried. Usually, they were slung out. Given the Venables family history, it was later suggested that Jon could arguably have been affected by an undiagnosed disorder at the time, and was clearly emotionally underdeveloped. Read about our approach to external linking. The distress of one woman who had come agonisingly close to taking James by the hand herself to a police station, only to be hoodwinked by Thompson and Venables that they were doing just that. The primary concern among the faculty was Roberts growing amount of absences. Some neighbours claim they saw the boy snaring birds into traps in the back yard of his home, while one local youth claimed he saw the boy pull the heads off live baby pigeons. Ann tried to discourage this by hiding his shoes, or by taking him down to the Walton Lane police station and having the officer on duty frighten him into compliance, but to no avail. He is an old-fashioned crime and punishment man. 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. That seems the very least they could face for what they did. A day later she would face much worse. King Charles III shakes hands with Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky as he welcomes at Buckingham Palace, in London, ahead of an audience during his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Their. What they did was exceptionally unpleasant and the fact that a little boy ended up dead is not something the nation can easily forget. Few had the patience to be friends with him, only his younger brother and a couple of lads who lived nearby. Superintendent Kirby is a religious man. Bird Pictures. 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. fun to be with". She also had to stay strong for the remaining children. Ironically, the relationship between mother and son improved when he, was behind bars. Tweet. Susan Venabless bent body shrank deeper into itself. The left will make play of social deprivation, unemployment, bad housing and general inner-city rot. He was too scared to be naughty on his own. Hes your son., Unhappily, it was during this critical time that Ann became pregnant with her seventh child, the product of another failed relationship. I used to get them for myself at night time. release. He has never really been what you would call a sagger off school (a truant). 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. Will you tell his mum I'm sorry?". James' mother Denise believes they should have remained in jail for life and has tirelessly campaigned against their rights to anonymity. Among the list were several horror films, including one video in which the police took special interest: Child's Play 3, a film which carries the line 'Children are consumer trainees'. It was this empowering chemistry between them that some argued set into motion the life-altering events that would devastate a family, challenge a community, and rock a nations core in the disquieting months that followed. One could draw some parallels between the film's plot and James Bulger's death. Venables was a different creature. Teachers hold placards as they shout slogans while taking part in a protest organised in Manchester as part of a national strike day. Directly in front of the bench was the raised dock in which Thompson, Venables, and two social workers would sit for the next four weeks. Such pleasantries were not for Robbie. At Preston Crown Court Thompsons mother Ann and Venables parents Neil and Sue sat side by side. At Preston Crown Court a few months later, I was one of a handful of journalists given full access to the small courtroom for the trial of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both now 11-years-old. I just heard an almighty screech. I thought he was all right, Jon said of Robert during his police interviews. How could two small boys savage and leave a toddler for dead? Weeping, she said: 'I wasn't actually on the railway track because there is a fence, but I went up the side. Jon's parents said they talked to their son about James after he was arrested, but had to stop. His mother, Anne Marie Thompson, who is 39, got the house from the local housing trust after her husband, Robert, ran off with a woman from Stockport five years ago. Are they mad? qu fy. 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One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging in the air as he sat in the custody office. "My heart really goes out to them. There was a pattern of bullying, with the older boys picking on their younger brothers down the line. 'I didn't know it would be like this,' Mr Venables said with hindsight. They probably weren't out to kill someone, but they were probably out to ruin someone else's happiness. Their faces affected me deeply. Ultimately, wanting to escape the havoc, most of the boys opted to leave home, and some were placed into voluntary care at Dysons Hall, a childrens home just outside of Liverpool. Thompson and Venables, now both 27 years old, are among only four individuals in the UK whose crimes are so notorious that they have been given lifelong anonymity. I said no. I feel so sorry for them. Not surprisingly, Ann had also attempted suicide in the same manner, some months before. Those who knew him well said he was a very emotional child, prone to mood swings. Then, one Friday in February, they discovered a new rule to break: they murdered a two-year-old. His body was found two days later on a railway line. Neither gave evidence to the court, but were found guilty after an officer told how Venables admitted the murder, saying, "We did it. The reaction prompted James' mum Denise Fergus to let supporters know she had nothing to do with the programme. 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. Between January and the day of the murder Robert had absconded 37 half days out of a possible 60 . It was a sign of such restlessness that he was unable to hang on to a football team for long - he kept shifting his allegiance like a floating voter. On countless occasions, Bobby battered his wife, once causing her to miscarry, and his temper didnt stop at his wife. The mayor of Preston accused them of being sick ghouls, but still they came, queuing up for tickets two hours before proceedings began. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security . Susan Venables agreed but on condition that she saw her son first. "All he said when we've said 'Why didn't you run away?' "Contrary to what the papers will tell you, he is not a little urchin boy. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. 'The attitude when you live where we live is that you have to be tough or else you don't survive,' she said. James smith (16 March 1990 [2] - 12 February 1993) was a two-year-old boy from Kirkby, Merseyside, England, who was abducted, tortured, and murdered by two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson (born 23 August 1982) and Jon Venables (born 13 August 1982), on 12 February 1993.