Two days later, after a huge police search, James's battered body was found on a railway line more than two miles away. [4] Both boys were reported to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, and Venables in particular told of experiencing nightmares and flashbacks of the murder. The boys, it's said, grew up 'afraid of each other'. There it was bedlam. Jon Venables And Ann Thompson turning to alcohol. In the days after the arrest of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson for the murder of James Bulger, their mothers were attacked and vilified in the street. Did bad parenting turn Thompson and Venables into killers? Blunkett added his own conditions to their licence and insisted on being sent daily updates on the boys' actions. [131], On 4 March 2019, Bulger's father Ralph lost a legal challenge to lift the lifelong order protecting Venables' anonymity. He did like to be liked, and loved to have friends, and he has got involved with the wrong person.". Born evil: What drove James Bulger's underage killers? The pathologist spent 33 minutes outlining the injuries sustained by Bulger; many of those to his legs had been inflicted after he was stripped from the waist down. Read about our approach to external linking. James was snatched from the Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12, 1993, by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. He didn't want to hurt James. Both boys had been held back a year, and they were put in the same class. Profile: Jon Venables - BBC News Justice Secretary Jack Straw stated that Venables had been returned to prison because of "extremely serious allegations", and stated that he was "unable to give further details of the reasons for Jon Venables's return to custody, because it was not in the public interest to do so". A woman walks past the Beatles statue in the snow at Pier Head in Liverpool as the Met Office has issued an amber warning for strong winds bringing blizzard conditions and up to 40cm of snow in some areas. [7] Venables was detained in Vardy House, a small eight-bedded unit at Red Bank secure unit in St. Helens on Merseyside. [115][116] The High Court also heard that Venables had been arrested on suspicion of affray in September 2008, following a drunken street fight with another man. How Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, HSBC says 1 bank buyout boosted profit by $1.5bn, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israel prison. 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 //-->Jon Venables is not dead: Officials quash rumours about James Some of the images involved children as young as two years old and some showed the rape of young girls. "[121] The incident occurred after a man from Exeter posted photographs on a website devoted to identifying paedophiles, allegedly showing Venables as an adult, and revealing his name. [29][9][30] A forensic pathologist testified that Bulger died before he was struck by the train. It was not until February that it emerged Venables had been recalled to prison for breaching the conditions of his release. [94], Shortly before his 2001 release, when aged 17, Venables was alleged to have had sex with a woman who worked at the Red Bank secure unit where he was held. There were tales of charity collection boxes being stolen and of children being assaulted in the classroom. The order, and its enforcement, is therefore intended to protect not only Venables and Thompson, but also those members of the public who have been incorrectly identified as being one of the two men. motivated the murder of James The ban relating to Venables was partially lifted on Friday at the Old Bailey after he was jailed for the offences under the 1978 Protection of Children Act. 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. "It is hard to take in really. Summing up, the judge, Mr Justice Morland, told them they had committed a crime of "unparalleled evil and barbarity". The Old Bailey also heard that in 2008 Venables had posed as a mother offering to sell her daughter for sex during three online chats. In 2008, a new probation officer said that he spent "a great deal of leisure time" playing video games and on the Internet. The Sessions House, Preston, Lancashire where Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were tried | Shutterstock.com. After they left the scene, his body was cut in half by a train. 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 films - packed full of gore and explicit scenes of violence - easily sparked something of a moral panic the decade before. ', 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. 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. They rejected suggestions that he could have watched Child's Play Three, a film that his father had rented three weeks before James's death, which, it has been claimed, included scenes similar to those of the attack on the two-year-old. Jon's parents, who sat in court for most of the trial, said they grieved for the Bulgers. In the weeks and months and years that followed they have been attacked and vilified by the press. Read about our approach to external linking. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. He would go to bed. Mrs Venables said: "He mentions James, not all the time. after discovering she dated child killer Jon Venables Venables and Thompson were released from prison many years later and given new identities. It was Jon Venables, not Robert Thompson, who had a record of violence, having attempted to throttle another boy at school. Police had even trained him in counter-surveillance after he was told he would have to "live and hold a lie" for the rest of his life. 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. "Just TV programmes and little things remind me of the good times we had together . [106] Chief Inspector Tracie O'Gara of Lancashire Constabulary stated: "An individual who was targeted four-and-a-half years ago was not Jon Venables, and now he has left the area. She said an educational psychologist had diagnosed hyperactivity in her son, who was bullied at his previous school. He is far from it. I have lost my son as well. The level of brutality involved in the sadistic killing was far beyond what anyone might imagine two primary school children to be capable of. AI chatbots 'may soon be more intelligent than us', Russia troop deaths hit 20,000 in five months - US, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, Cat-and-mouse chase with China in hotly contested sea, The burden of being cricket legend Tendulkar's son, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', Indian officials wife distraught as his killer is freed, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. [150] Vincent Lambe, the film's director, said he would not be withdrawing the film, saying that "it would defeat the purpose of making the film". He has never really been what you would call a sagger off school (a truant). [48] This campaign was successful, and Howard announced in July 1994 that the boys would be kept in custody for a minimum of fifteen years,[48][49] meaning that they would not be considered for release until February 2008, by which time they would be 25 years old. Venables worked full-time in a job with anti-social hours, earning close to the minimum wage, the court heard. [141][142] In August 2009, Australia's Seven Network used real footage of the abduction to promote its crime drama City Homicide. Background of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables family . "[65] This was supported by the fabrication of passports, national insurance numbers, qualification certificates, and medical records. On one occasion, he said, Robert ran off down the street laughing, "You can't catch me". Social Learning Theory: The Murder of James Bulger ]]> [88] On 14 July 2016, a woman from Margate in Kent was jailed for three years after sending Twitter messages to Bulger's mother, in which she posed as one of his killers, and as Bulger's ghost. One of the killers of British toddler James Bulger has been jailed for 40 months at the Old Bailey in London after he [4][12] Thompson and Venables had approached James Bulger, took him by the hand, and led him out of the shopping centre. [21], Eventually, the boys arrived in Walton. [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. How can two children commit such a brutal act against an innocent young boy? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Jon Venables was just 10 years old when he and friend Robert Thompson murdered toddler James Bulger. Aged just 10 years old, Robert Thompson and fellow schoolboy Jon Venables brutally murdered toddler James Bulger after abducting him from a shopping mall in 1993. [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. Jon Venables Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty 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. A few days later, Venables and Thompson were arrested and charged - the youngest people to be accused of murder in the 20th Century. But can it explain the murder of James Bulger? Neighbours told of pigeons having their heads shot off with an airgun, of rabbits being tied to railway lines, of dawn rollerbooting sessions. Popularly known as the murder of James Bulger on 12 February 1993 in England of Unknown. "I don't think we went wrong as parents at all. "My heart really goes out to them. Social worker who looked after [70] Denise married Stuart Fergus, with whom she had two sons. Left on her own, Thompson sought consolation in drink and was often to be found in the bar in Higson's Top House rather than looking after the children in her chaotic home. "He has had the love and attention that any boy would. Bulger killer Jon Venables jailed over indecent images of children A few days later, Venables and Thompson were arrested and charged - the youngest people to be accused of murder in the 20th Century. Understandably so. "[96] Venables began living independently in March 2002. The couple, who are living together again after a partial separation, said their feelings towards Jon had not changed despite the terrible crime. While Susan and Neil Venables lived in separate houses a mile apart, they tried to bring up their children in a united way - Jon spent Sunday to Thursday with his mum and the rest of the week with his dad. "[36], In September 1999, Bulger's parents appealed to the European Court of Human Rights but failed to persuade the court that a victim of a crime has the right to be involved in determining the sentence of the perpetrator. "My heart really goes out to them. It was on 12 February 1993 that two-year-old James Bulger was snatched from the New Strand Centre in Bootle, on Merseyside, while his mother Denise was shopping. Jon Venables was just 10 years old when he and friend Robert Thompson murdered toddler James Bulger. [126], On 23 November 2017, it was reported that Venables had again been recalled to prison for possession of child sexual abuse imagery. He's a good reader if he's interested in it. [74] In a psychiatric report prepared in 2000 before Venables' release, he was described as posing a "trivial" risk to the public and unlikely to reoffend. They were convicted after a 17-day trial and only then were their names and faces revealed. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [67] An injunction was imposed on the media after the trial, preventing the publication of details about Thompson and Venables. [5] Venables was sent to prison in 2010 for breaching the terms of his licence, was released on parole again in 2013, and in November 2017 was again sent to prison for possessing child sexual abuse images on his computer. [40] Susan Bailey, the Home Office's forensic psychiatrist who interviewed Venables, said unequivocally that he knew the difference between right and wrong. The play featured an 18-year-old character called Timmy, who was due to be released from a secure unit after luring a toddler away from his mother and beating him to death. He called for a public debate about the wider ramifications of the crime and trial, saying that: 'The home background, upbringing, family circumstances, parental behaviour and relationships were needed in the public domain so that informed and worthwhile debate can take place for the public good in the case of grave crimes by young children.'. Does watching simulated violence, or playing violent video games, actually cause violence, though? The Venables household was also fraught but contrastingly so. They said their son met Robert Thompson in September 1991, when Jon was transferred from another school. Both boys had parents who had separated; each had difficulties with attendance, learning and behaviour at school. In 2018, the tranquillity of the Isle of Bute was rocked by an extremely barbaric murder, the after-effects of which still reverberate today. "[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. And thats a theory that doesnt stand up to very much scrutiny at all. . Harry Fletcher, the assistant general secretary of the National Association of Probation Officers, said that only 24-hour surveillance would have stopped Venables. I wish we could turn the clocks back,' Mrs Venables, 36, said. [20] At one point, the boys took Bulger into a pet shop, from which they were ejected. [98][99][100] In a statement to the House of Commons on 8 March 2010, Straw reiterated that it was "not in the interest of justice" to reveal the reason why Venables had been returned to custody. He is not a little urchin boy. Write A Comment The ban relating to Venables was partially lifted on Friday at the Old Bailey after he was jailed for the offences under the 1978 Protection of Children Act. [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. The evidence for it is limited to say the least. What was their family background like? However, their journey did not come to an end in 1993. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? The killer was 10-years-old when he and Robert Thompson murdered two-year-old But he also laid blame with their parents, calling for a public debate about "the home background, upbringing, family circumstances, parental behaviour and relationships" of children who commit "grave crimes". I feel so sorry for them. [53][54] One scene in the film shows the malevolent doll Chucky being splashed with blue paint during a paintball game. 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. The first involved downloading 57 indecent pictures of children on to his computer between February 2009 and February 2010. In November 2017, she had published an alleged photograph of Venables on Facebook, with the advice "share this as much as possible". That being the case, the chances of both boys suffering from it is minimal. ", 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.". A lifetime ban was placed on reporting anything about either his or Thompson's whereabouts or their new identities after their release. 'Robbed of justice': The murder of Lucie Blackman, far beyond what anyone might imagine two primary school children to be capable of. Were the duo shaped into monsters by their troubled upbringings? [123] On 4 July 2013, it was reported that the Parole Board for England and Wales had approved the release of Venables. He had been quiet that weekend, they said, but they had thought that was because his mother had taken him to the police station on the Friday evening for playing truant. He says 'I know, Mum'. They bunked off, they shoplifted, they were violent; all these pieces in a pattern that made up a pair of empty, broken young lives. [39] A child psychiatrist, Eileen Vizard, who interviewed Thompson before the trial, was asked in court whether he would know the difference between right and wrong, that it was wrong to take a young child away from his mother, and that it was wrong to cause injury to a child. He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security and give him an "ordinary" life. Born evil: What drove James Bulger's underage killers? "[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. We feel so sorry for him because he must be going through so much torment. AETNUK All Rights Reserved. A spokesman commented: "There are many different images circulating online claiming to be of Venables or Thompson; potentially innocent individuals may be wrongly identified as being one of the two men and placed in danger. [83] In March 2012, a 26-year-old man from Chorley, Lancashire, was arrested after allegedly setting up a Facebook group with the title "What happened to Jamie Bulger was f**king hilarious." Sign up to our newsletter to receive email updates on new series, features, and more from your favourite Crime+Investigation shows: The pathologist's report, which was read out in court, found that Bulger's foreskin had been forcibly pulled back. He has had security with loving parents and a loving brother and sister.". The fifth of seven children, he proved as difficult to his mother as the rest of her progeny. .". 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. [9][56], After the trial, Thompson was held at the Barton Moss Secure Care Centre in Manchester. 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A term first coined in the 1980s when a swathe of violent horror films made their way into peoples homes via the exciting new medium of VHS, video nasties made for a convenient scapegoat. Suffice to say that the word evil is never far away from the names of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. It is just heartbreaking.". He had been tortured - beaten with bricks and an iron bar. [38], Thompson and Venables were considered by the court to be capable of "mischievous discretion", meaning an ability to act with criminal intent as they were mature enough to understand that they were doing something seriously wrong. But he also laid blame with their parents, calling for a public debate about the home background, upbringing, family circumstances, parental behaviour and relationships of children who Case notes observe that her "serious depressive problem" made Venables suicidal. Jonathan Foster reports", "Drug dealer who found James Bulger's body jailed after crashing into family's car", "Death of James Bulger: Pt 4, Ten-Year-Old Suspects", "Death of James Bulger: Pt 5, Robert Denies, Jon Cries", "Liverpool Tries to Reconcile Murder and a Boy Next Door", "James Bulger documentary: Jon Venables so haunted by toddler victim he detected 'baby smell' on everything he wore, C5 show claims", "The secret meetings that set James's killers free", "Bulger ruling: If the defendants could not talk about their crime, how could they conduct a defence? [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. The female staff member was suspended for sexual misconduct; she never returned to work at Red Bank. "He is easily led. [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. Where James Bulger killer Jon Venables is now - The Mirror After the murder, people wanted answers to the question were looking at here. On 20 September 2008, he was held on suspicion of affray over a street fight with a man who claimed Venables had attacked his girlfriend. I know how I feel as a mother. [75], The Manchester Evening News published details that suggested the names of the secure institutions in which the pair were housed, in breach of the injunction against publicity that had been renewed early in 2001. [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. Abused as a child, Robert Maudsley killed abusers as an adult, 'She was the brightest thing': The murder of Alesha MacPhail, The link between serial killers and head trauma. During the trial, the full horror of James' death emerged.

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