He is far from it. Were they to blame? He was also given 'respite care' - six weekly weekend breaks to relieve the family of the burden of looking after him. Apart from Jon's incident with the ruler, there had been no record of previous violence. Words with the drawing, full of spelling mistakes and grammatical. But that is the common lot of thousands of 10-year-olds who have not turned into murderers. Ms Truss has written a 4,000-word essay in todays Sunday Telegraph in which she stood by her plans to boost economic growth during her short tenure in No 10, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker fails to stop team-mate Joel Matip (not pictured) from scoring an own goal during the Premier League match at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, A member of the public lines the road into St Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire, with missing posters of Nicola Bulley, 45, as police continue their search for the missing woman who was last seen on the morning of Friday January 27, when she was spotted walking her dog on a footpath by the nearby River Wyre, Not your usual prisoner! He was fearful of the other boy. But his comment sparked anger from viewers. In a 1993 interview, published in the Guardian newspaper just one day after Robert was convicted of the murder of James Bulger, Ann Thompson was quick to place fault on the neighborhood and the surrounding authorities, who she felt had failed both her and her sons. Best of all, they would spend time on the Walton railway line where Robert had built a den close to the bridge. Not that he had any need to borrow his dad's. "On the other hand, you are looking at him and you are saying 'Well, I know why - because he is so weak'. Susan Venables agreed but on condition that she saw her son first. Susan Venables Profiles | Facebook The attitude when you live where we live is that you have to be tough or else you dont survive, she said. Venables was caught with 1,170 indecent photos of children on his laptop, the Old Bailey was told. The reaction prompted James' mum Denise Fergus to let supporters know she had nothing to do with the programme. Less thanfive hours laterthe verdicts were in. The couple fought frequently as to their eldest sons troubles, which they later learned included mild learning difficulties, and Susan, at times becoming so exasperated by the situation, began to resent her sons presence. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. 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. For she added: 'But he's not a murderer.'. A day later, when James still hadnt been found, it was clear from CCTV footage that he had been taken by children. A heartstopping moment came when the playing of the tapes in court was paused. He would steal objects that he neither needed nor wanted, then chuck them away in the street. Her warnings arent being heeded, but 25 years on, I think she is probably right. The taunts upset Jons already volatile temper, and he began coming home in increasingly low spirits and crying. It emerged that the Venables family had suffered the same fate in another area. For weeks, she stayed in bed, not bothering to tend to the children, and when she finally did reemerge, she readily admitted she drank from morning to night, but had stopped taking the pills. "In order that justice can be done, no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.". Mrs Venables walked around the area for hours, searching for him. They were sent home to their mother at one point, but after attempting suicide with overdoses, were placed back into care. gk. He started with Liverpool, but by the time of the murder he had switched to Blackburn Rovers. James Bulgers mother Denise claims that she managed to track down Thompson six years ago, planning to confront him but instead stared at him from the opposite side of the street, full of rage but unable to act. as he was known in court - Jon Venables. Liked by susan venables. 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 set the tone for the years ahead in which there was to be no respite from the hatred. his mother was told that it was important that she stayed in his life and stood by him. 'Just mad. 'We have never really been apart,' Mrs Venables said. Then they had carried, dragged and kicked him along a two and a half mile journey, at times swinging him violently in the air or dropping him against the road, until they reached the railway where they stoned him with bricks, bashed his head with a 22lb iron bar, and left him dead across the tracks to be cut in half by a passing goods train. Born on August 13th, 1982, Jon was the middle child of Neil and Susan Venables. Yes, these things are important, but trust. Robert Thompson was born to Robert Sr. and Ann Thompson on the 23rd day of August 1982, in Liverpool, England. Facebook gives people the power. release. Both had parents who had separated. and things like that is that he was frightened. "All he said when we've said 'Why didn't you run away?' His father, thin and balding, had a much gentler edge. A sudden pause in the tapes and one of the officers appeared in person to describe how he asked Neil and Susan Venables to leave the room because he thought Jon wanted to tell him something. His mother cared about him. He was a loyal fan, though he did not go often to Goodison Park. She was a happy baby, much happier than her eldest brother had been, but as she grew older, Susan began noticing that she, too, appeared lazy, and was not as advanced as Jon. Mrs Venables has also said that she felt heartbreak for James and his parents and shame for her son. I would say he was provoked. Walton Village Financial Services would lend you pounds 300 for Christmas and demand a total of pounds 460 in repayment. The other shops in the area were also armoured with mesh, including the Red Garden chipper where Robert used to pop in with his brothers most nights for a 25p bag of chips. But. Egypt. eb. 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. 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. Only two people can answer the question, and even their ability is doubtful. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? He was in great distress' And what about the little, innocent boy he killed??! Express. How could two small boys savage and leave a toddler for dead? Just something to do.'. Susan Venables - People Directory - 192.com 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. Neither gave evidence to the court, but were found guilty after an officer told how Venables admitted the murder, saying, "We did it. Born on August 13th, 1982, Jon was the middle child of Neil and Susan Venables. 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'. 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. This time we came together in shock and disbelief. Robert always wanted to stay out late and encouraged Jon to join him. From their point of view it makes perfect sense. 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. ROBERT had a reputation in the neighbourhood for being a troublemaker. 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. Usually, they were slung out. Click here to find personal data about Susan Venables including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. Wiping away tears, he went on: 'I feel for that family. 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. One could draw some parallels between the film's plot and James Bulger's death. and things like that is that he was frightened. Most of the fun revolved around shoplifting - sweets, trolls, pepperami, tins of modelling paint, drinks, candles; anything, really. By now the Venables were reunited as a result of the court case. But they shouldn't have been tried in an adult court because they were still children. Left to his own devices Jon liked to spend his playtime in fairly sedentary ways. At the time Ann Thompson pleaded for her son to be left alone and revealed that she and her other children had been forced to move house nine times in eight years. I would get him something like a cartoon.". Susan Venables, mother of Jon - referred to throughout the trial as Boy B - blamed her son's 'weakness' for the murder of James Bulger, . Will you tell his mum I'm sorry?". si fs. Just having a bit of shade!! Both boys had been held back a year, and they were put in the same class. Money was always a struggle, and she got through the first years drinking in Higson's Top House off St Mary's Lane. The trial though didnt, and was never designed to, shed light on how two such young children could be guilty of such sustained barbarity. Neil Venables, 40, said he felt "just devastated, thinking of that little boy'. She said that Jon was always "loving, caring, thoughtful and considerate . It was their sons picked up by detectives. Another time they were saucy and asked a sales girl if she stocked 'fishy nickers'. 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. The most agonising thing about the whole case was that so many people had stopped them and questioned them. His mother especially has been a tower of strength, says the source. The base of the dock floor at Preston Crown Court had to be raised 18 inches so each boy could see over it. She was living in secrecy but always felt that she was walking around with a huge sign: mother of Bulger killer, above her head. 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. NEIL Venables was warned by friends not to let his son play with the other boy. How can people defend their actions .#TheBulgerKillers.". Denise, James Bugler's mother, went with her brother's girlfriend Nicola to the Bootle Strand Shopping Centre and took James with her. '25 years after the James Bulger trial, I still shed hot tears at the 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. Naturaleza. 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. "Contrary to what the papers will tell you, he is not a little urchin boy. It was to be an adult trial, both boys appearing every day in the full gaze of whoever was in that room, but neither giving evidence directly to the court. 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. When the court was played Jon's taped descriptions of how they had truanted they simultaneously smiled. 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. Denise was in court that day. His mother, Susan, attributed this behavior with peer pressure and hyperactivity, and put him on a special diet, though it did nothing to quell his frequent emotional outbursts. . The best photos of birds and other wildlife from around the world. He used to be bullied by other children for being so behind, and would return home at night visibly upset. But he liked collecting trolls, little doll-like creatures with ugly faces and spiky fluorescent hair. While, on the face of it, there doesnt appear to be as much external devastation present in Jons family history as in Roberts, his outlandish behavior suggested that internally, Jon was in a state of extreme emotional upset. Two youngsters who found a new rule to break | James Bulger murder I couldnt make any sense of it, Robert later recalled, desolately, when asked about his fathers unexpected departure. 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. 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. 'Sometimes I told Robbie to do things so he does,' he told a police officer, with pride in his voice. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. Such a childish voice. He once came to me crying saying the other boys were picking on him, trying to steal his bike.'. Some of the red brick houses were well-kept, others had torn net curtains and grubby windows. 'I walked round for a couple of hours trying to find them. On the walls hung oil paintings of local judges and magistrates, their surfaces crinkled with age. That's the thing that upsets me because obviously where I was standing poor little James must have been not. Susan Venable - we found 141 people search records: 55 CVs and social profiles with photos, 50 addresses & phone numbers, 1 real estate objects, 6 Susan Venable's cars, 2 companies. He was always getting prizes for maths at school. Mrs Thompson claimed she had been the victim of revenge attacks after her identity became known. Real bottom of the gut stuff, like an animal. But then, the whole of Robert's family was a bit like that - shunned, outcast, the butt of local criticism, and very well known to police. 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. 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. Who knows. Extraordinarily, she even shouted up to the railway tracks at Walton where she knew Robert had a den. "Just TV programmes and little things remind me of the good times we had together . When the fisticuffs ended, impressed by each other's performance, they made friends. "One mystery surrounding the murder of James Bulger case is why the 'experts' insisted that Jon Venables was rehabilitated. 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. James Bulger murder: Shelagh Fogarty remembers the trial IN A letter to her son written soon after he was sentenced, Ann Thompson wrote: no matter what you did or didnt do, Im your mother and I will stay with you no matter what happens.. I suspect she still feels that., In 2001 there was a renewed uproar over the case when it emerged that the killers were to be freed, despite a. recommendation by the trial judge that they should remain behind bars for a very long time. I'm warning yer,' she would say. 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. 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. And there were rewards for breaking rules. "It is hard to take in really. Birds. They were in the Strand shopping centre in Bootle when the brother wandered off. He stayed away from school so often the local police called him a professional truant. Following the arrest of their sons it was reported that the mothers of the boys had been attacked and vilified in. With Neil seldom in contact with Susan or the children during this time, Susan was forced to contend with Jons escalating troubles alone, sometimes taking her own frustrations out on the children. 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. 'I couldn't be arsed talking about them,' said one. The boys lived off chips. It has already been reported that Jon Venables real identity has been exposed in prison, where he is said to be receiving 24-hour protection. 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. The days James was abducted, February 12 1993, I was a young reporter in my home city of Liverpool. Last November he was arrested and recalled to jail on suspicion of possession of images of child sex abuse. He carried books on wrestling and wildlife in his school bag. Little Bobby went to visit his brothers every so often, eager to show them the latest playthings he had robbed from the assorted shops nearby. "Throughout the conduct of the case there have been a number of issues that have been swept under the carpet. Finally, in 1988, while on a family vacation, the breaking point came, when Big Bobby, then thirty-four, began an adulterous relationship with a friend and neighbor in her fifties. 'America is the land of shopping malls. Jon Venables is demonstrably no such thing. His mother was not so keen on the idea - they cost pounds 35 each. Sitting in the new class was a chubby boy with a cherub's face - Robert Thompson. The details of Jamess death were sickening. 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. Guilty of abducting and murdering James PatrickBulger. Mrs Venables said: "He mentions James, not all the time. ROBERT THOMPSON - angelfire.com 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. . He has been educated. "He fell over," was the response. THE first time the boys set eyes on each other after they were arrested was in Preston crown court 3 1/2 weeks ago. He disliked Thunderbirds because of the puppets' 'stringy thingies'. 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. The couple was financially strained from the start, but Ann did what she could to make it work. Since the murder Robert has been in a state of post-traumatic shock, hounded by nightmares and flashbacks from the railway tracks. 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. Child Killer - Thompson & Venables - Murder in the Uk gl. Their faces affected me deeply. I just think of James and his Dad and about all that fun with his little boy, like I had with Jon.". 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. Depressed, Ann began drinking heavily and was taking narcotics which caused her to hallucinate. "It was very dark and I shouted down, shouted his name. The phone-in programme, as ever, was a place to turn to try to find reasons - evil, poverty, neglect, possessed anything to explain what felt inexplicable. Shortly after the breakup, an accidental fire destroyed the Thompsons home, leaving Ann homeless, jobless, and with little money to support her kids. 'The attitude when you live where we live is that you have to be tough or else you don't survive,' she said. Facebook gives people the power. Their kids have got everything, she added, bitterly. I barely need to refer to my notes to remember in great detail the events that would dominate British news for years. 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. sp. Everton was his team. I thought he was all right, Jon said of Robert during his police interviews. In 1999, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the pair did not receive a fair trial and awarded costs and expenses of 29,000 to Jon Venables and 15,000 to Robert Thompson. .". This would have been at about 5.30pm - just the time the boys were about to begin killing Jamie. 'I can't read hard words,' he said. 'I thought he was all right,' said Boy B, as he was known in court - Jon Venables. A day later she would face much worse. They said their son met Robert Thompson in September 1991, when Jon was transferred from another school. Another added: "An awful mistake??!! I do believe that she feels guilty deep down for her own part in what happened., Despite the risks of discovery, the relationship is said to have contin- ued to thrive following Thompsons. Reporters from around the world ended up in the drab streets of Walton, cadging interviews off any 10-year-old boys hanging around in the streets. Susan Venables Profiles | Facebook Susan Venables - Facebook On Sundays he used to watch Thunderbirds. Lawyers for the pair argued that the adult court venue and publicity made it impossible for the schoolboys to be given a fair trial. After a while the boys became used to it. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (second left) and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack (second right) during a visit to the Port of Cromarty Firth, Invergordon, during a two day visit to Scotland to highlight the benefits of remaining in the United Kingdom as he seeks to counter Nicola Sturgeon's push for independence, King Charles reacts as he visits the Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed in Scotland, There are only a handful of images of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, 'Jon was weak and was provoked': Parents of Jamie Bulger killers speak, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Both had a need to attract attention, which they achieved through a host of petty rebellions. He always had plenty of friends. Meanwhile, A petition demanding a public inquiry into James Bulger's murder case has got nearly 15,000 signatures in one day. "He tends to be a bit hyperactive so his concentration did go a bit, but apart from that he is quite bright, no worries.". He liked to spend the weekend on the streets. 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. The documentary on the James Bulger murder case sparked anger after viewers criticised the Channel 4 show for "sympathising" with the toddler's killers. Self pity? Chilling words of Jon Venables' parents resurface on 25th anniversary Grainy CCTV footage later showed the innocent toddler being led away by Venables and Thompson, who marched the little boy through the streets of Bootle for two miles - a walk that would have taken hours given his size. Look at mine. She remained very frightened and felt that she and her son were the most hated people in the country. 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. One day they stayed out until 10.30pm and Jon received a severe reprimand from his mother. School had no hold on him - there was no corporal punishment or other form of penalty that touched him. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The James Bulger murder View gallery Venables was born on August 12, 1982. I don't think they understood he was hyperactive. When shop keepers asked what they were doing they would pretend they were waiting for their mum. The questioning was calm, steady, even playful at the beginning to try to get a sense the two boys really did know the difference between right and wrong. We feel so sorry for him because he must be going through so much torment. The fathers of both Robert and Jon were without work. Hyperactive children can't sit still all day,' Mrs Venables said. In Jon's case, 'hyperactivity' went beyond mere fidgeting into outbursts of sudden anger and violence. Robert had asked once before but Jon, who had rarely truanted in his previous school, was scared and said no. Haunting CCTV footage shows the pair leading the tiny, trusting boy . what is the bite force of a baboon. I don't think so. The teacher had a different perspective, saying that Susan was in fact aware of the issue, and had expressed deep concern. An Egret looking for his dinner! - Aswan, Egypt | Bird pictures, Aswan He has had more love and attention than a lot of children I know. S. Susan venables. We will never be able to do the fun things any more . The pattern of bullying among the brothers, which had been noted by the Head mistress of the boys school, appeared to descend down the line, with the eldest Thompson brother beating the one just below him in age, and that brother beating the brother below him, in turn. The Royal Mint of a 50p coin featuring Professor Albus Dumbledore as part of a Harry Potter-themed collection. When social workers came round, they did so to see his sister and his brother, who had learning difficulties and was receiving special education. 'It's always our family that gets the blame,' Robert said to police after he was arrested for James's murder. I said no. He did like to be liked, and loved to have friends, and he has got involved with the wrong person.". It was on his way back to the interview room when Venables finally admitted it: "We did it. Such pleasantries were not for Robbie. Seeing at first hand the pain of a family who have lost a toddler to an act of brutal violence is almost unbearably moving. 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. So he came home. The judge, in sentencing the boys yesterday, voiced his strong suspicion that exposure to violent videos had played a strong part in corrupting them. What happened to James Bulger? 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. One investigating police officer said: 'You could look into the eyes of Robert and knew you were looking at evil.' There was a pattern of bullying, with the older boys picking on their younger brothers down the line.