We feel so sorry for him because he must be going through so much torment. Its beyond me," one viewer tweeted. ql zo. He stayed away from school so often the local police called him a professional truant. xf fy. He was always getting prizes for maths at school. 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. It emerged that the Venables family had suffered the same fate in another area. He used to be bullied by other children for being so behind, and would return home at night visibly upset. The mayor of Preston accused them of being sick ghouls, but still they came, queuing up for tickets two hours before proceedings began. The best photos of birds and other wildlife from around the world. fun to be with" and always had plenty of friends. Not for long though. 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 just as he was entering the school gates he met Jon and they decided to sag off together for the fourth - and final - time. Something went wrong, please try again later. "'It wasnt fair to interview him. The case is doomed to be picked over by every faction within the caring professionals and politics. We are proud to endorse the COP27 Leather Manifesto. It's high time they were investigated. 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. I would get him something like a cartoon.". Usually, they were slung out. 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. If I wanted to kill a baby, Id kill Id kill me own, wouldnt I?. He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security . Jon lived in terror of losing his mother's love, yet he was also terrified of her. So much happened whilst I was there involving Jon. 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. Yes, these things are important, but trust. For me, though, it is Susan and Neil Venables who stay most in my memory of that day. Who knows. Susan Venables's bent body shrank deeper into itself. . The hardliners in the police have a simpler explanation. 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 parents, Susan and Neil, accompanied him during the interview process. I wish we could turn the clocks back,' Mrs Venables, 36, said. ", 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 teacher had a different perspective, saying that Susan was in fact aware of the issue, and had expressed deep concern. 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.. Then they would hide their school satchels under a subway and set off on their adventure. That's the thing that upsets me because obviously where I was standing poor little James must have been not. He has had Christmas presents. The fathers of both Robert and Jon were without work. The two bumped into each other - literally - in the school playground in the middle of a fight. 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. Get the biggest TV headlines, recaps and insider knowledge straight to your inbox. Wiping away tears, he went on: 'I feel for that family. Find out more, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, As James Bulger killer Jon Venables is sent back to prison, Shelagh Fogarty writes about her experiences as a young reporter on the case at the time, James Bulger, aged 2 years old, being led away in the New Strand shopping centre in the Bootle area of Liverpool, Denise Bulger arrives at Preston Crown Couty on November 24 1993, Shelagh Fogarty was a young reporter at the time of the murder, The police van carrying Venables and Thompson arrives at Preston Crown Court, Sarah Ferguson exclusive: Meghan has made Harry very happy, 32 best gifts for her: top present ideas to buy for mother's day in 2023, Midlife women are being told to sit down and shut up and not just by men, Imogen Stubbs: Its become less and less acceptable to age, Cost of HRT set to be slashed in new prescription scheme, Magic Mike and the naked truth about male strippers, Inside the James Bulger files 25 years on. WALTON, where they both lived, is, in the jargon of planning, an inner-city urban priority area; neither the best nor the worst the city has to offer. Nicola had to exchange some clothes at TJ Hughes, Denise waited nearby, watching the children. "He fell over," was the response. Self pity? Most people would regard such sentiments as having come rather late in the day and certainly too late to save poor James. They deal with drugs, they deal with everything. 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. A parole board ruled that Thompson and Venables were no longer a threat. 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. The Rt Reverend Glyn Webster lights a candle in front of the newly restored Lady Chapel East Window at All Saints North Street in York, one of thirteen stained glass windows from the church undergoing conservation work at Barley Studio, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Pat Cullen on the picket line outside Great Ormond Street Hospital in London during a strike by nurses and ambulance staff, Britains former prime minister Liz Truss leaves her home on February 5, 2023 in London, England. He carried books on wrestling and wildlife in his school bag. Mr Venables said it had never crossed their minds that the video pictures from the security cameras in the shopping centre from which James went missing showed their own son. On Sundays he used to watch Thunderbirds. Thompson admitted nothing. "All he said when we've said 'Why didn't you run away?' Jon was also mad on computers. Facebook gives people the power. Between January and the day of the murder Robert had absconded 37 half days out of a possible 60 . They were intent on killing. They said their son met Robert Thompson in September 1991, when Jon was transferred from another school. 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. Many of us had dined together most nights throughout the trial, mulling it all over but distracting ourselves, too. Recently, I dug out my old notebooks of the trial and my handwriting during the verdicts says it all. The documentary on the James Bulger murder case sparked anger after viewers criticised the Channel 4 show for "sympathising" with the toddler's killers. I just burst into tears because you just knew what that meanther heart was broken. 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Venables received a 40-month prison sentence after appearing via video link at the Old Bailey. It is about a Good Guy doll invaded by the spirit of a mass murderer who kills people in gruesome ways. At school Jon was considered bright enough, though he had trouble keeping up with lessons. In court, he hid his face again. Regrettably, yet perhaps not entirely unforeseen, the cycle of abuse continued. Jon's parents, who sat in court for most of the trial, said they grieved for the Bulgers. At Preston Crown Court Thompsons mother Ann and Venables parents Neil and Sue sat side by side. His mother was not so keen on the idea - they cost pounds 35 each. The reaction prompted James' mum Denise Fergus to let supporters know she had nothing to do with the programme. He's a good reader if he's interested in it. But his outbursts of anger grew worse and he was suspended for trying to throttle a boy with a ruler. But talking in 1993, his mother tried to explain how her child turned into a murderer. 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. They had to report him missing at the security office before he was found, and Jon's mother was very angry. They have never come out of hiding. . His body was found two days later on a railway line. 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. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10, murdered him in cold blood. He disliked Thunderbirds because of the puppets' 'stringy thingies'. The press were gobbling it up. I came back and then (Mrs Venables) went out. In the last few years she stopped drinking in the Top House and tried to keep things together. At the trialnine months laterI would learn that Robert Thompson had been among those people. 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. I couldnt make any sense of it, Robert later recalled, desolately, when asked about his fathers unexpected departure. They pair was ordered to be detained at her majesty's pleasure - meaning indefinitely - but in 2001, a six-month review by the parole board found they were no longer a threat to public safety and they were released on life licence after serving just eight years. "He is easily led. The Swedes, French, Germans, Canadian and Americans had all come to gaze at Liverpool's child killers. The beginnings of the friendship were inauspicious enough. For she added: 'But he's not a murderer.'. James' mother Denise believes they should have remained in jail for life and has tirelessly campaigned against their rights to anonymity. Not surprisingly, Ann had also attempted suicide in the same manner, some months before. The end of the court case was not the end of course. Susan seemed happy with the arrangement, although, for the children, this type of relationship would have been just one more confusing anomaly to cope with in the wake of an already confusing time in their young lives. 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 regarded himself as the Barry Norman of Merseyside - a film buff with a penchant for horror. The pair were handed new identities after being released from prison. He was jailed for two years before being granted parole again in July 2013. 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. When Robert was asked what his hobby was he did not say trolls but 'skipping school'. . A torrent of questions erupted from the moment the grim news came out that James Bulger's body had been found on a railway line in Liverpool and the last people seen with him were two ten-year-olds, captured on grainy CCTV footage. I'm bringing up on my own but if I went round and screwed every warehouse my children would have everything too.'. She couldn't. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. It was not until much later, when questioned as to his involvement in the death of James Bulger, that Roberts resentment towards the new baby became suddenly and painfully apparent. 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. Now we waited. Mrs Venables said: "He mentions James, not all the time. She was a woman as large in personality and physique as the burdens she carried. Spidery and messy. 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. He says 'I know, Mum'. God knows how they must be feeling now.. This time we came together in shock and disbelief. kl. Robert said 'If you tell anybody I'll get my big brother to batter you up'. Just as Venables's confession convicted him, a shoe print belonging to Robert Thompson, found on James cheekbone, confirmed his guilt, too. The two had an aberrant relationship with one another, in the sense that it was almost as though they had never divorced. He was in great distress' And what about the little, innocent boy he killed??! Mr Venables ran out of the car and grabbed him, while Robert ran off down the street laughing and shouting: 'You can't catch me.'. It is not known whether the boy watched any of his father's adult movies. 'They would say 'take your son home'. On one occasion, he said, Robert ran off down the street laughing, "You can't catch me". The toddler's mum Denise Bulger was at the counter of a butchers in the Strand shopping centre in Bootle, Liverpool, on February 12, 1993, when she briefly let go of her son's hand to get some change from her purse. Both of them struggled at school and had been lumped into the year below their age. Venables, who was said to have been subjected to regular beatings by his mother Susan, titled the drawing 'My Dads house'. 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. 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. Mrs Venables has also said that she felt heartbreak for James and his parents and shame for her son. IN their interviews with the two boys, psychiatrists could find no clues to why the boys acted so violently. The week after he walked out the family's home burned down in an accidental fire. It would be a week before we heard their voices, in hours of taped police interviews, They stopped us all in our tracks. 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. portrayed him as the leader and evil one, says James Smith. He appears to be a normal human, but inside the soft flesh there is indestructable metal. 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. Gillespie, McNeilly, and Powell were sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. Dudson was given a minimum term of 18 years. Robert passed this down the line bullying his eight-year-old brother into playing truant. I know how I feel as a mother. I used to get them for myself at night time. He has had security with loving parents and a loving brother and sister.". INSIDE the court sat the two boys, dwarfed by the weight and majesty of the place. Venables served seven years of a life sentence for the 1993 murder before he was freed in June 2001, aged 18. The attitude when you live where we live is that you have to be tough or else you dont survive, she said. He was fearful, he was weak and he was provoked. 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. Ann was a heavy drinker, separated from her husband, also called Robert, who had deserted the family several years earlier and did not attend court. Then there were the separated parents, the poverty, the truanting, the videos. My young body must have been tense with the deep anxiety that permeated every inch of that courtroom. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. 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. I didnt connect the dots until much later on. Mrs Venables described how she searched for Jon. 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. A smell of bleach lingered on some of the tiled steps that led up to the front doors. Are they mad? They occasionally exchanged furtive glances. They sat just feet from me, perched on the edge of their wooden seat, smartly dressed and hunched in shame just below their son, Jon. 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"One mystery surrounding the murder of James Bulger case is why the 'experts' insisted that Jon Venables was rehabilitated. Moments later, we were told, Jon Venables uttered the words, We did it. Hyperactive children can't sit still all day,' Mrs Venables said. She spent much of her time at the pub after that, and rarely stayed in for a meal. Our feelings haven't changed towards him. Bird Pictures. He would throw things at other children, cut himself deliberately with scissors and stick paper all over his face. Express. Three years ago, after his mother walloped him, he went to social services and asked them to put him in care. . the street. Some of the red brick houses were well-kept, others had torn net curtains and grubby windows. Lawyers for the pair argued that the adult court venue and publicity made it impossible for the schoolboys to be given a fair trial. "It was very dark and I shouted down, shouted his name. In March 2010, Venables was recalled to prison for downloading and distributing more than 100 images of child abuse. Lady Penelope was his favourite character because she was rich, followed by Brains with the glasses. In contrast he has had no contact with his father despite an approach soon after sentencing. Less thanfive hours laterthe verdicts were in. It is here, of course, that Jon met and made friends with fellow eccentric, Robert Thompson. I wasnt on duty that day, so the very beginnings of the story washed over me. They didnt kill him in an accident it was premeditated and they tortured that poor baby. . On the walls hung oil paintings of local judges and magistrates, their surfaces crinkled with age. Facebook gives people the power. He once came to me crying saying the other boys were picking on him, trying to steal his bike.'. "My heart really goes out to them. Just something to do.'. Verdict day came. During the Bulger investigation, police checked the details of 50 videos Mr Venables had hired in recent months. Robert said 'If you tell anybody I'll get my big brother to batter you up'. That means he is currently 35-years-old. Tweet. . He wanted a Rovers strip for his birthday present. 'I was the softie,' Neil Venables said. Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. Both had parents who had separated. 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. Anne Thompson could hold her drink and no one ever saw her staggering home. By now the two boys from Walton were part of an international freak show. They deal with drugs, they deal with everything. Jon had to be pulled off the boy, who had gone red in the face, by a teacher who described the incident as the worst case of school violence she had witnessed. 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. 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 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. It was so stressful trying to contain him. ROBERT had a reputation in the neighbourhood for being a troublemaker. Witness after witness who had seen them, or stopped and asked them what was going on, took the stand. "In order that justice can be done, no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.". The most agonising thing about the whole case was that so many people had stopped them and questioned them. yet, as Venables is back behind bars. 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. 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. Jon breaks into hysteria whenever the subject is mentioned. "What he's done is wrong so he needs to be punished. Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. 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 street in which Robert lived was not untypical: a row of terraced bay windowed houses that stretched from the railway line back towards the city. Susan Venables is on Facebook. ', 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. 'I couldn't hear anything,' she said. Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman . Their. But that is the common lot of thousands of 10-year-olds who have not turned into murderers. He is one of those children that if you told him to put his hand in the fire, he would. We still think the same of him as we always have. We will never be able to do the fun things any more . We still think the same of him as we always have. The couple was financially strained from the start, but Ann did what she could to make it work. In Jon's case, 'hyperactivity' went beyond mere fidgeting into outbursts of sudden anger and violence. It is just heartbreaking.". Grey Heron. Susan Venables, mother of Jon - referred to throughout the trial as Boy B - blamed her son's 'weakness' for the murder of James Bulger, . She initially enrolled the two younger children in Broad Square Elementary, but it soon became clear that her daughter was struggling to keep up with the schools curriculum. 'I didn't know it would be like this,' Mr Venables said with hindsight. . Jon spent Sunday to Thursday with his mum and the rest of every week with his dad. He didn't want to hurt James. Twenty-five years on, Im still prone to hot tears at the memory of it all and I do question the trial. 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. I said no. 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