I got on with my job, but months later the impact of that trial had sunk in and a difficult, tearful, confusing year followed for me. 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. Venables and Thompson abducted, tortured and killed two-year-old James in Liverpool in 1993 when they were both aged just 10. You know, we just try and help him as best we can to try to come to terms with things. They have never come out of hiding. Not that he had any need to borrow his dad's. This happened, more often than not, at night, when they refused to go to bed when told. His mind was too restless to take up other hobbies for long. It was high- lighted by the trial judge Mr Justice Morland who said they must take moral responsibility for the terrible actions of the young killers. Not surprisingly, Ann had also attempted suicide in the same manner, some months before. When they finally came to a disused railway track near the police station, the murderous duo tortured James, throwing stones and bricks at the baby, and kicking and stamping on him before finally dropping a heavy iron bar on to the defenceless tot. I would say he was provoked. James Bulger: Jon Venables' identity leaked online - news . 'When the fisticuffs ended, they made friends.' release. Few will ever forget the chilling footage of two 10-year-old boys holding a toddler's hand as they led him to his death. Robert was number five of seven. 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. Mr Venables said that the two boys had played truant together four times before, adding that he caught them twice. "He fell over," was the response. Their. I have cried for JamesBulgermany times, so God only knows the tears his parents and family have shed. Read about our approach to external linking. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. I don't think they understood he was hyperactive. Parents who stand by James's killers - Express.co.uk Could they have planned to do it in advance? She remained very frightened and felt that she and her son were the most hated people in the country. . Guilty of abducting and murdering James PatrickBulger. Susan Venables, mother of Jon, blamed her son's "weakness" for the killing and said he was "fearful" and "provoked" by his accomplice Robert Thompson. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. But however hollow a gesture it might have seemed, those who are in touch with the Thompson and Venables families insist that they have sought to make some sort of amends with their sons after the horrific events of 17 years ago that will rightly stay with them for the rest of their lives. Every day the public gallery was packed with students, pensioners, mothers, teenagers, all drawn to the courtroom spectacle as to a TV soap. At his first primary school the headmistress referred him to a psychologist, noting how he used to bang his head against the classroom wall to gain attention. Their kids have got everything. I would say he was provoked. The bleached houses were peppered with burglar alarms, the shabby ones did not look worth the trouble. For me, though, it is Susan and Neil Venables who stay most in my memory of that day. 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. One could draw some parallels between the film's plot and James Bulger's death. Sorry, we are unable to accept comments about this article at the moment. A smell of bleach lingered on some of the tiled steps that led up to the front doors. Money, or his family's lack of it, preyed on his mind. Ian was clever enough to know that to survive he had to get out. I am providing this page for those who are interested in learning more about the lives of these boys prior to their offense. It was their sons picked up by detectives. 'I don't know,' he replied. Liked by susan venables. The most startling moment of the trial came when, in lieu of giving evidence in person, the boys' taped interviews with police - recorded just after their arrest - were played in court. 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. When social workers came round, they did so to see his sister and his brother, who had learning difficulties and was receiving special education. 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. "An awful mistake for 10 year olds is shoplifting not murdering a 2 year old FFS," another angry viewer tweeted. When shop keepers asked what they were doing they would pretend they were waiting for their mum. She was paranoid about being discovered. One investigating police officer said: 'You could look into the eyes of Robert and knew you were looking at evil.' . "He tends to be a bit hyperactive so his concentration did go a bit, but apart from that he is quite bright, no worries.". Susan opted to remove him from the school then, and some months later, she reenrolled him in St. Marys in Walton. He had been stripped from the waist down,. Something went wrong, please try again later. She was prone to hysteria and hailed from a 'strict and disciplined' background. I wish we could turn the clocks back," Mrs Venablessaid. Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman . Two youngsters who found a new rule to break | James Bulger murder Gillespie, McNeilly, and Powell were sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. ', Mrs Thompson had no illusions about her son: 'He's a little liar, he's devious, he's a scally, he robs, he plays truant.' 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. Jon, who had the most trouble sleeping, appeared fearful of Susan, and was terrified, above all, of her condemnation. "It is hard to take in really. "Contrary to what the papers will tell you, he is not a little urchin boy. It was the kind of family neighbours compare themselves against and then feel better. 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. 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. NEIL Venables was warned by friends not to let his son play with the other boy. 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. 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. His body was found two days later on a railway line. I know how I feel as a mother. Last November he was arrested and recalled to jail on suspicion of possession of images of child sex abuse. For a start, there were only three children, of whom Jon was the middle. They deal with drugs, they deal with everything. They and Ann Thompson, who has six other. Will you tell his mum I'm sorry?". Sometimes Robert would sag off on his own, but it was more fun with a friend. ", 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.". As their sweet voices rang around the courtroom, Venables hid his face in his oversized blazer and cried. Hes your son., Unhappily, it was during this critical time that Ann became pregnant with her seventh child, the product of another failed relationship. Denise, James Bugler's mother, went with her brother's girlfriend Nicola to the Bootle Strand Shopping Centre and took James with her. 'Sometimes I told Robbie to do things so he does,' he told a police officer, with pride in his voice. The abduction and brutal murder of this two-year-old by Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, who were just 10 at the time, prompted a conversation in Britain that we are still having today. 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. 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. Neighbors later reported that it wasnt uncommon for Robert to be seen wandering the streets of Walton after midnight, since he was always running off at night. ANN THOMPSON, the mother of Robert Thompson, child A, says her son is a thief, a liar, is devious and plays truant. Only a handful of officials and close family members know their true identities. Or they would mess around in shops, playing on computer games if Robert had his way, sliding on the polished floors if Jon had his. 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. 'I was the softie,' Neil Venables said. 2023 BBC. 'I can't read hard words,' he said. Twenty-five years on, Im still prone to hot tears at the memory of it all and I do question the trial. He had an elder brother, aged 13, and a nine-year-old sister. In Jon's case, 'hyperactivity' went beyond mere fidgeting into outbursts of sudden anger and violence. 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. Between January and the day of the murder Robert had absconded 37 half days out of a possible 60 . Venables, who was released on licence in 2001 after serving eight years for the murder of two-year-old James, was returned to prison last November after he was caught with the pictures. UK news in pictures 15 February 2023. In March 2010, Venables was recalled to prison for downloading and distributing more than 100 images of child abuse. Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James injuries. Revealed: The horror drawing by Jon Venables weeks before he killed The press were gobbling it up. Once he stole decorating borders from a DIY shop which he discarded at regular intervals to mark his way home. She said that Jon was always "loving, caring, thoughtful and considerate . It seems likely that he was bullied. He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security . I didnt, did I? she said to Neil during their interview with Gitta Sereny. Not really?. everyone blamed Thompson and. We still think the same of him as we always have. He is one of those children that if you told him to put his hand in the fire, he would. Ironically, Jon was the child who caused his parents least anxiety. Walton Village Financial Services would lend you pounds 300 for Christmas and demand a total of pounds 460 in repayment. 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. She said an educational psychologist had diagnosed hyperactivity in her son, who was bullied at his previous school. fn ye vw la. 'It was good. It is claimed that taxpayers could have to fork out another 250,000 to provide a new life when he is eventually released. When the court was played Jon's taped descriptions of how they had truanted they simultaneously smiled. These are the words of an officer who was in the police station when DCI Geoff MacDonald of Merseyside Police broke the news to Denise that James was dead. 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. THE first time the boys set eyes on each other after they were arrested was in Preston crown court 3 1/2 weeks ago. The only sign he was discomforted by hearing it was a near constant pulling of his tongue in his hands. 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. Susan Venables - Facebook JON Venables's family was far from affluent, but it was not as close to the breadline as Robert's. Take him home, the officer would say to her. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. We feel so sorry for him because he must be going through so much torment. Seeing at first hand the pain of a family who have lost a toddler to an act of brutal violence is almost unbearably moving. . The taunts upset Jons already volatile temper, and he began coming home in increasingly low spirits and crying. Few had the patience to be friends with him, only his younger brother and a couple of lads who lived nearby. He did like to be liked, and loved to have friends, and he has got involved with the wrong person.". However, you will find some great articles which you can comment on right now in our Comment section. 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'. Shame? Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Pictures; Inside the Guardian; Guardian Weekly . The base of the dock floor at Preston Crown Court had to be raised 18 inches so each boy could see over it. March 10, 2021 - 20:29 GMT Eve Crosbie. 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. Their faces affected me deeply. Striking members of the National Education Union (NEU) South East Region at a rally in Chichester, West Sussex, in a long-running dispute over pay, Members of the Welsh Guards replace their bearskin headress after giving three cheers during a St David's Day visit to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards at Combermere Barracks in Windsor, Berkshire, Princess of Wales and Prince William take part in a spin class uring a visit to Aberavon Leisure and Fitness Center to meet local communities and hear about how sport and exercise can support mental health and wellbeing, in Port Talbot, Wales, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during a press conference at the Guildhall in Windsor, Berkshire, following the announcement that they have struck a deal over the Northern Ireland Protocol, Homes sit close to the cliff edge at Hemsby in Norfolk, where the beach has been closed off because of significant erosion and the risk that homes could fall into the sea, Members of the Russian Democratic Society, a group of Russian citizens living in the UK, stage a protest outside the Russian embassy in London, to mark the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces enter 10 Downing Street, in London, after the National one minutes silence to mark one year since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer delivers a speech at the head office of the Co-Operative Group in Manchester, unveiling plans for a mission-led Labour government, with five national missions setting out his objectives for a Labour government if the party gains power at the next general election, Ukrainian soldiers pose with a Ukrainian flag next to a military vehicle at Bovington Camp in Dorset, Stunning colours before sunrise as people walk their dogs on Tynemouth Longsands beach in Tynemouth on the North east coast, Visitors observe Dippy the Diplodocus at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry, where the museum will be hosting the 26-metre long replica skeleton for the next three years, Flowers, and ribbons on a bridge over the River Wyre in St Michael's on Wyre, Lancashire, where police recovered a body on Sunday, which was found by members of the public close to where Nicola Bulley disappeared on January 27, Protesters clash at a refugees welcome rally in Liverpool city centre, A Porsche 911 car is damaged by a fallen tree in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, as a result of storm Otto. 'Jon was fearful, weak, and he was provoked': Parents of boys who He was jailed for two years before being granted parole again in July 2013. "'It wasnt fair to interview him. How could two small boys savage and leave a toddler for dead? Why would I want to kill him? he said, referring to the slain toddler. He denied having had any films that were not mainstream, or that were pornographic, in the house. The case of James, a two-year-old who was snatched from a shopping centre in Bootle, Liverpool, in 1993, before being tortured and left to die, shocked the nation. On one occasion one of Anns sons let his real name slip at school and they had to move almost at once, says. 'I thought he was all right,' said Boy B, as he was known in court - Jon Venables. His mother gave him pocket money to buy them. In the mean time, Susan, finding her new living conditions insufferable, soon decided to move back in with Neil until she could find another place of her own. His body, defiled and broken in two by a train, two miles from where hed been taken, was foundtwo days later. Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. She also had to stay strong for the remaining children. Ironically, the relationship between mother and son improved when he, was behind bars. Susan Venables agreed but on condition that she saw her son first. James Bulger was weeks away from his third birthday, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson behaved very differently in court, Mother who killed her five children euthanised, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Alex Murdaugh jailed for life for double murder, US sues Exxon over nooses found at Louisiana plant, Zoom boss Greg Tomb fired without cause. Susan Venables has blamed "weakness" for her son's role in the killing of James Bulger, claiming that he "got involved with the wrong person". He carried books on wrestling and wildlife in his school bag. Thompson was inscrutable in the dock as we heard his voice for the first time. In court, he hid his face again. Both parents hope was that he would make something of his life and eventually find some peace. The guilty verdicts came quickly - within five hours. I wish we could turn the clocks back,' Mrs Venables, 36, said. Born on August 13th, 1982, Jon was the middle child of Neil and Susan Venables. According to the teacher, Jon would rock back and forth in his desk, making strange noises (this behavior was later speculated to be Jons jealous attempt to emulate his elder brother, in order to receive the same special attention), bang his head on the desk or walls repeatedly, glue bits of paper all over his face, wedge himself in between desks, throw himself on the ground, throw chairs across the corridor, rip projects off the classroom walls, cut holes in his socks, and intentionally cut himself with scissors. eb. He said he was frightened of Robert's older brother. "We are committed to driving sustainability in the leather industry, through the commitment of. He used to be bullied by other children for being so behind, and would return home at night visibly upset. He was fearful, he was weak and he was provoked," she said. He would throw things at other children, cut himself deliberately with scissors and stick paper all over his face. The documentary on the James Bulger murder case sparked anger after viewers criticised the Channel 4 show for "sympathising" with the toddler's killers. Depressed, Ann began drinking heavily and was taking narcotics which caused her to hallucinate. It worked. A day later she would face much worse. The documentary last night featured interviews with those involved in the 1993 trial, including James dad Ralph Bulger, Jon Venables solicitor Laurence Lee and detective sergeant Phil Roberts, who interviewed Robert Thompson. Neil explained to him that the school they attended was special, and that Jon wouldnt be accepted. 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'. One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging. 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. Natural Landmarks. Wiping away tears, he went on: 'I feel for that family. The Royal Mint of a 50p coin featuring Professor Albus Dumbledore as part of a Harry Potter-themed collection. The details of Jamess death were sickening. A maudlin ballad about Liverpool was playing in the back- ground and she was cooking the dish known as Scouse. A parole board ruled that Thompson and Venables were no longer a threat.

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