I'm bringing up on my own but if I went round and screwed every warehouse my children would have everything too.'. 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. eb. Resentful of her husbands lack of involvement with the children, Susan conceded that the couple fought constantly, especially throughout 1983, but maintained that Neil had never been aggressive towards her, nor had she hit him. Everton was his team. Hes your son., Unhappily, it was during this critical time that Ann became pregnant with her seventh child, the product of another failed relationship. When Jon's parents gave a recent press interview, it was Mrs Venables who did most of the talking; the father just sat and cried. 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. The old wood panelled courtroom is small. Grey seal pups on the beach at Horsey in Norfolk, as the pupping season draws to a close at one the UK's most important sites for the mammals. 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'. He said he was frightened of Robert's older brother. This time we came together in shock and disbelief. The first time he asked Jon to play truant with him was last September, only weeks after they had become friends. The Royal Mint of a 50p coin featuring Professor Albus Dumbledore as part of a Harry Potter-themed collection. When he played truant he was scared she would come and find him. Were they to blame? We still think the same of him as we always have. In quest of companionship, he occasionally bullied his younger brother into truanting with him, and, in an effort to impress his peers, frequently boasted of his late-night exploits on the railway line, but failed to attract much attention. His father, thin and balding, had a much gentler edge. 'In my opinion he was victimised. Usually, they were slung out. Yet, even while Susan admitted to being under huge emotional strain on a daily basis, the couple later denied that her constant hysterics would have encroached on Jon in any way, considering he was still in infancy at the time. We still think the same of him as we always have. . 'I sat away from him - he caused trouble,' Jon said. Grainy CCTV footage shows them walking James away from the Strand . 'You'd better tell the truth. Ian was clever enough to know that to survive he had to get out. .". The statement said: "The man formerly known as Jon Venables has been charged with offences relating to indecent images of children and will appear in the Crown Court. Mrs Thompson worked as an office cleaner until two years ago, when she got pregnant again by another man, who also left her. 'Just mad. Weeping, she said: 'I wasn't actually on the railway track because there is a fence, but I went up the side. A day later she would face much worse. 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. She couldn't. At the trialnine months laterI would learn that Robert Thompson had been among those people. 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. Susan Venables, mother of Jon - referred to throughout the trial as Boy B - blamed her son's 'weakness' for the murder of James Bulger, . 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Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. The documentary on the James Bulger murder case sparked anger after viewers criticised the Channel 4 show for "sympathising" with the toddler's killers. . si fs. 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. 'It was very dark and I shouted down, shouted his name. 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. Celestial. Denise was in court that day. They and Ann Thompson, who has six other. More press conferences, terrible details beginning to emerge about the state James was found in, and the chilling prospect, soon confirmed, that indeed it was children who had done this. Just something to do.'. One investigating police officer said: 'You could look into the eyes of Robert and knew you were looking at evil.' 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. We feel so sorry for him because he must be going through so much torment. CCTV images revealed how James had been lured away by Thompson and Venables, who was also aged 10. 'Provided you have no court orders for debts already,' the man on the phone would add helpfully. ", 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.". Born 10 days apart in August 1982 in Liverpool. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. Directly in front of the bench was the raised dock in which Thompson, Venables, and two social workers would sit for the next four weeks. Jon's first year after he was moved was relatively successful. "Contrary to what the papers will tell you, he is not a little urchin boy. 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. Other parents came in to complain about attention seeking. The four who drove Suzanne to Romiley - Jean Powell (now Jean Gillespie), Bernadette McNeilly, Glyn Powell, and Anthony Dudson - were all found guilty of murder. Keep them apart or he'll get into trouble, they said. That means he is currently 35-years-old. wo. Jobs were few and far between. Two boys who forged a friendship out of breaking the rules. Security launched a search for James inside the centre and James' family searched for their son overnight. It worked. They deal with drugs, they deal with everything. 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. As a result of the incident, Jon's mother decided to move him to another school. 'I don't know,' he replied. Another time they were saucy and asked a sales girl if she stocked 'fishy nickers'. Just having a bit of shade!! He began telling his father that he believed his parents loved his brother and sister more than they did him, and, at one point, implored his father to send him to school with his siblings. Mrs Venables said: "He mentions James, not all the time. At night, for instance, the two boys would lie in bed together and suck each others thumbs. ', 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. Police respond to reporters of a swan being removed from the harbour by a drunk male before it being involved in a collision on Mutley Plain. But. One time they sagged off with Robert's younger brother, which went disastrously wrong. When shop keepers asked what they were doing they would pretend they were waiting for their mum. In the autumn term of 1992, Robert played truant for 49 half days and Jon for 40. They would sneak out during the morning break, hiding behind a wall before the coast was clear. and things like that is that he was frightened. They hid his body under bricks so that the first train to come along cut his body in two, but he was already dead before this happened. This happened, more often than not, at night, when they refused to go to bed when told. He says 'I know, Mum'. In March 2010, Venables was recalled to prison for downloading and distributing more than 100 images of child abuse. There is hatred and envy directed at the baby - a wish to see it suffer in the way they have suffered. Money, or his family's lack of it, preyed on his mind. Still, despite being clearly intimidated by him, Roberts brother appeared to share a strangely intimate bond with him. To be absolutely accurate, she had only one illusion. Why would I want to kill him? he said, referring to the slain toddler. On the 20 year anniversary of the murder of James Bulger, BBC Radio 5 Live's Shelagh Fogarty recalls the trial of his young killers. 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. For a start, there were only three children, of whom Jon was the middle. The living versions on the floor of the court looked equally wrinkled and austere. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. James mother Denise Fergus has been saying this for a long time, but still we hoped that the boy who savaged a tiny child to death could become a man safe to be in our midst. Her husband came back to Walton now and again to see his mother, but he never came to see the boys. He was pale in complexion and had watery brown, listless eyes. Both were banned from ever returning to Liverpool and given new identities at a reported cost of 1.5million. 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. So much happened whilst I was there involving Jon. MOST of the boys were bright. Robert had eaten too many and felt sick. After a while the 10-year-olds began to charge - a tenner an interview. 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. At the end of the street a mesh wire frame coverered the window of the money lenders. ROBERT had a reputation in the neighbourhood for being a troublemaker. 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. From the start, Jon was drawn and repulsed by Robbie like opposite and equal poles of a magnet. Then they would hide their school satchels under a subway and set off on their adventure. ', A psychoanalyst and child psychotherapist comes up with yet another possible explanation. They had much in common. "We are committed to driving sustainability in the leather industry, through the commitment of. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. In Jon's case, 'hyperactivity' went beyond mere fidgeting into outbursts of sudden anger and violence. fun to be with". He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security . The shocking murder that shook the nation, Both Venables and Robert Thompson were 10 years-old when they tortured and killed 2 year-old James Bulger, Thompson and Venables were tried as adults, James Bulger, aged 2 years old, being led away in a shopping centre in Liverpool, Denise Fergus denied having anything to do with the Channel 4 documentary about her son, James Bulger's murder case could now be investigated, The petition is on nearly 15,000 signatures, James Bulger was just two when he was brutally murdered, He had been out shopping with his mum Denise, James was made to walk two miles before being left for dead on a disused rail line, Denise tirelessly campaigned to have their sentence increased, Denise once admitted she's lived 'in fear' since the trial. He gets upset. "My heart really goes out to them. And in Lower Lane police station when he was being questioned about the murder she had to be told that her harsh words were inhibiting him from confessing. his killers were just 10 years old and attention focused on their upbringing and dysfunctional home life. He didn't want to hurt James. TWO BOYS. As a new documentary is set to air on ITV, the haunting words of Jon Venables' parents have resurfaced. David Sharrock, Maggie O'Kane, and Edward Pilkington look at the lives of the rebels who turned to killing, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. On many occasions, Susan was observed physically and verbally assaulting Jon. Jon Venables arrived at Walton St. Marys Church of England School a disrupted and attention-seeking boy, whose behavior was so bizarre at times that one of his teachers considered him to be emotionally unstable. He was jailed for two years before being granted parole again in July 2013.. Robert's feelings towards his half-brother also appear to have been ambivalent - he told police he would not have murdered James Bulger because 'if I wanted to kill a baby, I'd kill my own, wouldn't I?'. "'It wasnt fair to interview him. She said that Jon was always "loving, caring, thoughtful and considerate . School had no hold on him - there was no corporal punishment or other form of penalty that touched him. 'I think it has something to do with a hatred of vulnerability and babyness in themselves which they projected on to this toddler.'. "The age of criminal responsibility in this country is 10 that's too low. The week after he walked out the family's home burned down in an accidental fire. What happened to James Bulger? That seems the very least they could face for what they did. - a grey heron in Asawn, Southern Egypt. Look at mine. Venables was caught with 1,170 indecent photos of children on his laptop, the Old Bailey was told. What doing well means is anybodys guess. . Robert was number five of seven. Venables received a 40-month prison sentence after appearing via video link at the Old Bailey. 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. 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. It was on his way back to the interview room when Venables finally admitted it: "We did it. We are proud to endorse the COP27 Leather Manifesto. 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. 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. Asked later if he could recall a time when his brother had exhibited any unusually aggressive tendencies, Roberts brother said no: Hes frightened of his own shadow. Nonetheless, in hindsight, its safe to assume that by 1993, ten-year-old Robert was swiftly approaching crisis point., Alarmingly, some of the neighboring children later claimed to have seen Robert behave cruelly towards animals, and pull the heads off of baby pigeons, although this was never unequivocally confirmed. He had been stripped from the waist down,. He has had security with loving parents and a loving brother and sister.". The only sign he was discomforted by hearing it was a near constant pulling of his tongue in his hands. Both had parents who had separated. Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. They did. From a distance Robert looked a sweet child. 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. The petition, that now has 14,682 signatures, reads: "We want a Public Inquiry into the James Bulger murder case. Susan Venabless bent body shrank deeper into itself. Venables and Thompson abducted, tortured and killed two-year-old James in Liverpool in 1993 when they were both aged just 10. The end of the court case was not the end of course. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Express. Forlorn hope, though. Jon lived in terror of losing his mother's love, yet he was also terrified of her. The bleached houses were peppered with burglar alarms, the shabby ones did not look worth the trouble. Lawyers for the pair argued that the adult court venue and publicity made it impossible for the schoolboys to be given a fair trial. I made notes of the pathologists evidence. Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James' injuries. 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. After a while the boys became used to it. 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. 2023 BBC. A police officer remembered Venables being so small that his legs didn't touch the floor as he sat in the custody office after his arrest. 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. All information on this page is true to my knowledge, and is not intended to diminish or justify either boys actions in any way whatsoever. "One mystery surrounding the murder of James Bulger case is why the 'experts' insisted that Jon Venables was rehabilitated. Murder of James Bulger. 'Sometimes I told Robbie to do things so he does,' he told a police officer, with pride in his voice. 'It's always our family that gets the blame,' Robert said to police after he was arrested for James's murder. Click here to find personal data about Susan Venables including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. Meanwhile, Thompson has not re-offended since his release, and is believed to be in a long-term relationship with a man who knows who he really is. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. His parents, Susan and Neil, accompanied him during the interview process. 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. Susan Venables's bent body shrank deeper into itself. It was when Jon turned seven that Susan and the children had relocated to Norris Green, one of Liverpools larger, more reputable areas.
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