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. 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. Regrettably, yet perhaps not entirely unforeseen, the cycle of abuse continued. He would go to bed. The mayor of Preston accused them of being sick ghouls, but still they came, queuing up for tickets two hours before proceedings began. yet, as Venables is back behind bars. I would get him something like a cartoon.". But apart from his brother, Robert struggled to build friendships. 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. He had that odd combination of obsession with and disdain for possessions that is characteristic of children who have never enjoyed any of their own. It seems likely that he was bullied. He did like to be liked, and loved to have friends, and he has got involved with the wrong person.". It was when Jon turned seven that Susan and the children had relocated to Norris Green, one of Liverpools larger, more reputable areas. Seeing at first hand the pain of a family who have lost a toddler to an act of brutal violence is almost unbearably moving. There, he is terrorising a girl. In the first press conference she gave the day after her son was taken, this 25-year-old woman struck me as a girl, a desperate, grief stricken girl whose tired swollen eyes told their own story. Without anyone in the family to turn to for support, he had to look outside for people whose swaggering aggression he could emulate. Neil Venables, 40, said he felt "just devastated, thinking of that little boy'. It is just heartbreaking.". 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.'. That means he is currently 35-years-old. . When he played truant he was scared she would come and find him. Many of us had dined together most nights throughout the trial, mulling it all over but distracting ourselves, too. You know, we just try and help him as best we can to try to come to terms with things. His mind was too restless to take up other hobbies for long. Money, or his family's lack of it, preyed on his mind. They looked, moved, fidgeted, scratched, cried - even sucked their thumbs - just like any 11-year-olds. 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. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Behind them eyes bore into them - from everyone on all sides, journalists, their parents, members of the public, and of course, theBulgerfamily. 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. The two had an aberrant relationship with one another, in the sense that it was almost as though they had never divorced. 'You'd better tell the truth. Born 10 days apart in August 1982 in Liverpool. Online Marketing For Your Business Ironically, Jon was the child who caused his parents least anxiety. 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Then there were the separated parents, the poverty, the truanting, the videos. It was on his way back to the interview room when Venables finally admitted it: "We did it. The teacher had a different perspective, saying that Susan was in fact aware of the issue, and had expressed deep concern. Another added: "An awful mistake??!! The best instincts led hundreds, including me, to lay flowers a few days later at the site of James horrific end. Although he appeared to have the more stable upbringing of the two boys, there was a history of family problems. Venables served seven years of a life sentence for the 1993 murder before he was freed in June 2001, aged 18. Both boys had been held back a year, and they were put in the same class. In March 2010, Venables was recalled to prison for downloading and distributing more than 100 images of child abuse. He was fearful of the other boy. Trauma? Most people would regard such sentiments as having come rather late in the day and certainly too late to save poor James. Put bluntly, Jon Venables still gets a kick out of seeing small children suffer. After a while he tried to commit suicide to get back in. She found it hard bringing the kids up in the neighbourhood. I have cried for JamesBulgermany times, so God only knows the tears his parents and family have shed. as he was known in court - Jon Venables. Something went wrong, please try again later. Venables received a 40-month prison sentence after appearing via video link at the Old Bailey. 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. On Monday night's documentary, Robert Thompson's solicitor Dominic Lloyd said: "Many years after the trial a juror said 'we found them guilty of murder but we didn't have the option to find them guilty of being two very bewildered and frightened little boys who made an awful mistake and need a lot of help'.". Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. The Americans fed 1 1/2 minutes of the Jamie Bulger story into a 22-minute bulletin of national and international news. By now the Venables were reunited as a result of the court case. Guilty of abducting and murdering James PatrickBulger. eb. fun to be with" and always had plenty of friends. Jobs were few and far between. 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. They played truant, they pinched sweets, they terrorised old ladies. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. It would be a week before we heard their voices, in hours of taped police interviews, They stopped us all in our tracks. He would often have to stay in class at break times to catch up. Nicola had to exchange some clothes at TJ Hughes, Denise waited nearby, watching the children. A parole board ruled that Thompson and Venables were no longer a threat. Once the jury retired, so did the journalists - but we didnt go far. has prompted a public outcry for an investigation into issues surrounding the case. Susan Venables has blamed weakness for her sons role in the killing of James Bulger, claiming that he got involved with the wrong person. Thompson got better opportunities there than if hed been walking the streets in Walton, says the author. This would have made little Robert the target of the fourth Thompson brother, who, in less than a years time, had confessed to arson, tried to stab his elder brother in a fit of rage, and had allegedly committed a lewd act against two small children (this incident was overlooked due to lack of evidence; however, because it was always considered a likely possibility that little Robert had been the victim of sexual abuse himself, and since Robert reportedly confirmed this years later, this occurrence involving his elder brother might be thought particularly revealing). Susan Venables agreed but on condition that she saw her son first. 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. A day later, when James still hadnt been found, it was clear from CCTV footage that he had been taken by children. She would arrive at the secure unit with food parcels and is said to be proud of his achievements since the crime. 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. Venables parents were divorced but still lived within a stones throw of one another and were both involved in their sons upbringing. ql zo. By now the two boys from Walton were part of an international freak show. She was living in secrecy but always felt that she was walking around with a huge sign: mother of Bulger killer, above her head. 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. One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging. The case is doomed to be picked over by every faction within the caring professionals and politics. At school Jon was considered bright enough, though he had trouble keeping up with lessons. Following the arrest of their sons it was reported that the mothers of the boys had been attacked and vilified in. I just heard an almighty screech. He is one of those children that if you told him to put his hand in the fire, he would. The reaction prompted James' mum Denise Fergus to let supporters know she had nothing to do with the programme. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging in the air as he sat in the custody office. 2023 BBC. She remained very frightened and felt that she and her son were the most hated people in the country. Denise, James Bugler's mother, went with her brother's girlfriend Nicola to the Bootle Strand Shopping Centre and took James with her. After a while the 10-year-olds began to charge - a tenner an interview. Words with the drawing, full of spelling mistakes and grammatical. She couldn't. 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". The experience gave Jon renewed confidence, and the second time they sagged off together he suggested it. Click here to find personal data about Susan Venables including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. she said. He said he was frightened of Robert's older brother. That's the thing that upsets me because obviously where I was standing poor little James must have been not. I barely need to refer to my notes to remember in great detail the events that would dominate British news for years. The end of the court case was not the end of course. 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Thompson was inscrutable in the dock as we heard his voice for the first time. For his parents, the fact they were children was actually a cause for hope at that point. He would call people names and get them to chase him. Still, despite being clearly intimidated by him, Roberts brother appeared to share a strangely intimate bond with him. 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. See that cell. Ann denied the physical abuse, but later admitted to being cruel to the boys at times. Superintendent Kirby is a religious man. Susan Venables Facebook: susan.venables.9 Lives in Mellor, Blackburn With Darwen, . 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. Both of them struggled at school and had been lumped into the year below their age. however, as the incident in the playground shows, the ever-present threat of discovery cast a constant shadow over anyone related to the two murderers. Robert passed this down the line bullying his eight-year-old brother into playing truant. Liked by susan venables. 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. Her warnings arent being heeded, but 25 years on, I think she is probably right. 'When the fisticuffs ended, they made friends.' The family was put up in a hostel temporarily and later relocated by the social services. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Apart from Jon's incident with the ruler, there had been no record of previous violence. Aged 10, he was barely literate. football, snooker, things like that. The living versions on the floor of the court looked equally wrinkled and austere. The petition, that now has 14,682 signatures, reads: "We want a Public Inquiry into the James Bulger murder case. 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. 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. It is about a Good Guy doll invaded by the spirit of a mass murderer who kills people in gruesome ways. The atmosphere in the courtroom was oppressive as the tension of a month was about to break. Their kids have got everything. If I wanted to kill a baby, Id kill Id kill me own, wouldnt I?. More often, he would pinch them from local shops. "Youngsters are usually tried in a youth court, [Thompson and Venables] were tried in an adult court. 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. I thought he was all right, Jon said of Robert during his police interviews. 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. 'If, in their own lives, they have had it extremely tough and been bullied and neglected and abused then they end up rapidly having to prove themselves to be extremely tough and invulnerable - a bit like Arnold Shwarzenegger in The Terminator. His parents say he is 'broken-hearted'. After a while the boys became used to it. For me, though, it is Susan and Neil Venables who stay most in my memory of that day. From the moment Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were convicted of the murder of James Bulger, their, families have been condemned to lives spent looking over their shoulders.
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