Venables was a different creature. Shed never been back but she clearly missed Liverpool and had tried to recreate the city in her new home, he recalls. 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. For me, though, it is Susan and Neil Venables who stay most in my memory of that day. In 2010, Meggie Atkinson, then children's commissioner for England, called for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 12 in light of the trial. . The mayor of Preston accused them of being sick ghouls, but still they came, queuing up for tickets two hours before proceedings began. His grip was so strong that it took two people to pry Jon off of the boy. The reaction prompted James' mum Denise Fergus to let supporters know she had nothing to do with the programme. Naturaleza. It is here, of course, that Jon met and made friends with fellow eccentric, Robert Thompson. Susan Venables is on Facebook. Not that he had any need to borrow his dad's. The living versions on the floor of the court looked equally wrinkled and austere. The boys lived off 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, . They had to report him missing at the security office before he was found, and Jon's mother was very angry. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. I cant believe people find excuses for these murderers. On the days he was at school he had a knack for stirring things up. Moments later, we were told, Jon Venables uttered the words, We did it. I feel so sorry for them. Two boys who forged a friendship out of breaking the rules. From their point of view it makes perfect sense. si fs. She said that Jon was always "loving, caring, thoughtful and considerate . The Swedes, French, Germans, Canadian and Americans had all come to gaze at Liverpool's child killers. At 2:30 they went to the two-story shopping centre. Were they to blame? 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. She visited regularly and they would hold family anniversaries in the, place where he was held. They didnt kill him in an accident it was premeditated and they tortured that poor baby. CCTV images revealed how James had been lured away by Thompson and Venables, who was also aged 10. The Hand that Rocks the Cradle | Killers Without Conscience . 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'.". Jon Venables now: How old is James Bulger's killer? What happened to susan and neil venables Robert said 'If you tell anybody I'll get my big brother to batter you up'. Will you tell his mum I'm sorry?". I came back and then (Mrs Venables) went out. His father, Neil, an unemployed panel-beater, was separated from his mother but they lived only a mile apart, saw each other every other day, and took equal care of the children. I wonder how many parents looked at their sons of a similar age that week, sure in the knowledge their own children could never be so wicked, but asked themselves anyway "what would I do if?". Jon breaks into hysteria whenever the subject is mentioned. 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. Are they mad? 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.. 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. Ann tried to discourage this by hiding his shoes, or by taking him down to the Walton Lane police station and having the officer on duty frighten him into compliance, but to no avail. 'I even went up to the railway line because I knew the other boy had a den up there and was on the railway nearly all the time.'. Put bluntly, Jon Venables still gets a kick out of seeing small children suffer. Robert is not believed to have reoffended - Venables has been convicted twice since being set free. Just four years earlier, we had all covered the Hillsborough disaster and come together in grief. In the business world, too many people think it's all about being hard, tough, ambitious, or having grit. He was jailed for two years before being granted parole again in July 2013.. xf fy. 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. Both had parents who had separated. They would hang around the video shop in Walton Village where the shop girl was pleased to have their company. By now the Venables were reunited as a result of the court case. gk. We still dont know why. 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. I barely need to refer to my notes to remember in great detail the events that would dominate British news for years. I said no. But viewers were shocked when experts "defended" the 10-year-old murderers saying they made "an awful mistake". He used to be bullied by other children for being so behind, and would return home at night visibly upset. Robert had asked once before but Jon, who had rarely truanted in his previous school, was scared and said no. 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. But that is the common lot of thousands of 10-year-olds who have not turned into murderers. 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. Words with the drawing, full of spelling mistakes and grammatical. Self pity? I know how I feel as a mother. Mrs Thompson claimed she had been the victim of revenge attacks after her identity became known. Guilty of abducting and murdering James PatrickBulger. For his parents, the fact they were children was actually a cause for hope at that point. 'Jon was fearful, weak, and he was provoked': Parents of boys who At Preston Crown Court Thompsons mother Ann and Venables parents Neil and Sue sat side by side. "He is easily led. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The police have uncovered no evidence of any abuse within either family. IN their interviews with the two boys, psychiatrists could find no clues to why the boys acted so violently. 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. 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". fn ye vw la. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. The Killing of James Bulger: Where are Robert Thompson and Jon Venables He has had security with loving parents and a loving brother and sister.". Susan Venables - People Directory - 192.com David James Smith, who wrote a book about the Bulger case, The Sleep Of Reason, and stayed in touch with Ann Thompson afterwards. 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. They said their son met Robert Thompson in September 1991, when Jon was transferred from another school. And now The Bulger Killers: Was Justice Done? re bz. He was fearful, he was weak and he was provoked. Teachers later reported that whereas the boys were manageable when separated, together their behavior worsened dramatically. They have never come out of hiding. . Behind them eyes bore into them - from everyone on all sides, journalists, their parents, members of the public, and of course, theBulgerfamily. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. By then, Robert and Jon had abducted James Bulger from the Strand and attempted to drown him in the nearby canal. Since his 14-year-old brother, Phillip , had already tried to stab him, the social services agreed. Lawyers for the pair argued that the adult court venue and publicity made it impossible for the schoolboys to be given a fair trial. For a start, there were only three children, of whom Jon was the middle. He was repulsed because he found Robert's disdain for authority scary. In all, they played truant four times. 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 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. The left will make play of social deprivation, unemployment, bad housing and general inner-city rot. He would call people names and get them to chase him. He was fearful, he was weak and he was provoked," she said. We still think the same of him as we always have. He didn't want to hurt James. You know, we just try and help him as best we can to try to come to terms with things. Will you tell his mum I'm sorry?". I wish we could turn the clocks back," Mrs Venablessaid. Neil Venables, 40, said he felt "just devastated, thinking of that little boy'. 'They were just your average scruff - like the rest of us.'. She couldn't. I made notes of the pathologists evidence. "The age of criminal responsibility in this country is 10 that's too low. Everyone called him Chubby, because of his round, cherub's face. A parole board ruled that Thompson and Venables were no longer a threat. 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. The pair were handed new identities after being released from prison. 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. ROBERT had a reputation in the neighbourhood for being a troublemaker. Then there were the separated parents, the poverty, the truanting, the videos. He had left her to bring up six children alone. It is about a Good Guy doll invaded by the spirit of a mass murderer who kills people in gruesome ways. His mind was too restless to take up other hobbies for long. 'Provided you have no court orders for debts already,' the man on the phone would add helpfully. It seems likely that he was bullied. But now and again. The couple, who are living together again after a partial separation, said their feelings towards Jon had not changed despite the terrible crime. The atmosphere in the courtroom was oppressive as the tension of a month was about to break. This time, curiosity took the upper hand: 'I wanted to see what it was like,' he said. Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. We still think the same of him as we always have. Then they would hide their school satchels under a subway and set off on their adventure. He caused me such anxiety, the teacher later recalled of Jon in a statement given to the Merseyside police. Both boys had been held back a year, and they were put in the same class. Gillespie, McNeilly, and Powell were sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. 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. That means he is currently 35-years-old. Neston Town Council unveil plans for Good Friday Easter Market, Drivers at risk of a 1,000 fine for these simple number plate mistakes, Trip Advisor: Six best Chinese restaurants in Wirral, 'Pubs need to adapt' if they are going to survive the times ahead, Birchwood company donates huge 45,000 to children's hospice, Series of strict conditions placed on dog after Widnes attack, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. My young body must have been tense with the deep anxiety that permeated every inch of that courtroom. 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. But talking in 1993, his mother tried to explain how her child turned into a murderer. She got her drinking under control and began giving her murderer son the attention he. Venables received a 40-month prison sentence after appearing via video link at the Old Bailey. I didnt, did I? she said to Neil during their interview with Gitta Sereny. Birds. Twenty-five years on, Im still prone to hot tears at the memory of it all and I do question the trial. He was fearful of the other boy. I wasnt on duty that day, so the very beginnings of the story washed over me. What upsets me is I've no way of bringing him up for the rest of his young years so he's going to lose all his childhood. The two had an aberrant relationship with one another, in the sense that it was almost as though they had never divorced. When the fisticuffs ended, impressed by each other's performance, they made friends. susan venables pictures Child killer Mary Bell and Maxine Carr, the former girlfriend of Soham murderer Ian Huntley, are the others. The week after he walked out the family's home burned down in an accidental fire. "It is hard to take in really. Her warnings arent being heeded, but 25 years on, I think she is probably right. Half way through the 1992-1993 school year, Robert had already racked up nearly 50 unauthorized absences, and was falling significantly behind in his schoolwork. Robert's mother agreed with her son's assessment: 'Name one family in the area who would have a good word for us.'. He had been quiet that weekend, they said, but they had thought that was because his mother had taken him to the police station on the Friday evening for playing truant. 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. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? "I don't think we went wrong as parents at all. But Robert was stuck in Walton with his older brothers and the baby. 'I thought he was all right,' said Boy B, as he was known in court - Jon Venables. But his comment sparked anger from viewers. One woman asked how James had injured his forehead. Celestial. The documentary on the James Bulger murder case sparked anger after viewers criticised the Channel 4 show for "sympathising" with the toddler's killers. Those who knew him well said he was a very emotional child, prone to mood swings. Revealed: The horror drawing by Jon Venables weeks before he killed Southern. The base of the dock floor at Preston Crown Court had to be raised 18 inches so each boy could see over it. On November 24, 1993, the two boys, by then aged 11, became the youngest defendants to be sentenced for murder in a British court. 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.
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