One of Anns sons claimed that Ann, too, had beaten them with sticks, and had struck one of the boys with a cane. "It is hard to take in really. Ms Truss has written a 4,000-word essay in todays Sunday Telegraph in which she stood by her plans to boost economic growth during her short tenure in No 10, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker fails to stop team-mate Joel Matip (not pictured) from scoring an own goal during the Premier League match at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, A member of the public lines the road into St Michaels on Wyre, Lancashire, with missing posters of Nicola Bulley, 45, as police continue their search for the missing woman who was last seen on the morning of Friday January 27, when she was spotted walking her dog on a footpath by the nearby River Wyre, Not your usual prisoner! Venables and Thompson were seen on CCTV calmly leading the toddler out of the shopping centre by his hand. 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. He didn't want to hurt James. .". Boy A - Robert Thompson - was the shorter and more rounded of the two. Birds. 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. She was paranoid about being discovered. . Susan Venables, now 53, suffered from severe depres-sion and struggled with her two other children, an older son and younger daughter, who suffered learning difficulties. Apart from Jon's incident with the ruler, there had been no record of previous violence. One neighbour said she always let him into her home whenever his mother was out. "The report of the Prison Service into an incident at Red Bank secure unit has not been published. susan and neil venables His mother called him hyperactive since, even more than his friend, he was scarcely able to sit still. I wasnt on duty that day, so the very beginnings of the story washed over me. Walton Village Financial Services would lend you pounds 300 for Christmas and demand a total of pounds 460 in repayment. 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. Mrs Thompson said she was so often called to Walton Lane police station to retrieve her truanting son that they should have given her a job there. Liked by susan venables. One day they stayed out until 10.30pm and Jon received a severe reprimand from his mother. Not really?. ', A psychoanalyst and child psychotherapist comes up with yet another possible explanation. Spidery and messy. fun to be with". What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? gl. It was their sons picked up by detectives. School had no hold on him - there was no corporal punishment or other form of penalty that touched him. The fathers of both Robert and Jon were without work. At night, for instance, the two boys would lie in bed together and suck each others thumbs. 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'. One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging. I'm warning yer,' she would say. 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. Between January and the day of the murder Robert had absconded 37 half days out of a possible 60 . Robert's mother agreed with her son's assessment: 'Name one family in the area who would have a good word for us.'. 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. 'In my opinion he was victimised. 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. Her warnings arent being heeded, but 25 years on, I think she is probably right. When Robert was asked what his hobby was he did not say trolls but 'skipping school'. Put bluntly, Jon Venables still gets a kick out of seeing small children suffer. Robert passed this down the line bullying his eight-year-old brother into playing truant. Not for long though. Born 10 days apart in August 1982 in Liverpool. The couple, who are living together again after a partial separation, said their feelings towards Jon had not changed despite the terrible crime. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Hope. Those who knew him well said he was a very emotional child, prone to mood swings. 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. Lady Penelope was his favourite character because she was rich, followed by Brains with the glasses. Child killer Mary Bell and Maxine Carr, the former girlfriend of Soham murderer Ian Huntley, are the others. During the Bulger investigation, police checked the details of 50 videos Mr Venables had hired in recent months. The family was put up in a hostel temporarily and later relocated by the social services. and things like that is that he was frightened. 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. Reporters from around the world ended up in the drab streets of Walton, cadging interviews off any 10-year-old boys hanging around in the streets. 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. His grip was so strong that it took two people to pry Jon off of the boy. 'America is the land of shopping malls. 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. Mrs Venables said: 'I think it was because the class group was too big for them to go in . He would often have to stay in class at break times to catch up. The bleached houses were peppered with burglar alarms, the shabby ones did not look worth the trouble. He once came to me crying saying the other boys were picking on him, trying to steal his bike.'. . We are proud to endorse the COP27 Leather Manifesto. Her family were dignified throughout, but on that day one of theBulgerfamily supporters allowed themselvesa loud 'YES' as the verdicts came in. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. The pair were handed new identities after being released from prison. Now we waited. I don't think so. 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. An Egret looking for his dinner! - Aswan, Egypt | Bird pictures, Aswan Just seeing the size of them that first time, the childish figures they naturally were, caught my breath. Susan was known as the town " whore". ROBERT THOMPSON - angelfire.com We still dont know why. It is time to examine all this.". He appears to be a normal human, but inside the soft flesh there is indestructable metal. Child Killer - Thompson & Venables - Murder in the Uk Murder of James Bulger. what is the bite force of a baboon. 'I don't know,' he replied. One investigating police officer said: 'You could look into the eyes of Robert and knew you were looking at evil.' It was a sign of such restlessness that he was unable to hang on to a football team for long - he kept shifting his allegiance like a floating voter. Grainy CCTV footage shows them walking James away from the Strand . "We are committed to driving sustainability in the leather industry, through the commitment of. The breaking point came when Jon was suspended from Broad Square after attempting to choke a classmate with a twelve-inch wooden ruler. He was also given 'respite care' - six weekly weekend breaks to relieve the family of the burden of looking after him. When social workers came round, they did so to see his sister and his brother, who had learning difficulties and was receiving special education. Just as Venables's confession convicted him, a shoe print belonging to Robert Thompson, found on James cheekbone, confirmed his guilt, too. 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. 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. Take him home, the officer would say to her. When she turned around moments later, her son was gone. si fs. Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman . Shortly after the breakup, an accidental fire destroyed the Thompsons home, leaving Ann homeless, jobless, and with little money to support her kids. Financially, the couple appeared to be functioning, but meanwhile, Susan was at the end of her rope with her eldest son, who, having become increasingly frustrated at his inability to communicate, had grown terribly unhappy and was having temper tantrums regularly. He has had security with loving parents and a loving brother and sister.". She couldn't. "I don't think we went wrong as parents at all. They and Ann Thompson, who has six other. kl. She spent much of her time at the pub after that, and rarely stayed in for a meal. His mind was too restless to take up other hobbies for long. But curiosity drew him towards Robert in equal measure. Denise Fergus is the same age as me, a fact I only registered when I met her for the first time two weeks ago. CCTV images revealed how James had been lured away by Thompson and Venables, who was also aged 10. Moments later, we were told, Jon Venables uttered the words, We did it. yet, as Venables is back behind bars. Anne Thompson could hold her drink and no one ever saw her staggering home. 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. Jon's parents, who sat in court for most of the trial, said they grieved for the Bulgers. Mr Venables said that the two boys had played truant together four times before, adding that he caught them twice. David James Smith, who wrote a book about the Bulger case, The Sleep Of Reason, and stayed in touch with Ann Thompson afterwards. 'I walked round for a couple of hours trying to find them. On the walls hung oil paintings of local judges and magistrates, their surfaces crinkled with age. 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. The sunrises through the sea mist over the sculpture The Couple by Sean Henry at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea on the Northumberland coast. Both boys had been held back a year, and they were put in the same class. And now The Bulger Killers: Was Justice Done? According to a legal source we spoke to this week, Jon Venables parents have sought to be a support for their son, despite the enormity of his crime. He said he was frightened of Robert's older brother. I am providing this page for those who are interested in learning more about the lives of these boys prior to their offense. 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 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. 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. Born on August 13th, 1982, Jon was the middle child of Neil and Susan Venables. This happened, more often than not, at night, when they refused to go to bed when told. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. 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. They did. The left will make play of social deprivation, unemployment, bad housing and general inner-city rot. There is hatred and envy directed at the baby - a wish to see it suffer in the way they have suffered. In March 2010, Venables was recalled to prison for downloading and distributing more than 100 images of child abuse. Guilty of abducting and murdering James PatrickBulger. Jon, who had the most trouble sleeping, appeared fearful of Susan, and was terrified, above all, of her condemnation. . Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James' injuries. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. 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. 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. Will you tell his Mum Im sorry?. The old wood panelled courtroom is small. Venables served seven years of a life sentence for the 1993 murder before he was freed in June 2001, aged 18. Nine months later, I was one of 30 or so journalists inside Preston Crown Court when the trial began. He says 'I know, Mum'. In court, he hid his face again. I would say he was provoked. Susan Venable: 141 records - CVs, addresses, photos, cars - uFind.name At school Jon was considered bright enough, though he had trouble keeping up with lessons. 'I couldn't be arsed talking about them,' said one. He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security . They have never come out of hiding. A newsroom reporter who was not working on the case fended off transatlantic interview demands, saying that it was not enough that he had a Liverpool accent. "In order that justice can be done, no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.". That was in September 1991, 17 months before they killed James Bulger. It is not known whether the boy watched any of his father's adult movies. At the end of the street a mesh wire frame coverered the window of the money lenders. . But after a year they let Ian out again. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (second left) and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack (second right) during a visit to the Port of Cromarty Firth, Invergordon, during a two day visit to Scotland to highlight the benefits of remaining in the United Kingdom as he seeks to counter Nicola Sturgeon's push for independence, King Charles reacts as he visits the Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed in Scotland, There are only a handful of images of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, 'Jon was weak and was provoked': Parents of Jamie Bulger killers speak, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. 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. The detective explained how, before she left, she soothed him, told him his parents would love him whatever he told the police, reminding him that Denise neededto know what had happened to her baby. 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. 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. We still think the same of him as we always have. ", 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.". Not surprisingly, Ann had also attempted suicide in the same manner, some months before. Both had parents who had separated. The questioning was calm, steady, even playful at the beginning to try to get a sense the two boys really did know the difference between right and wrong. To be absolutely accurate, she had only one illusion. Mrs Venables has also said that she felt heartbreak for James and his parents and shame for her son. It was so stressful trying to contain him. Jon Venables now: How old is James Bulger's killer? What happened to In contrast he has had no contact with his father despite an approach soon after sentencing. Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. He is far from it. Ian was clever enough to know that to survive he had to get out. Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James injuries. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. We will never be able to do the fun things any more . From their point of view it makes perfect sense. 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. His mother, Anne Marie Thompson, who is 39, got the house from the local housing trust after her husband, Robert, ran off with a woman from Stockport five years ago. It is about a Good Guy doll invaded by the spirit of a mass murderer who kills people in gruesome ways. Profile: Jon Venables - BBC News "On the other hand, you are looking at him and you are saying 'Well, I know why - because he is so weak'. Im bringing them up on my own, but if I went round and screwed every warehouse, my kids would have everything, too. Even so, while Roberts community was rough, his home life was perhaps worse, and could hardly be considered a refuge for the boy. Not that he had any need to borrow his dad's. While both boys may have felt helpless and inferior in their own settings, together they were fearless, a portrait of machismo, each playing on the others strong points. gk. Venables received a 40-month prison sentence after appearing via video link at the Old Bailey. 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. Sorry, we are unable to accept comments about this article at the moment. This time we came together in shock and disbelief. Robert said 'If you tell anybody I'll get my big brother to batter you up'. They fled the city, never to return. What a horror it all was. A parole board ruled that Thompson and Venables were no longer a threat. 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. 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. Both of them struggled at school and had been lumped into the year below their age. Trauma? 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. Left to his own devices Jon liked to spend his playtime in fairly sedentary ways. 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. 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. Susan Venables Profiles | Facebook She found it hard bringing the kids up in the neighbourhood. ROBERT had a reputation in the neighbourhood for being a troublemaker. . 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. 'Provided you have no court orders for debts already,' the man on the phone would add helpfully. His body was found two days later on a railway line. I barely need to refer to my notes to remember in great detail the events that would dominate British news for years. Southern. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 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. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. I don't think they understood he was hyperactive. It was on his way back to the interview room when Venables finally admitted it: "We did it. Susan Venables is on Facebook. As his killers began their sentences, such was the revulsion that it was already clear their families could not. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. She was prone to hysteria and hailed from a 'strict and disciplined' background. For me, though, it is Susan and Neil Venables who stay most in my memory of that day. By now the two boys from Walton were part of an international freak show. The teacher had a different perspective, saying that Susan was in fact aware of the issue, and had expressed deep concern. I said no. so they were put in a lower year. 'When the fisticuffs ended, they made friends.' 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. Denise was in court that day. Once the jury retired, so did the journalists - but we didnt go far. They didnt kill him in an accident it was premeditated and they tortured that poor baby. 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. They said their son met Robert Thompson in September 1991, when Jon was transferred from another school. MOST of the boys were bright. 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. Both parents hope was that he would make something of his life and eventually find some peace. The Hand that Rocks the Cradle | Killers Without Conscience Their kids have got everything, she added, bitterly. He was pale in complexion and had watery brown, listless eyes. When you have got people in the area threatening to blow your kneecaps off every moment of the daythats just the way they are. The family was already exhaustingly overextended, and Robert, being the fifth edition, was quick to pick up on the coping mechanisms needed to survive in a life of unremitting chaos and enmity. This would have put Jon in a particularly arduous position, as the couples only excelling child, and as author Gitta Sereny observed from her time spent with the Venables in 1994, forcing this middle child, Jon, for a long time, perhaps unconsciously, to compensate his mother for her two problem children, put an enormous weight of responsibility on this child virtually from the time he was born., As Susan struggled to manage her two disadvantaged children day to day, Neil was the familys breadwinner, working as a forklift driver. 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. Most people would regard such sentiments as having come rather late in the day and certainly too late to save poor James. Seeing at first hand the pain of a family who have lost a toddler to an act of brutal violence is almost unbearably moving. 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. 'Jon was fearful, weak, and he was provoked': Parents of boys who 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. Kids fantasise about such things. 'Just mad. His mother especially has been a tower of strength, says the source. 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. Just something to do.'. Real bottom of the gut stuff, like an animal. Murder of James Bulger - Wikipedia Teachers later reported that whereas the boys were manageable when separated, together their behavior worsened dramatically. ', 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.' IN their interviews with the two boys, psychiatrists could find no clues to why the boys acted so violently. Jon was afraid of her. Good people asked the boys if they were lost or urged them to take "their baby brother" home as he cried for his mummy. "The age of criminal responsibility in this country is 10 that's too low. He was fearful, he was weak and he was provoked," she said. Friday 12th February 1993. He has been educated. 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.
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