That assessment concluded that Venables would face the highest possible risk of being attacked if his name was either published in the media or known elsewhere in society. Photograph: PA. 2023 BBC. But now and again. [30], The fact that the suspects were so young came as a shock to investigating officers, headed by Detective Superintendent Albert Kirby of Merseyside Police. On one occasion, he said, Robert ran off down the street laughing, "You can't catch me". Three months later, police cautioned him for possessing cocaine, and a requirement was added to his licence ordering him to address his alcohol and drug problems, the court was told. . [4], Up to 500 protesters gathered at the Magistrates' Court in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton during the boys' initial court appearances. News stories reported the demeanour of the defendants. Venables was held at the Red Bank secure unit in St. Helens, Merseyside, which was not revealed until after he had been released. A narrative emerged of two childhoods influenced not merely by the flaws of parents or the absence of a father, but by the environment in which these boys lived, a Jon Venables was responsible for a sickening crime that horrified the nation. Then in 2007, he started drinking heavily and taking drugs, including cocaine and the recently-banned substance mephedrone. The Bulger case has prompted widespread debate about how to handle young offenders when they are sentenced or released from custody. Read about our approach to external linking. He pleaded guilty to these charges. Jonathan Foster reports", "Drug dealer who found James Bulger's body jailed after crashing into family's car", "Death of James Bulger: Pt 4, Ten-Year-Old Suspects", "Death of James Bulger: Pt 5, Robert Denies, Jon Cries", "Liverpool Tries to Reconcile Murder and a Boy Next Door", "James Bulger documentary: Jon Venables so haunted by toddler victim he detected 'baby smell' on everything he wore, C5 show claims", "The secret meetings that set James's killers free", "Bulger ruling: If the defendants could not talk about their crime, how could they conduct a defence? v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, Ex parte T", "Bulger killers: identifying them was a mistake", "Omand Review The Case of Jon Venables", "James Bulger killing: the case history of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson", "Outrage at call for Bulger killers' release", "Two youngsters who found a new rule to break", "Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. . //--> [82], In April 2010, a 19-year-old man from the Isle of Man was given a three-month suspended prison sentence for falsely claiming in a Facebook message that one of his former colleagues was Thompson. Neil Venables, 40, said he felt "just devastated, thinking of that little boy'. [13][14] The moment was caught on CCTV at 15:42. The ban relating to Venables was partially lifted on Friday at the Old Bailey after he was jailed for the offences under the 1978 Protection of Children Act. He would go to bed. "[46] David Omand later criticised this decision and outlined the difficulties created by it in his 2010 review of the probation service's handling of the case. [5] Venables was sent to prison in 2010 for breaching the terms of his licence, was released on parole again in 2013, and in November 2017 was again sent to prison for possessing child sexual abuse images on his computer. The level of brutality involved in the sadistic killing was far beyond what anyone might imagine two primary school children to be capable of. The play generated controversy due to the similarities between the character and James' killers. Little James was led away by He came close to meeting Denise Fergus in 2004 when she managed to motivated the murder of James In court, Venables was the more emotional of the two defendants, crying openly and leaning against the shoulder of his social worker. Background of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables family He has had more love and attention than a lot of children I know. April 12, 2023. But he also laid blame with their parents, calling for a public debate about "the home background, upbringing, family circumstances, parental behaviour and relationships" of children who commit "grave crimes". On 20 September 2008, he was held on suspicion of affray over a street fight with a man who claimed Venables had attacked his girlfriend. [4] Finally, the boys dropped a 10kg (22lb) railway fishplate on Bulger. Seating being erected on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace, central London, ahead of King Charles IIIs Coronation. In April 2011, in the aftermath of his 2010 imprisonment, these allegations were outlined in a Sunday Times Magazine article written by David James Smith, who had been following the Bulger case since the 1993 trial, and again later in a BBC documentary titled Jon Venables: What Went Wrong? Popularly known as the murder of James Bulger on 12 February 1993 in England of Unknown. [11], That same afternoon, James Bulger, from Kirkby, went with his mother, Denise, to the New Strand Shopping Centre. "[138] In response to the controversy, Morris stated that the humour in his play was "never at the expense of the various people, Mrs Fergus included, who have suffered so much in the aftermath of James's murder". James Bulger's brothers Jon Venables While the claim was reported and dismissed in September 2005,[105] it reappeared in March 2010 when it was circulated widely via SMS messages and Facebook. Does brain chemistry have a role to play, as well as contributions from various environmental factors? The evidence is even less clear. It was not until February that it emerged Venables had been recalled to prison for breaching the conditions of his release. It is as if she thinks of herself walking around with a sign above her head: Mother of Bulger Murderer. That assessment concluded that Venables would face the highest possible risk of being attacked if his name was either published in the media or known elsewhere in society. The worldwide injunction was kept in force following their release on parole, so their new identities and locations could not be published. The boys joked about pushing Bulger into the canal. I just think of James and his Dad and about all that fun with his little boy, like I had with Jon.". [76] No significant publication or vigilante action against Thompson or Venables has occurred. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The films - packed full of gore and explicit scenes of violence - easily sparked something of a moral panic the decade before. In September 2020, he was denied parole. The evidence for it is limited to say the least. Lord Justice Nigel Davis said that the offence was "close to the line" for an immediate prison sentence but suspended the sentence, after observing an early admission of guilt and remorse by the woman. Thompson saw his mother and siblings subjected to severe, physical and sexual violence at the hands of his father. Some of the grislier details of the murder of Jamie Bulger may indicate this here to a lesser degree, but while that was a working theory of Merseyside Police for a time, its not widely believed to be a motivator now. [149] Bulger's mother circulated a petition to have the film removed from the nominations. [126], On 23 November 2017, it was reported that Venables had again been recalled to prison for possession of child sexual abuse imagery. A term first coined in the 1980s when a swathe of violent horror films made their way into peoples homes via the exciting new medium of VHS, video nasties made for a convenient scapegoat. In the absence of hard information, appearances are sufficient cause for condemnation. [71] Ralph also remarried, and has three daughters by his second wife. I would get him something like a cartoon.". Vizard also said that Thompson was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the attack on Bulger. Venables worked full-time in a job with anti-social hours, earning close to the minimum wage, the court heard. While his mother Susan suffered from psychiatric problems and would frequently complain of feeling overwhelmed with parenting. James Patrick Bulger has a net worth of $5.00 million (Estimated) which he earned from his occupation as murder of James Bulger on 12 February 1993 in England. The suspicion was that it must have been their lack of care, love, or firm parental control that led to James Bulger's torture and death on a railway line. [21], Eventually, the boys arrived in Walton. [15][16], Thompson and Venables took Bulger to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, around .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}14 mile (400 metres) from the New Strand Shopping Centre, where they dropped him on his head, and he suffered injuries to his face. 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. On 20 September 2008, he was held on suspicion of affray over a street fight with a man who claimed Venables had attacked his girlfriend. When the officer arrived at his flat, Venables was attempting to remove or destroy the hard drive of his computer with a knife and a tin opener. The couple, who also have a 13- year-old son, who has learning difficulties, and a 9-year-old daughter, denied that Jon was bullied by his brother or that he watched violent horror films at home. If anything, he was the one likely to bully others. All rights reserved. [38] Thompson was considered to have taken the leading role in the abduction process, though it was Venables who had apparently initiated the idea of taking Bulger to the railway line. . That's the thing that upsets me because obviously, where I was standing poor little James must have been not far . After they left the scene, his body was cut in half by a train. In December that year, the paper was fined 30,000 for contempt of court and ordered to pay costs of 120,000. ', Kids Who Kill: Evil Up Close provides an all-encompassing view of these tragic stories, examined step-by-step with the testimonies from those closest to the. He denied having had any films that were not mainstream, or that were pornographic, in the house. Jon Venables was just 10 years old when he and friend Robert Thompson murdered toddler James Bulger. Judge Andrew McFarlane turned down the request, saying that the "uniquely notorious" nature of the case meant there is "a strong possibility, if not a probability, that if his identity were known, he would be pursued, resulting in grave and possibly fatal consequences. 3 stories that demonstrate why Trial by Social after discovering she dated child killer Jon Venables For they themselves will always feel guilty. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of Terms and Conditions. [133][134] In response to media coverage, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern remarked that, due to his criminal history, Venables would need an exemption under New Zealand's Immigration Act 2009, and that he should "not bother" applying. One of the killers of British toddler James Bulger has been jailed for 40 months at the Old Bailey in London after he Late that year, he was cautioned for possession of cocaine. However, their journey did not come to an end in 1993. Both boys were said to have had difficult home lives and both had been playing truant from school on the day of the killing. But Jon Venables background was seemingly free from the shocking and traumatic events that his friend Robert endured. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables now in 2021: Jon is VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. Jon Venables was just 10 years old when he and friend Robert Thompson murdered toddler James Bulger. Despite this, Bulger's mother, Denise, told how in 2004 she received a tip-off from an anonymous source that helped her locate Thompson. A few days later, Venables and Thompson were arrested and charged - the youngest people to be accused of murder in the 20th Century. He has been educated. WebA few days after the body of little Jamie Bulger had been found, Venables and Thompson were taken into custody. [43], The boys, by then aged 11, were found guilty of Bulger's murder at the Preston court on 24 November 1993, becoming the youngest convicted murderers of the 20th century. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [47][118] Venables was eligible for parole in July 2011. Audrey Gillan, who has reported the story from the start, examines the case against their mothers, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. The Venables were by no means wealthy, but they were more financially comfortable than the Thompsons. 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. The reality is that the two ten-year-olds that lured, beat, tortured and murdered little Jamie Bulger back in February 1993 did so because of an uneasy and confusing mixture of reasons. Jon did take the separation poorly, though. [77] In April 2007, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 confirmed that the Home Office had spent 13,000 on an injunction to prevent a foreign magazine from revealing the new identities of Thompson and Venables. Hes denied parole on 27 July 2011. Later, a TV and games console were added, and in his teenage years he decorated the walls with prints of paintings by L.S. After the murder, people wanted answers to the question were looking at here. Jon Venables Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty He's a good reader if he's interested in it. she said. They took on new identities, tried to create new lives. A woman has revealed that she discovered that a man she once dated was in fact Jon Venables. The bullying and violence continued after his father left, with the brothers turning on themselves. Child killer Jon Venables is expected to launch a new bid to be released from prison, it has been reported. v. Secretary of State for the Home Department, Ex parte V. and Reg. [129] He admitted being in possession of 392 category A, 148 category B, and 630 category C child pornography images, and was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. Ann Thompson had been deserted by her husband five years before the killing of Jamie Bulger, and in the week after he left the family home burned down in an accidental fire. Were the duo shaped into monsters by their troubled upbringings? Vizard replied, "If the issue is on the balance of probabilities, I think I can answer with certainty." That much is clear. But at the age of 27, Venables finds himself back in the headlines and back behind bars having been jailed for two years after pleading guilty to charges of downloading and distributing indecent images of children. The game's developer, Legacy Interactive, released a statement in which it apologised for the image's inclusion in the game; according to the statement, the image's use was "inadvertent", and took place "without any knowledge of the crime, which occurred in the UK, and was minimally publicised in the United States". During the trial, the full horror of James' death emerged. I feel so sorry for them. He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security and give him an "ordinary" life. 'I walked round for a couple of hours trying to find them. Lets explore what could have pushed Jamie Bulger's underage killers to the savage murder of the infant all those years ago. "[9] Prime Minister John Major said that "society needs to condemn a little more, and understand a little less. So whats the ultimate answer here? A lifetime ban was placed on reporting anything about either his or Thompson's whereabouts or their new identities after their release. But at the age of 27, Venables finds himself back in the headlines and back behind bars having been jailed for two years after pleading guilty to charges of downloading and distributing indecent images of children. Some time thereafter, he began a relationship with a woman who had a five-year-old child; it is not known whether Venables had already begun downloading child abuse images at the time of dating the woman, although he denies having ever met the child. His mutilated body was found on a railway line two and a half miles (four kilometres) away in Walton, Liverpool, two days after his abduction. "I think my son's concentration wasn't the way it should have been, but he wasn't slow. Early press reports and police statements had referred to Bulger being seen with "two youths" (suggesting that the killers were teenagers), the ages of the boys being difficult to ascertain from the images captured by CCTV. [88] On 14 July 2016, a woman from Margate in Kent was jailed for three years after sending Twitter messages to Bulger's mother, in which she posed as one of his killers, and as Bulger's ghost. If they breached the rules or were deemed a risk to the public, they could be returned to prison. Suffice to say that the word evil is never far away from the names of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. [7] Venables was detained in Vardy House, a small eight-bedded unit at Red Bank secure unit in St. Helens on Merseyside. Post-trial, presiding judge Mr Justice Morland laid the responsibility very firmly at the feet of the parents. "I don't think we went wrong as parents at all. During the trial, the full horror of James' death emerged. For two children to do what they did, both Jon Venables and Robert Thompson must have been quite seriously disturbed. The Ministry of Justice refused to reveal any details, but the then Justice Secretary Jack Straw did say the recall was prompted by "extremely serious allegations". I wish we could turn the clocks back,' Mrs At What Age Should A Child be Held Accountable? You know, we just try and help him as best we can to try to come to terms with things. It was on 12 February 1993 that two-year-old James Bulger was snatched from the New Strand Centre in Bootle, on Merseyside, while his mother Denise was shopping. But in damaged children that are easily influenced? Profile: Jon Venables - BBC News In the days after the arrest of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson for the murder of James Bulger, their mothers were attacked and vilified in the street. The notes record that Ann and Philip had also previously taken overdoses. [9][61] The European Court case led to the new Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, reviewing the minimum sentence.
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