[9] Throughout the day, Thompson and Venables were seen shoplifting various items, including sweets, batteries, a troll doll, and a can of blue Humbrol modelling paint. James Patrick Bulger (16 March 1990[2] 12 February 1993) was a two-year-old boy from Kirkby, Merseyside, England, who was abducted, tortured, and murdered by two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson (born 23 August 1982) and Jon Venables (born 13 August 1982), on 12 February 1993. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Parents of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson talk about their sons, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. [6][7], Closed-circuit television (CCTV) at the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle on 12 February 1993 showed Thompson and Venables casually observing children, apparently selecting a target. A Merseyside detective said, "We went through something like 200 titles rented by the Venables family. I would get him something like a cartoon.". One of the killers of British toddler James Bulger has been jailed for 40 months at the Old Bailey in London after he Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Despite this, Bulger's mother, Denise, told how in 2004 she received a tip-off from an anonymous source that helped her locate Thompson. 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. and things like that is that he was frightened. All rights reserved. [18][19] Two people challenged Thompson and Venables, but they either claimed that Bulger was their brother, or that he was lost, and that they were taking him to a police station. 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. [141][142] In August 2009, Australia's Seven Network used real footage of the abduction to promote its crime drama City Homicide. [4][95] A spokesman for St Helens Borough Council denied that the incident had been covered up, saying: "All allegations were thoroughly investigated by an independent team on the orders of the Home Office and chaired by Arthur de Frischling, a retired prison governor. Few people would argue that point. After a number of "young girlfriends", it was presumed that Venables was having a delayed adolescence. ", 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.". Venables was later charged with three offences. The Bulger case has prompted widespread debate about how to handle young offenders when they are sentenced or released from custody. She said that Jon was always "loving, caring, thoughtful and considerate . Popularly known as the murder of James Bulger on 12 February 1993 in England of Unknown. The man's computer was seized for further investigations. Home Secretary David Blunkett approved the decision, and they were released a few weeks later on lifelong licence after serving eight years. 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. He denied having had any films that were not mainstream, or that were pornographic, in the house. . [9] The railway embankment upon which his body had been discovered was soon adorned with hundreds of bunches of flowers. [9][17] An eyewitness said that when he saw Bulger at the canal, the boy was "crying his eyes out". With Walton Lane Police Station across the road, they hesitated, then led Bulger up a steep bank to a railway line near the former Walton & Anfield railway station, close to Walton Park Cemetery. He is one of those children that if you told him to put his hand in the fire, he would. Vizard also said that Thompson was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the attack on Bulger. [140], In 2008, Swedish playwright Niklas Rdstrm used the interview transcripts from interrogations with the murderers and their families to recreate the story. [120] A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice commented: "Such a change of identity is extremely rare, and granted only when the police assess that there is clear and credible evidence of a sustained threat to the offender's life on release into the community. A pattern of bruising on Bulger's right cheek matched the features of the upper part of a shoe worn by Thompson; a paint mark in the toecap of one of Venables's shoes indicated he must have used "some force" when he kicked Bulger. Most people can differentiate between fictional and real savagery, with some experts arguing that fantasy violence can actually relieve real-life urges. Both Venables and Robert Thompson An undated photo [70] Denise married Stuart Fergus, with whom she had two sons. Venables suffered no violence at home, though. 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. It is as if she thinks of herself walking around with a sign above her head: Mother of Bulger Murderer. Whilst inside the A.R. 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. On the other hand, little is known about the player's background or family life. Merseyside police clearly didn't like her and briefed the press that her manner in the interview room was inhibiting the confession of her newly-arrested son. News stories reported the demeanour of the defendants. "It was very dark and I shouted down, shouted his name. Jon's parents, who sat in court for most of the trial, said they grieved for the Bulgers. Quite obviously, overseeing a home environment in which physical, emotional, verbal and sexual violence is rife is bad parenting. The second involved distributing three indecent photographs of children in February 2010, while a third involved distributing 42 images in February 2008. [98][99][100] In a statement to the House of Commons on 8 March 2010, Straw reiterated that it was "not in the interest of justice" to reveal the reason why Venables had been returned to custody. //-->
