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. Both were banned from ever returning to Liverpool and given new identities at a reported cost of 1.5million. 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'. After a while the boys became used to it. The judge, in sentencing the boys yesterday, voiced his strong suspicion that exposure to violent videos had played a strong part in corrupting them. It is time to examine all this.". He has never really been what you would call a sagger off school (a truant). They have never come out of hiding. Susan Venables is on Facebook. He would steal objects that he neither needed nor wanted, then chuck them away in the street. For me, though, it is Susan and Neil Venables who stay most in my memory of that day. "All he said when we've said 'Why didn't you run away?' 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. "All he said when we've said 'Why didn't you run away?' One could draw some parallels between the film's plot and James Bulger's death. Born on August 13th, 1982, Jon was the middle child of Neil and Susan Venables. That means he is currently 35-years-old. 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. As a grim portrait of abuse, drunkenness and neglect emerged, the hatred and loathing for Robert Thompson and Jon Venables was also turned on their parents. They rejected suggestions that he could have watched Child's Play Three, a film that his father had rented three weeks before James's death, which, it has been claimed, included scenes similar to those of the attack on the two-year-old. 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. What a horror it all was. I am not sure if in fact he was seen by the school psychologist, but I did complete a form for him.. qu fy. The appearance in court this week of Venables, now a 35-year-old man, on charges of possessing indecent images of children, was a jarring reminder that, still a quarter of a century on, his rehabilitation is more an ambition than a reality. 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. - a grey heron in Asawn, Southern Egypt. As his killers began their sentences, such was the revulsion that it was already clear their families could not. He carried books on wrestling and wildlife in his school bag. After spending just eight years in custody, Britain's youngest killers were released and given lifetime anonymity in the UK. Just four years earlier, we had all covered the Hillsborough disaster and come together in grief. MOST of the boys were bright. xf fy. Aged 10, he was barely literate. As a result of the incident, Jon's mother decided to move him to another school. 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. Three years ago, after his mother walloped him, he went to social services and asked them to put him in care. They didnt kill him in an accident it was premeditated and they tortured that poor baby. I am providing this page for those who are interested in learning more about the lives of these boys prior to their offense. The petition, that now has 14,682 signatures, reads: "We want a Public Inquiry into the James Bulger murder case. See that cell. Bird Pictures. Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Heck, we don't even have murderers that young in New York.'. I wish we could turn the clocks back," Mrs Venablessaid. He had left her to bring up six children alone. . 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?". Take him home, the officer would say to her. as he was known in court - Jon Venables. "The report of the Prison Service into an incident at Red Bank secure unit has not been published. He believes these were evil boys. Mr Venables said that the two boys had played truant together four times before, adding that he caught them twice. 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! The family was put up in a hostel temporarily and later relocated by the social services. Both parents hope was that he would make something of his life and eventually find some peace. One of Anns sons claimed that Ann, too, had beaten them with sticks, and had struck one of the boys with a cane. 'It was good. I just think of James and his Dad and about all that fun with his little boy, like I had with Jon.". The old wood panelled courtroom is small. When social workers came round, they did so to see his sister and his brother, who had learning difficulties and was receiving special education. "We are committed to driving sustainability in the leather industry, through the commitment of. Thompson got better opportunities there than if hed been walking the streets in Walton, says the author. That was in September 1991, 17 months before they killed James Bulger. 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. I would get him something like a cartoon.". How can people defend their actions .#TheBulgerKillers.". wo. 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. "Youngsters are usually tried in a youth court, [Thompson and Venables] were tried in an adult court. He is an old-fashioned crime and punishment man. Neil had been laid off in the months prior, so the couple sold their home, and Neil moved back in with his father, before finally relocating to an apartment in Kirkdale. Shed never been back but she clearly missed Liverpool and had tried to recreate the city in her new home, he recalls. The Venables decided to place her with their eldest son, in a school for children with special needs. It's high time they were investigated. Robert's feelings towards his half-brother also appear to have been ambivalent - he told police he would not have murdered James Bulger because 'if I wanted to kill a baby, I'd kill my own, wouldn't I?'. Jon's parents, who sat in court for most of the trial, said they grieved for the Bulgers. 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. his mother was told that it was important that she stayed in his life and stood by him. They were intent on killing. I thought he was all right, Jon said of Robert during his police interviews. They knew what they were doing," another wrote. Susan opted to remove him from the school then, and some months later, she reenrolled him in St. Marys in Walton. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. The street in which Robert lived was not untypical: a row of terraced bay windowed houses that stretched from the railway line back towards the city. '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.'. Constantly restless, his workbooks were empty, and he would often be denied recess because he was so far behind. The four who drove Suzanne to Romiley - Jean Powell (now Jean Gillespie), Bernadette McNeilly, Glyn Powell, and Anthony Dudson - were all found guilty of murder. What doing well means is anybodys guess. If it suited his moodwhich it frequently didBobby would beat the boys, curse at them, and threaten to send them to a home for children who misbehaved. 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. Susan seemed happy with the arrangement, although, for the children, this type of relationship would have been just one more confusing anomaly to cope with in the wake of an already confusing time in their young lives. 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', The closest either boy came to offering an explanation was when Jon was asked by police why he had taken James's shoe off by the railway tracks. Jon's parents, who sat in court for most of the trial, said they grieved for the Bulgers. 'They were just your average scruff - like the rest of us.'. Robert had asked once before but Jon, who had rarely truanted in his previous school, was scared and said no. And there were rewards for breaking rules. '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. They were drawn to one another quickly. He said that on the day James was killed, when he went to the school in the afternoon to collect Jon he was told his son was missing. 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. The Crown Prosecution Service released a statement in January confirming Venables had been charged. Although he appeared to have the more stable upbringing of the two boys, there was a history of family problems. Superintendent Albert Kirby, who headed the investigation, doesn't believe in the under-belly of Liverpool nonsense or stuff about the disintegration of modern society, the collapse of the nineties cities. Just seeing the size of them that first time, the childish figures they naturally were, caught my breath. Hyperactive children can't sit still all day,' Mrs Venables said. 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. Neil explained to him that the school they attended was special, and that Jon wouldnt be accepted. But Robert was stuck in Walton with his older brothers and the baby. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. But his progress took a nose dive in September 1991 when he was transferred into another class. Haunting CCTV footage shows the pair leading the tiny, trusting boy . Grainy CCTV footage shows them walking James away from the Strand . Still, despite being clearly intimidated by him, Roberts brother appeared to share a strangely intimate bond with him. The base of the dock floor at Preston Crown Court had to be raised 18 inches so each boy could see over it. "Contrary to what the papers will tell you, he is not a little urchin boy. More press conferences, terrible details beginning to emerge about the state James was found in, and the chilling prospect, soon confirmed, that indeed it was children who had done this. Recently, I dug out my old notebooks of the trial and my handwriting during the verdicts says it all. 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. 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. They did. I have lost my son as well. Robert was number five of seven. Lawyers for the pair argued that the adult court venue and publicity made it impossible for the schoolboys to be given a fair trial. "My heart really goes out to them. The couple was financially strained from the start, but Ann did what she could to make it work. Since the murder Robert has been in a state of post-traumatic shock, hounded by nightmares and flashbacks from the railway tracks. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. His parents say he is 'broken-hearted'. 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. 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. In 1999, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the pair did not receive a fair trial and awarded costs and expenses of 29,000 to Jon Venables and 15,000 to Robert Thompson. . fn ye vw la. Any anxiety or animosity he might have felt was manifested largely through his school-aged thumb-sucking, a habit which elicited titters and taunts from the neighborhood children. He disliked Thunderbirds because of the puppets' 'stringy thingies'. A parole board ruled that Thompson and Venables were no longer a threat. Look at mine. The boys lived off chips. 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. Mrs Venables has also said that she felt heartbreak for James and his parents and shame for her son. If I wanted to kill a baby, Id kill Id kill me own, wouldnt I?. But apart from his brother, Robert struggled to build friendships. this weekend for breaching the terms of his early release, the parents of both the Bulger killers continue to stand by them. Its beyond me," one viewer tweeted. Read about our approach to external linking. Just something to do.'. But I still kept him in if he was naughty or anything like that.'. He liked to spend the weekend on the streets. Susan and neil venables. The first Susan Venables knew they had stayed away from school was when she saw one of Jon's classmates on her way home with the gerbils. His response couldn't have been more different as he sank into the oversized blazer he was wearing. Susan Venables's bent body shrank deeper into itself. She said that Jon was always "loving, caring, thoughtful and considerate . 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. But now and again. 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. Jon was afraid of her. The most startling moment of the trial came when, in lieu of giving evidence in person, the boys' taped interviews with police - recorded just after their arrest - were played in court. "Just TV programmes and little things remind me of the good times we had together . He did like to be liked, and loved to have friends, and he has got involved with the wrong person.". Money was always a struggle, and she got through the first years drinking in Higson's Top House off St Mary's Lane. Ann and Bobby fought regularly in front of the children, with virtually all of the fights leading to physical violence. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Sorry, we are unable to accept comments about this article at the moment. He was fearful of the other boy. His mother was not so keen on the idea - they cost pounds 35 each. 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. The other boy, Robert Thompson, we are told is now abiding by the conditions of his life license since he was released 17 years ago, and is doing well. "I think about little James and what he must have gone through, how they must feel. Every day the public gallery was packed with students, pensioners, mothers, teenagers, all drawn to the courtroom spectacle as to a TV soap. 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.'. Neither gave evidence to the court, but were found guilty after an officer told how Venables admitted the murder, saying, "We did it. On one occasion, he said, Robert ran off down the street laughing, "You can't catch me". Most of the fun revolved around shoplifting - sweets, trolls, pepperami, tins of modelling paint, drinks, candles; anything, really. Mrs Thompson claimed she had been the victim of revenge attacks after her identity became known. Scores more watched proceedings from a neighbouring office block which, for the duration of the trial, came under court jurisdiction. "Throughout the conduct of the case there have been a number of issues that have been swept under the carpet. sp. When he played truant he was scared she would come and find him. Following the arrest of their sons it was reported that the mothers of the boys had been attacked and vilified in. They deal with drugs, they deal with everything. Susan Venables, mother of Jon - referred to throughout the trial as Boy B - blamed her son's 'weakness' for the murder of James Bulger, . It is not known whether the boy watched any of his father's adult movies. so they were put in a lower year. Although Susan couldnt recall any dramatic change in Jons behavior, his teachers there expressed some concern that Jon had become upset and difficult following the separation. I know how I feel as a mother. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. James Bulger would now be weeks away from his 23rd birthday. Susan Venables has blamed weakness for her sons role in the killing of James Bulger, claiming that he got involved with the wrong person. "He is easily led. . The guilty verdicts came quickly - within five hours. "He is easily led. Shortly after the breakup, an accidental fire destroyed the Thompsons home, leaving Ann homeless, jobless, and with little money to support her kids. Jon's parents said they talked to their son about James after he was arrested, but had to stop. Denise Fergus remains convinced both will always be a danger to children. Best of all, they would spend time on the Walton railway line where Robert had built a den close to the bridge. yet, as Venables is back behind bars. 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. Their parents entered the courtroom; The Venables arrived together, Ann Thompson came with supporters but no sign of Robert's father. Venables received a 40-month prison sentence after appearing via video link at the Old Bailey. rk ye. But however hollow a gesture it might have seemed, those who are in touch with the Thompson and Venables families insist that they have sought to make some sort of amends with their sons after the horrific events of 17 years ago that will rightly stay with them for the rest of their lives. It seems likely that he was bullied. Teachers later reported that whereas the boys were manageable when separated, together their behavior worsened dramatically. Their. Their faces affected me deeply. He wore his dark hair short, almost a crew cut, which accentuated his ample forehead and blunt nose. In a 1993 interview, published in the Guardian newspaper just one day after Robert was convicted of the murder of James Bulger, Ann Thompson was quick to place fault on the neighborhood and the surrounding authorities, who she felt had failed both her and her sons.

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