Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were only 10 years old when they became the countrys youngest murderers in 250 years. "He is easily led. British authorities had reportedly spent 65,000 in legal fees to keep Venables' identity a secret. A Merseyside detective said, "We went through something like 200 titles rented by the Venables family. Weeping, she said: 'I wasn't actually on the railway track because there is a fence, but I went up the side. [4] Finally, the boys dropped a 10kg (22lb) railway fishplate on Bulger. There was a need for an informed public debate on crimes committed by young children. Video, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, Met Gala 2023: Stars celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, HSBC says 1 bank buyout boosted profit by $1.5bn, Yellen warns US could run out of cash in a month, Shooting suspect was deported four times - US media, Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israel prison. All rights reserved. AI chatbots 'may soon be more intelligent than us', Russia troop deaths hit 20,000 in five months - US, Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israel prison, The 17 most eye-catching looks at the Met Gala, The burden of being cricket legend Tendulkar's son, 'My wife and six children joined Kenya starvation cult', On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. [104] Venables's return to prison revived a false claim that a man from Fleetwood, Lancashire, was Venables. What was their family background like? In an exclusive interview with Metro.co.uk, the woman, who must remain anonymous to protect Venables' anonymity, revealed she was "seduced by the devil," and only recently found out that she'd actually dated him. You know, we just try and help him as best we can to try to come to terms with things. 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". On 12th February 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables kidnapped, tortured and killed two-year-old James Bulger in Liverpool. 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 When a child kills, we need to look at the parents for an explanation. "On the other hand, you are looking at him and you are saying 'Well, I know why - because he is so weak'. [123] On 4 July 2013, it was reported that the Parole Board for England and Wales had approved the release of Venables. The breakthrough came when a woman, upon seeing slightly enhanced images of the two boys on national television, recognised Venables, and remembered seeing him playing truant with Thompson in the Bootle area that day. I have lost my son as well. How can two children commit such a brutal act against an innocent young boy? The man's computer was seized for further investigations. Despite commonly held beliefs, psychopathy is mostly determined genetically. The bullying and violence continued after his father left, with the brothers turning on themselves. In the picture, it is Venables who is holding James's hand. But Jon Venables background was seemingly free from the shocking and traumatic events that his friend Robert endured. The film is based on transcripts of the police interviews with Thompson and Venables after their arrests. [4], The terms of their release included the following: they were not allowed to contact each other or Bulger's family; they were prohibited from visiting the Merseyside region;[66] curfews may be imposed on them, and they must report to probation officers. 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. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of Terms and Conditions. Vizard also said that Thompson was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the attack on Bulger. 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. "My heart really goes out to them. [101] Baroness Butler-Sloss, the judge who made the decision to grant Venables anonymity in 2001, warned that Venables could be killed if his identity was revealed. He has had more love and attention than a lot of children I know. Venables and Thompson were released from prison many years later and given new identities. According to BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman, the purpose of the prosecution was to ensure that the public was aware that Internet users were also subject to the law of contempt. Recollections from key people involved in the Bulger trial, ten years on. She said an educational psychologist had diagnosed hyperactivity in her son, who was bullied at his previous school. "[4], The police quickly found low-resolution video images of Bulger's abduction from the New Strand Shopping Centre by two unidentified boys. In November 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables became the youngest convicted murderers in British history. The Venables household was also fraught but contrastingly so. The evidence for it is limited to say the least. [78][79], On 14 March 2008, an appeal to set up a Red Balloon Learner Centre in Merseyside in memory of James Bulger was launched by his mother and Esther Rantzen. Venables fell into drug addiction and alcohol abuse following his release from prison in 2001, James was killed a month before his third birthday, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. Thompson was a member of what can only be described as a terribly dysfunctional family. Jon's parents said they talked to their son about James after he was arrested, but had to stop. [30] Forensic tests confirmed that both boys had the same blue paint on their clothing as found on Bulger's body. The boys joked about pushing Bulger into the canal. Mr Venables said that the two boys had played truant together four times before, adding that he caught them twice. 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. He was also beaten and molested by the man. 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