Both had a need to attract attention, which they achieved through a host of petty rebellions. "Just TV programmes and little things remind me of the good times we had together . After a while the 10-year-olds began to charge - a tenner an interview. The only sign he was discomforted by hearing it was a near constant pulling of his tongue in his hands. 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. Then, one Friday in February, they discovered a new rule to break: they murdered a two-year-old. 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. I wasnt on duty that day, so the very beginnings of the story washed over me. "BULL**** about 'two frightened kids whod made a terrible mistake' The tapes said they kept stoning him, even when he kept getting up. Click here to find personal data about Susan Venables including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. Susan Venable - we found 141 people search records: 55 CVs and social profiles with photos, 50 addresses & phone numbers, 1 real estate objects, 6 Susan Venable's cars, 2 companies. They were intent on killing. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. They occasionally exchanged furtive glances. In the last few years she stopped drinking in the Top House and tried to keep things together. Jon Venables said the class teacher tried to entice Robert by offering him a prize for a week's continual attendance - he did, but the prize never came. After spending just eight years in custody, Britain's youngest killers were released and given lifetime anonymity in the UK. The reaction prompted James' mum Denise Fergus to let supporters know she had nothing to do with the programme. Susan Venabless bent body shrank deeper into itself. They played truant, they pinched sweets, they terrorised old ladies. 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. He always had plenty of friends. One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging. In Jon's case, 'hyperactivity' went beyond mere fidgeting into outbursts of sudden anger and violence. Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James' injuries. The two had an aberrant relationship with one another, in the sense that it was almost as though they had never divorced. She also had to stay strong for the remaining children. Ironically, the relationship between mother and son improved when he, was behind bars. Guilty of abducting and murdering James PatrickBulger. In all, they played truant four times. Few had the patience to be friends with him, only his younger brother and a couple of lads who lived nearby. The case is doomed to be picked over by every faction within the caring professionals and politics. In contrast he has had no contact with his father despite an approach soon after sentencing. A heartstopping moment came when the playing of the tapes in court was paused. I am providing this page for those who are interested in learning more about the lives of these boys prior to their offense. "An awful mistake for 10 year olds is shoplifting not murdering a 2 year old FFS," another angry viewer tweeted. He is one of those children that if you told him to put his hand in the fire, he would. Directly in front of the bench was the raised dock in which Thompson, Venables, and two social workers would sit for the next four weeks. The shocking murder that shook the nation, Both Venables and Robert Thompson were 10 years-old when they tortured and killed 2 year-old James Bulger, Thompson and Venables were tried as adults, James Bulger, aged 2 years old, being led away in a shopping centre in Liverpool, Denise Fergus denied having anything to do with the Channel 4 documentary about her son, James Bulger's murder case could now be investigated, The petition is on nearly 15,000 signatures, James Bulger was just two when he was brutally murdered, He had been out shopping with his mum Denise, James was made to walk two miles before being left for dead on a disused rail line, Denise tirelessly campaigned to have their sentence increased, Denise once admitted she's lived 'in fear' since the trial. Instead, she was involved in an ITV documentary with Sir Trevor McDonald that will air on Thursday. Naturaleza. I just burst into tears because you just knew what that meanther heart was broken. Haunting CCTV footage shows the pair leading the tiny, trusting boy . It was this empowering chemistry between them that some argued set into motion the life-altering events that would devastate a family, challenge a community, and rock a nations core in the disquieting months that followed. The statement said: "The man formerly known as Jon Venables has been charged with offences relating to indecent images of children and will appear in the Crown Court. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. Natural Landmarks. si fs. One neighbour said she always let him into her home whenever his mother was out. He took a jar of paracetamol. 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. 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. Other parents came in to complain about attention seeking. When the fisticuffs ended, impressed by each other's performance, they made friends. 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. release. "Contrary to what the papers will tell you, he is not a little urchin boy. After a while he tried to commit suicide to get back in. .". Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. When he played truant he was scared she would come and find him. What a horror it all was. Venables was caught with 1,170 indecent photos of children on his laptop, the Old Bailey was told. 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. 'I think it has something to do with a hatred of vulnerability and babyness in themselves which they projected on to this toddler.'. "The age of criminal responsibility in this country is 10 that's too low. Thompson & Venebales. In quest of companionship, he occasionally bullied his younger brother into truanting with him, and, in an effort to impress his peers, frequently boasted of his late-night exploits on the railway line, but failed to attract much attention. 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. Susan opted to remove him from the school then, and some months later, she reenrolled him in St. Marys in Walton. They knew what they were doing," another wrote. Just having a bit of shade!! Between January and the day of the murder Robert had absconded 37 half days out of a possible 60 . From a distance Robert looked a sweet child. 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. ", 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.". 'I thought he was all right,' said Boy B, as he was known in court - Jon Venables. But apart from his brother, Robert struggled to build friendships. Jon's parents, who sat in court for most of the trial, said they grieved for the Bulgers. ', 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.' He gets upset. Few will ever forget the chilling footage of two 10-year-old boys holding a toddler's hand as they led him to his death. What doing well means is anybodys guess. his mother was told that it was important that she stayed in his life and stood by him. Those who knew him well said he was a very emotional child, prone to mood swings. Some of the red brick houses were well-kept, others had torn net curtains and grubby windows. Unemployment levels were more than twice the national average in Walton. "On the other hand, you are looking at him and you are saying 'Well, I know why - because he is so weak'. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. From the moment Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were convicted of the murder of James Bulger, their, families have been condemned to lives spent looking over their shoulders. She found it hard bringing the kids up in the neighbourhood. Child killer Mary Bell and Maxine Carr, the former girlfriend of Soham murderer Ian Huntley, are the others. He was in great distress' And what about the little, innocent boy he killed??! But he liked collecting trolls, little doll-like creatures with ugly faces and spiky fluorescent hair. But Robert was stuck in Walton with his older brothers and the baby. Venables and Thompson abducted, tortured and killed two-year-old James in Liverpool in 1993 when they were both aged just 10. Jon breaks into hysteria whenever the subject is mentioned. This time, curiosity took the upper hand: 'I wanted to see what it was like,' he said. They went on family outings together, slept together, and when Susan did find a place, virtually coexisted between the two homes. This time we came together in shock and disbelief. One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging in the air as he sat in the custody office. The boys, by now lacking any sense of guidance within the home, took to the streets, robbing, truanting, and some of them experimenting with drugs. Among the list were several horror films, including one video in which the police took special interest: Child's Play 3, a film which carries the line 'Children are consumer trainees'. His father, thin and balding, had a much gentler edge. Robert said 'If you tell anybody I'll get my big brother to batter you up'. In the years between Venabless first return to prison and this latest conviction he was deemed to be living successfully in the community, when in fact he was working out ways to dodge his internet ban and hiding a computer in his headboard in order to download abusive images of children, including what the judge described this week as serious crimes inflicted on male toddlers. All information on this page is true to my knowledge, and is not intended to diminish or justify either boys actions in any way whatsoever. 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. Denise was in court that day. They would sneak out during the morning break, hiding behind a wall before the coast was clear. At school Jon was considered bright enough, though he had trouble keeping up with lessons. You know, we just try and help him as best we can to try to come to terms with things. Anne Thompson could hold her drink and no one ever saw her staggering home. 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. On many occasions, Susan was observed physically and verbally assaulting Jon. The judge, in sentencing the boys yesterday, voiced his strong suspicion that exposure to violent videos had played a strong part in corrupting them. 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. He is one of those children that if you told him to put his hand in the fire, he would. and things like that is that he was frightened. What happened to James Bulger? Nature. What they did was exceptionally unpleasant and the fact that a little boy ended up dead is not something the nation can easily forget. He says 'I know, Mum'. 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. The days James was abducted, February 12 1993, I was a young reporter in my home city of Liverpool. 'I was the softie,' Neil Venables said. At night, for instance, the two boys would lie in bed together and suck each others thumbs. "It was very dark and I shouted down, shouted his name. He had an elder brother, aged 13, and a nine-year-old sister. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. It set the tone for the years ahead in which there was to be no respite from the hatred. 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! It was on his way back to the interview room when Venables finally admitted it: "We did it. I dont think she saw a very happy future., The author says there was no contact with the Venables family after the trial as Mrs Thompson focused, her energy on supporting her son, refusing to accept he was a monster. Only a handful of officials and close family members know their true identities. Mrs Venables described how she searched for Jon. One woman asked how James had injured his forehead. Neston Town Council unveil plans for Good Friday Easter Market, Drivers at risk of a 1,000 fine for these simple number plate mistakes, Trip Advisor: Six best Chinese restaurants in Wirral, 'Pubs need to adapt' if they are going to survive the times ahead, Birchwood company donates huge 45,000 to children's hospice, Series of strict conditions placed on dog after Widnes attack, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. what is the bite force of a baboon. Everton was his team. James smith (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. A police officer remembered Venables being so small that his legs didn't touch the floor as he sat in the custody office after his arrest. When shop keepers asked what they were doing they would pretend they were waiting for their mum. As his killers began their sentences, such was the revulsion that it was already clear their families could not. Both boys had been held back a year, and they were put in the same class. Self pity? He disliked Thunderbirds because of the puppets' 'stringy thingies'. But he is not a murderer. The Radio Merseyside newsroom, where I was working at the time, was full and everyone was on this story one way or another. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. 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Superintendent Kirby is a religious man. ANN THOMPSON, the mother of Robert Thompson, child A, says her son is a thief, a liar, is devious and plays truant. He would go to bed. The Swedes, French, Germans, Canadian and Americans had all come to gaze at Liverpool's child killers. She acknowledged her son had committed a terrible crime but claimed that her innocent younger children were being denied a proper education because of having to abandon their homes to escape attacks. He was jailed for two years before being granted parole again in July 2013. the street. So he came home. The atmosphere in the courtroom was oppressive as the tension of a month was about to break. She said that Jon was always "loving, caring, thoughtful and considerate . According to the teacher, Jon would rock back and forth in his desk, making strange noises (this behavior was later speculated to be Jons jealous attempt to emulate his elder brother, in order to receive the same special attention), bang his head on the desk or walls repeatedly, glue bits of paper all over his face, wedge himself in between desks, throw himself on the ground, throw chairs across the corridor, rip projects off the classroom walls, cut holes in his socks, and intentionally cut himself with scissors.