NEIL Venables was warned by friends not to let his son play with the other boy. Last November he was arrested and recalled to jail on suspicion of possession of images of child sex abuse. She initially enrolled the two younger children in Broad Square Elementary, but it soon became clear that her daughter was struggling to keep up with the schools curriculum. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Jon's parents, who sat in court for most of the trial, said they grieved for the Bulgers. . 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 was fearful, he was weak and he was provoked," she said. The family was already exhaustingly overextended, and Robert, being the fifth edition, was quick to pick up on the coping mechanisms needed to survive in a life of unremitting chaos and enmity. Mrs Venables described how she searched for Jon. When a police officer asked him why he didn't rescue James bleeding on the railway lines he replied: ' 'Cos blood stains, doesn't it, and then me mother would have to pay more money. Depressed, Ann began drinking heavily and was taking narcotics which caused her to hallucinate. She got her drinking under control and began giving her murderer son the attention he. In return, Jon would let Robert ride his bicycle, and from time to time he would suggest naughty deeds himself. Instead, she was involved in an ITV documentary with Sir Trevor McDonald that will air on Thursday. Many of us had dined together most nights throughout the trial, mulling it all over but distracting ourselves, too. Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James injuries. Click here to find personal data about Susan Venables including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. He had an elder brother, aged 13, and a nine-year-old sister. 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. Venables parents were divorced but still lived within a stones throw of one another and were both involved in their sons upbringing. In all, they played truant four times. At school Jon was considered bright enough, though he had trouble keeping up with lessons. He has had more love and attention than a lot of children I know. I am providing this page for those who are interested in learning more about the lives of these boys prior to their offense. Gillespie, McNeilly, and Powell were sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. A day later, when James still hadnt been found, it was clear from CCTV footage that he had been taken by children. Weeping, she said: 'I wasn't actually on the railway track because there is a fence, but I went up the side. 'Sometimes I told Robbie to do things so he does,' he told a police officer, with pride in his voice. ", 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.". James Bulger would now be weeks away from his 23rd birthday. she said. Just something to do.'. As the paedophile killer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to possessing more than 1,000 indecent images of children and a "paedo manual" - his parents words on their son's involvement make disturbing reading. It is just heartbreaking.". "My heart really goes out to them. How can people defend their actions .#TheBulgerKillers.". The government will be required to respond within 14 days if as the petition achieves more than 100,000 signatures. From their point of view it makes perfect sense. Only a handful of officials and close family members know their true identities. One time they sagged off with Robert's younger brother, which went disastrously wrong. Truanting, or 'sagging off', had become a way of life for Robert. 'In this state it is quite painful to see a normal relationship between mother and child. Without anyone in the family to turn to for support, he had to look outside for people whose swaggering aggression he could emulate. But. James Bulgers mother Denise claims that she managed to track down Thompson six years ago, planning to confront him but instead stared at him from the opposite side of the street, full of rage but unable to act. 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. Robert had eaten too many and felt sick. The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. One of the focal points of the local community was QD Videos at the bottom of Robert's street, where the kids would browse through the horror stacks, discussing their favourites knowledgeably. The Radio Merseyside newsroom, where I was working at the time, was full and everyone was on this story one way or another. I feel so sorry for them. The press were gobbling it up. 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. Since the murder Robert has been in a state of post-traumatic shock, hounded by nightmares and flashbacks from the railway tracks. "I think about little James and what he must have gone through, how they must feel. Three days later his body was found, and three days after that a tip-off came from a shopkeeper who had seen two boys playing truant on the day James went missing and gave police two names - Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. On Sundays he used to watch Thunderbirds. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The guilty verdicts came quickly - within five hours. That was in September 1991, 17 months before they killed James Bulger. 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. Ian was clever enough to know that to survive he had to get out. ', 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. It seems likely that he was bullied. Keep them apart or he'll get into trouble, they said. 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. Superintendent Kirby is a religious man. I thought he was all right, Jon said of Robert during his police interviews. The old wood panelled courtroom is small. "It is hard to take in really. 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. She also had to stay strong for the remaining children. Ironically, the relationship between mother and son improved when he, was behind bars. Jon continued to attend Broad Square, where children of the neighborhood openly mocked and poked fun at his siblings, calling them backward. Jon was also an easy target due to a squint in his eye. Grey seal pups on the beach at Horsey in Norfolk, as the pupping season draws to a close at one the UK's most important sites for the mammals. I know how I feel as a mother. He had a Game Boy console and hankered after a Sega machine, and when they played truant he would head straight for the computer game corner of Tandy's or Dixons. S. Susan venables. How could two small boys savage and leave a toddler for dead? At Preston Crown Court Thompsons mother Ann and Venables parents Neil and Sue sat side by side. I have cried for JamesBulgermany times, so God only knows the tears his parents and family have shed. The reaction prompted James' mum Denise Fergus to let supporters know she had nothing to do with the programme. The best instincts led hundreds, including me, to lay flowers a few days later at the site of James horrific end. He stayed away from school so often the local police called him a professional truant. Left to his own devices Jon liked to spend his playtime in fairly sedentary ways. We have found 88 people in the UK with the name Susan Venables. The most agonising thing about the whole case was that so many people had stopped them and questioned them. The officer who questioned Venables took the stand and explained how he had asked Susan Venables to absent herself from the next session as her presence was now inhibiting her son from telling the truth. By now the two boys from Walton were part of an international freak show. Behind them eyes bore into them - from everyone on all sides, journalists, their parents, members of the public, and of course, theBulgerfamily. Every day the public gallery was packed with students, pensioners, mothers, teenagers, all drawn to the courtroom spectacle as to a TV soap. "On the other hand, you are looking at him and you are saying 'Well, I know why - because he is so weak'. The judge, in sentencing the boys yesterday, voiced his strong suspicion that exposure to violent videos had played a strong part in corrupting them. Witness after witness who had seen them, or stopped and asked them what was going on, took the stand. While Robert was described as a wily child, known to tell lies, most of the St. Marys school staff agreed that the boy posed little trouble, and, if and when he attended, was generally well-mannered during class. Thompson did what he often did, looked around, grabbing clumsily at his tongue. Once he stole decorating borders from a DIY shop which he discarded at regular intervals to mark his way home. One of Anns sons claimed that Ann, too, had beaten them with sticks, and had struck one of the boys with a cane. Friday 12th February 1993. Sandra Gotheridge. The couple was financially strained from the start, but Ann did what she could to make it work. It was their sons picked up by detectives. He has had security with loving parents and a loving brother and sister.". The base of the dock floor at Preston Crown Court had to be raised 18 inches so each boy could see over it. When he played truant he was scared she would come and find him. It is claimed that taxpayers could have to fork out another 250,000 to provide a new life when he is eventually released. He has never really been what you would call a sagger off school (a truant). To widespread dismay and condemnation from the Bulger family, the killers were given new identities, courtesy of the taxpayer. Mrs Venables has also said that she felt. yet, as Venables is back behind bars. Are they mad? Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James' injuries. and things like that is that he was frightened. Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman . Just seeing the size of them that first time, the childish figures they naturally were, caught my breath. has prompted a public outcry for an investigation into issues surrounding the case. MOST of the boys were bright. Both parents hope was that he would make something of his life and eventually find some peace. On November 24, 1993, the two boys, by then aged 11, became the youngest defendants to be sentenced for murder in a British court. . Mr Venables said that the two boys had played truant together four times before, adding that he caught them twice. 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. The case of James, a two-year-old who was snatched from a shopping centre in Bootle, Liverpool, in 1993, before being tortured and left to die, shocked the nation. Occasionally, when the children would be left sitting on the red wall outside the house too long, one of the neighbours would call the police to go and get her out of the Top House. 'Just mad. When they finally came to a disused railway track near the police station, the murderous duo tortured James, throwing stones and bricks at the baby, and kicking and stamping on him before finally dropping a heavy iron bar on to the defenceless tot. INSIDE the court sat the two boys, dwarfed by the weight and majesty of the place. March 10, 2021 - 20:29 GMT Eve Crosbie. "Just TV programmes and little things remind me of the good times we had together . Look at mine. In some families this was the third generation to be unemployed. Self pity? 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. What doing well means is anybodys guess. 'They were just your average scruff - like the rest of us.'. IN their interviews with the two boys, psychiatrists could find no clues to why the boys acted so violently. Another added: "An awful mistake??!! 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. My young body must have been tense with the deep anxiety that permeated every inch of that courtroom. 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 prosecution, led by Richard Henriques QC, made its case quite simply really, using the journey they took James on to tell the story. So he came home. I suspect she still feels that., In 2001 there was a renewed uproar over the case when it emerged that the killers were to be freed, despite a. recommendation by the trial judge that they should remain behind bars for a very long time. 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. Some neighbours claim they saw the boy snaring birds into traps in the back yard of his home, while one local youth claimed he saw the boy pull the heads off live baby pigeons. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. Those who knew him well said he was a very emotional child, prone to mood swings. They were intent on killing. "Just to let you know that even though footage was used of me on the CH4 programme, I had no part in it," she tweeted. One neighbour said she always let him into her home whenever his mother was out. 'Provided you have no court orders for debts already,' the man on the phone would add helpfully. Twenty-five years on, Im still prone to hot tears at the memory of it all and I do question the trial. Their kids have got everything. For me, though, it is Susan and Neil Venables who stay most in my memory of that day. He was fearful, he was weak and he was provoked. It is here, of course, that Jon met and made friends with fellow eccentric, Robert Thompson. . They were in the Strand shopping centre in Bootle when the brother wandered off. 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. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. He took a jar of paracetamol. He is an old-fashioned crime and punishment man. A heartstopping moment came when the playing of the tapes in court was paused. Could they have planned to do it in advance? Susan Venables has blamed "weakness" for her son's role in the killing of James Bulger, claiming that he "got involved with the wrong person". On one occasion one of Anns sons let his real name slip at school and they had to move almost at once, says. Take him home, the officer would say to her. When Jon left home on the morning of Friday, February 12 he was happy because it was the last day of school before a week's holiday and he was going to take some pet gerbils home. rk ye. More often, he would pinch them from local shops. 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. The breaking point came when Jon was suspended from Broad Square after attempting to choke a classmate with a twelve-inch wooden ruler. 'I sat away from him - he caused trouble,' Jon said. Born on August 13th, 1982, Jon was the middle child of Neil and Susan Venables. Once the jury retired, so did the journalists - but we didnt go far. The distress of one woman who had come agonisingly close to taking James by the hand herself to a police station, only to be hoodwinked by Thompson and Venables that they were doing just that. This would have been at about 5.30pm - just the time the boys were about to begin killing Jamie. Counsel for the prosecution, Richard Henriques QC, made it clear all three elements needed to be proved for a murder conviction. The beginnings of the friendship were inauspicious enough. I used to get them for myself at night time. On November 24, 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables became the youngest persons to be convicted of murder in Britain in almost 250 years, when the pair, both eleven, was found guilty of the abduction and murder of two-year-old James Patrick Bulger. But his comment sparked anger from viewers. By chance, the rest of Jon's family was driving past and spotted them. It was to be an adult trial, both boys appearing every day in the full gaze of whoever was in that room, but neither giving evidence directly to the court. 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. His parents say he is 'broken-hearted'. The teacher had a different perspective, saying that Susan was in fact aware of the issue, and had expressed deep concern. Jon spent Sunday to Thursday with his mum and the rest of every week with his dad. 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. Thompson, who gained five GCSEs and A-levels in design and technology, is said to have developed an interest in theatre. The boys lived off chips. Security launched a search for James inside the centre and James' family searched for their son overnight. 'In my opinion he was victimised. Ironically, Jon was the child who caused his parents least anxiety. portrayed him as the leader and evil one, says James Smith. 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. Teachers hold placards as they shout slogans while taking part in a protest organised in Manchester as part of a national strike day. [3] [4] Thompson and Venables led Bulger away . A torrent of questions erupted from the moment the grim news came out that James Bulger's body had been found on a railway line in Liverpool and the last people seen with him were two ten-year-olds, captured on grainy CCTV footage. He's a good reader if he's interested in it. I am not sure if in fact he was seen by the school psychologist, but I did complete a form for him.. The final scene takes place among the tracks of a fun-fair ghost train where the doll, which resembles an infant with spiky hair has his face slashed before he is cut to pieces by a ventilator fan. "Throughout the conduct of the case there have been a number of issues that have been swept under the carpet. He also liked to scare old ladies by jumping out in front of their noses. School had no hold on him - there was no corporal punishment or other form of penalty that touched him. Boy A - Robert Thompson - was the shorter and more rounded of the two. He has had his holidays like everyone else. Everton was his team. Both boys had been held back a year, and they were put in the same class. God knows how they must be feeling now.. 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. 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. I came back and then (Mrs Venables) went out. Other parents came in to complain about attention seeking. Find out more, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, As James Bulger killer Jon Venables is sent back to prison, Shelagh Fogarty writes about her experiences as a young reporter on the case at the time, James Bulger, aged 2 years old, being led away in the New Strand shopping centre in the Bootle area of Liverpool, Denise Bulger arrives at Preston Crown Couty on November 24 1993, Shelagh Fogarty was a young reporter at the time of the murder, The police van carrying Venables and Thompson arrives at Preston Crown Court, Sarah Ferguson exclusive: Meghan has made Harry very happy, 32 best gifts for her: top present ideas to buy for mother's day in 2023, Midlife women are being told to sit down and shut up and not just by men, Imogen Stubbs: Its become less and less acceptable to age, Cost of HRT set to be slashed in new prescription scheme, Magic Mike and the naked truth about male strippers, Inside the James Bulger files 25 years on. Less thanfive hours laterthe verdicts were in. It worked. She remained very frightened and felt that she and her son were the most hated people in the country. 'When the fisticuffs ended, they made friends.' He was in great distress' And what about the little, innocent boy he killed??! 'I thought he was all right,' said Boy B, as he was known in court - Jon Venables. Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. 'It was very dark and I shouted down, shouted his name. Spidery and messy. It has already been reported that Jon Venables real identity has been exposed in prison, where he is said to be receiving 24-hour protection. That means he is currently 35-years-old. It was the kind of family neighbours compare themselves against and then feel better. 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. Haunting CCTV footage shows the pair leading the tiny, trusting boy . football, snooker, things like that. Maybe it was that incident that put the idea into Jon or Robbie's head to 'get a little boy lost'. See that cell. Venables and Thompson were seen on CCTV calmly leading the toddler out of the shopping centre by his hand. 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. "He fell over," was the response. 'I can't read hard words,' he said. '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.'. What upsets me is I've no way of bringing him up for the rest of his young years so he's going to lose all his childhood. Get out and get into Dyson Hall children's centre, the only residential care school in the country just outside Liverpool. Susan opted to remove him from the school then, and some months later, she reenrolled him in St. Marys in Walton.
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