"Risk factors identified in subsequent reviews include thinking about sex a lot, problems in maintaining relationships, concerns about self-awareness, and his ability to deal with stress. They went out that day to kill I truly believe that. When Venables saw the mother, they told the boy to go back to her and they vanished. Kill the bastards, people yelled. Adult criminals have also been given new identities over fears of a vigilante attack. Both boys were ordered to be imprisoned until review when they turned 18. "My decision is in no way a reflection on the applicants themselves, for whom there is a profoundest sympathy," he said. Some witnesses later remembered seeing Bulger laughing while others remembered seeing him resisting and even screaming for his mother. Though nearly three decades have passed, the story of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables remains shocking to this day. It added that Jon had stated that hed benefited from psychological work in prison and didnt ask the panel for release. In 2008, Jon Venables was given a formal warning for a drunken fight & was also arrested for a cocaine offence. They added: "Venables told the board he did not seek release because hes worried that hell re-offend. What about his mum, will you tell her Im sorry?. Was Abraham Lincoln Our First Gay President? Finally, the boys hit Bulger over the head with a 22-pound iron bar, which resulted in 10 skull fractures. "My decision is in no way a reflection on the applicants themselves, for whom there is a profoundest sympathy," he said. Three months later, he got off with a warning after police caught him in possession of a small amount of cocaine. Now the tide has turned and finally he is facing real prison time where he should have been from the beginning., *Lost Boy: The Killing of James Bulger airs tonight on Channel 5 at 9pm and continues at the same time on Thursday, Get the biggest TV headlines, recaps and insider knowledge straight to your inbox. 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. By 4:15 PM, however, there was no sign of James Bulger and he was reported missing to the local police station. 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They were a match made in hell. [B]ut, in the end, he shot himself in the foot by giving me a detailed account of what James Bulger was wearing. Nevertheless, throughout the whole process, Thompson remained chillingly unfazed, earning him the nickname the boy who did not cry from the press. Instead of jail time, he was ordered to seek treatment for alcohol abuse. Mr Bulger said: Ive always believed Venables will kill another child again if he is allowed back into the community. "Pure evil, I will never change my mind about that.". "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. BWP Media/Getty Images Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, pictured after their arrest for the murder of James Bulger. 3 On February 12, 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables abducted a 2-year-old boy named James Bulger from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, England. Since then, the two men have taken vastly different paths. After intensive rehabilitation, the pair were handed new identities. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? During the murder trial in November 1993, Thompson was depicted as the leader, and Venables the follower. With little to go on, Bulgers parents were suspects initially. Sentencing him to 40 months jail in 2018, Mr Justice Edis said: The children depicted were often very young and vulnerable, there is discernible pain and distress suffered.. As for Venables, he has been thrown in prison again on multiple occasions, most notably for possession of child pornography and a pedophile manual, which described how to abuse young girls in sickening detail. Venables and Robert Thompson - who were 10 at the time of the horrifying murder - were both convicted in November 1993. It was the second time she had attempted to post information purportedly about Venables, the . Ever since James was murdered so horrifically, the courts have bent over backwards to look after both Venables and Thompson. Most recently, Venables was denied parole in September 2020. But Blake Morrison, the author of As If: A Crime, a Trial, a Question of Childhood, a book on the trial, points out that Venables had a temper and had been known to lose control and had done some pretty weird things[and it was] just as likely that he was the instigator.. Both boys were ordered to be imprisoned until review when they turned 18. Thus it was widely assumed that Thompson was the instigator even though psychiatrists and authorities have never been able to reach a conclusion on the boys motives. He had passed five GCSEs, taken A-levels and enjoyed trips to the Lake District and even to the theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. ONE of James Bulger's killers says he has had a better life as a result of murdering the toddler. Many of these witnesses later admitted that Bulger looked distressed. Thompson and Venables were only 10 years old at the time of the murder, making them the youngest convicted killers in Britain. Malcolm Croft PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images. Other searches were conducted elsewhere, all leading to nothing. Harry Fletcher, a probation officers union official, talked toIndependentabout Jons difficulty with keeping his identity secret. They first attempted to lure a three-year-old girl and her two-year-old brother away from their mother. His body would be found two days later by a group of horrified teenage boys who were playing in the area. During his hearing, the court heard that upon his arrest he told cops in the police car: "This is my own fault. Meanwhile, after Venables, Thompson, and Bulger had left the mall, the toddler began crying out for his mother. Wikimedia Commons James Bulger being kidnapped by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, as seen on CCTV footage. As required by law, he will be eligible for another parole review in due course.. Not only had both boys been truant that day, but Venables had also been seen with blue paint on his jacket (the same color that had been used to blind Bulger during his torture). Though not much is known about his current whereabouts, he is reportedly in a stable relationship with a man who is fully aware of his past. The pair recollect a few details in which James Bulger was brutally tortured and murdered in February 1993. Dr. We pay for your stories! This left her with the impression that he was faking remorse. He was 10 years old. Closed-circuit camera footage revealed that a child fitting Bulger's description was led away from the shopping center by two young boys. The twisted child killer, now aged 39, took the youngster from a shopping centre along with friend Robert Thompson, before the baby's dead body by a railway track. Witnesses would later testify in court that they saw a crying Bulger being dragged along the two-and-a-half-mile route between the Strand and the railroad tracks where he would be eventually found. ROBERT Thompson abducted and tortured to death two-year-old James Bulger alongside his partner in crime Jon Venables when they were just ten years old. Though they were unsuccessful, Thompson and Venables didnt give up. After questioning Thompson and Venables, Detective Phil Roberts said, As far as Im concerned that day I stared evil in the face., Roberts continued, They were a match made in hell. And in the time between when that image was captured and when James Bulger was killed in a railway embankment a few miles away, the three boys had been seen walking around the area by dozens of people. How can anyone say this monster is safe to live among us ever again?. I shouldnt have let go.. His father had abandoned the family early on, causing his depressed mother to turn to alcohol and even attempt suicide. Police dropped the charges against him after he agreed to enroll in an alcohol awareness course. So, when the eight years were up in 2001, both boys were released. A three-page document also noted Venables had not requested a release from prison or a transfer to an open jail. Robert had no father figure as his dad abandoned the family five years before the murder. James Bulgers mother, Denise, was able to locate Robert Thompson in 2004 but was paralyzed with hatred and could not confront him. But once a child turns 18, their name can be reported. More than 25 years later, the surveillance image above remains etched in the minds of the millions familiar with the James Bulger case. New Zealands Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, stated that the UK shouldnt bother applying for Jons residency in her country. To date, no significant attempts at vengeance have been made. We pay for videos too. Robert Thompson had a tough childhood and there were allegations of . A source told the paper that Venables told the panel and his probation officer he doesn't even want to be freed. Lifelong anonymity is put in place by courts rarely and is usually in only the most infamous and horrific cases. They went out that day to kill I truly believe that. Officials wrote: "The panel listed as risk factors those influences that made it more likely that Mr Venables would reoffend in the future. He and his second wife Natalie McDermott, welcomed a baby girl in 2014. On November 24, 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were found guilty of the abduction and murder of James Bulger, making them the youngest convicted killers in modern British history. James Bulger killers Jon Venables (holding the boys hand) and Robert Thompson (walking directly in front of the boy) abduct their victim just before killing him, as captured by a surveillance camera. 2 The twisted child killer,. Mifflintown, PA 17059. James Bulger's father calls for Jon Venables's anonymity to be lifted, A police handout photo of Robert Thompson from 1993, James Bulger, two, was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, Ralph Bulger is the father of murdered James, Venables (pictured as a child) was sent to prison over possession of child abuse imagery, A video still of James Bulger being led away in 1993, John Venables, pictured after his arrest in February 1993. Venables himself begged not to be released as he fears he will reoffend, a report in November last year stated. Dr. Ian Cumming, a psychiatrist, talked toIndependentabout the difficulties people with fake identities face when building relationships: So much about peoples interactions with others is built on trust, and if what youre doing and who you are is not really correct than thats quite a strain on the individual. What about his mum, will you tell her Im sorry?. In 2006, reports claimed Thompson was in a stable gay relationship at age 23 and had settled well into his local community in the North West. In September 2008 he was arrested on suspicion of affray after a drunken brawl outside a nightclub and was given a formal warning by the probation service. At trial in 1993, Thompson was painted as the ringleader, leading Venables on at every turn. Many of them would later express regret for not doing anything. After bringing in Thompson and Jon Venables for questioning, Phil said: As far as Im concerned that day 20 years ago I stared evil in the face. "This is, therefore, a wholly exceptional case and the evidence in 2019 is more than sufficient to sustain the conclusion that there continues to be a real risk of very substantial harm to (Venables).". "This is, therefore, a wholly exceptional case and the evidence in 2019 is more than sufficient to sustain the conclusion that there continues to be a real risk of very substantial harm to (Venables). On February 12, 1993, he was tragically murdered by two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. Mary Bell, the 11-year-old who killed toddlers and got off light. The killer walked free in June 2001 with unprecedented lifelong anonymity after a parole board ruled he was no longer a threat to public safety. Officials said: "Mr Venables indicated, through his legal representative, that he was benefiting from ongoing psychological work and did not ask the panel to direct his release or recommend a transfer to open conditions at this stage.". They then bludgeoned him with bricks and stones, kicked his battered body, and shoved batteries into his mouth. The same path would not apply to his partner in crime, however. While inside, Venables received education and rehabilitation while being taught how to conceal his real name and horrifying crime. Something went wrong, please try again later. Over 20 years later, he has remained off the radar of authorities and has continued to live under his assumed identity. Venables took him by the hand. In January 2018, James Bulger's mum Denise Fergus backed calls for a public inquiry into the toddler's murder. But the President of the Family Division Sir Andrew McFarlane rejected the bid, saying it was in place to protect Venables from being "put to death". There, they splashed stolen blue paint into Bulgers eyes. Email us attips@the-sun.co.ukor call 0207 782 4368 . Where is Robert Thompson now? At the mall, James Bulger killers wandered from shop to shop, stealing anything they could get their hands on, then tossing their stolen booty down escalators just for the fun of it. Children are seen by society as innocent and pure, without malice. A source said: Hes been relocated all over the country a large number of times costing a fortune. By the time Thompson and Venables skipped school together on February 12, 1993, the two boys were good friends. Then, dive into the maddening mystery behind the Atlanta Child Murders. Venables was given another new identity after a "serious security breach" which could not be reported for legal reasons. The case was rejected by Judge Sir Andrew McFarlane, who argued the convict could be killed if his new identity was revealed. She phoned the police and expressed regret for not doing something. Venables was first imprisoned for possessing images of child abuse in 2010, but he was released in 2013. My advice would be dont bother applying,she said. All about his family, Was Dave Hollis Sick? And even by 2000, top child psychiatrist Sir Michael Rutter claimed the risk posed by Venables on his release was "trivial". Retired detective Laurie Dalton recalled her feeling that Thompson was "pure evil" (via The Sun) and would try to manipulate the police during questioning. Such was the shocking story of two 10-year-old's, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson from England, who killed and mutilated the body of 2-year-old James Bulger.. On that fateful day, the troubled boys were skipping school and wandering around a busy mall, stealing sweets . James was a two-year-old boy from a loving family who lived in Bootle, Merseyside. But he found himself back in a maximum category A jail, which we cannot identify for legal reasons,after being caught with vile child abuse images following a top-secret police operation. Though both boys had killed Bulger, Roberts believed that Thompson was in charge. And Roberts wasnt the only one. The kid killers were condemned to an adolescent detainment office, where they resided until their parole in 2001 at 18 years old. After that point, the James Bulger killers were to be assessed and, if they werent deemed to be a danger to society, released. Speaking at the time, he said: "(Venables) is 'uniquely notorious' and 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. For not doing anything his new identity after a `` serious security breach '' could... Go on, Bulgers parents were suspects initially risk posed by Venables on at every turn being taught to. Boys were released was released in 2013 the boy to go on, Bulgers parents were suspects initially every.. Of James Bulger case by Jon Venables remains shocking to this day 2000, child. & amp ; was also arrested for a public inquiry into the community the mall, the few! 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