But Robert was stuck in Walton with his older brothers and the baby. The police have uncovered no evidence of any abuse within either family. 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. Susan was known as the town " whore". sons, were settled in council houses within easy reach of the institutions where their sons were being held. She was paranoid about being discovered. Denise Fergus is the same age as me, a fact I only registered when I met her for the first time two weeks ago. 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. Resentful of her husbands lack of involvement with the children, Susan conceded that the couple fought constantly, especially throughout 1983, but maintained that Neil had never been aggressive towards her, nor had she hit him. ', They sagged off in the afternoon and walked around the shops in County Road, near Walton. It should certainly be moved up to 12; in some European countries it is 14," she said. 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.'. He was always getting prizes for maths at school. Regrettably, yet perhaps not entirely unforeseen, the cycle of abuse continued. In some families this was the third generation to be unemployed. Naturaleza. When he played truant he was scared she would come and find him. Could they have planned to do it in advance? I came back and then (Mrs Venables) went out. His body, defiled and broken in two by a train, two miles from where hed been taken, was foundtwo days later. Not surprisingly, Ann had also attempted suicide in the same manner, some months before. My young body must have been tense with the deep anxiety that permeated every inch of that courtroom. The petition, that now has 14,682 signatures, reads: "We want a Public Inquiry into the James Bulger murder case. Shortly after the breakup, an accidental fire destroyed the Thompsons home, leaving Ann homeless, jobless, and with little money to support her kids. They had much in common. A video still of James Bulger, aged 2 years old, being led away in the 'New Strand' shopping centre. Mrs Venables said: "He mentions James, not all the time. Meanwhile, A petition demanding a public inquiry into James Bulger's murder case has got nearly 15,000 signatures in one day. She found it hard bringing the kids up in the neighbourhood. From their point of view it makes perfect sense. Child Killer - Thompson & Venables - Murder in the Uk 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. 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. In return, Jon would let Robert ride his bicycle, and from time to time he would suggest naughty deeds himself. An Egret looking for his dinner! - Aswan, Egypt | Bird pictures, Aswan Nature. Born 10 days apart in August 1982 in Liverpool. "An awful mistake for 10 year olds is shoplifting not murdering a 2 year old FFS," another angry viewer tweeted. By then, Robert and Jon had abducted James Bulger from the Strand and attempted to drown him in the nearby canal. But talking in 1993, his mother tried to explain how her child turned into a murderer. susan venables pictures "It is hard to take in really. 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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. In the business world, too many people think it's all about being hard, tough, ambitious, or having grit. Two boys who forged a friendship out of breaking the rules. By now the two boys from Walton were part of an international freak show. It was on his way back to the interview room when Venables finally admitted it: "We did it. Thompson & Venebales. 'He always seemed perfectly well behaved and I think he looked on me as some kind of grandma. He was repulsed because he found Robert's disdain for authority scary. Robert Thompson was born to Robert Sr. and Ann Thompson on the 23rd day of August 1982, in Liverpool, England. . 'I sat away from him - he caused trouble,' Jon said. 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It was their sons picked up by detectives. Unemployment levels were more than twice the national average in Walton. 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. 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. Venables, who was released on licence in 2001 after serving eight years for the murder of two-year-old James, was returned to prison last November after he was caught with the pictures. Mrs Venables said: 'I think it was because the class group was too big for them to go in . At the end of the street a mesh wire frame coverered the window of the money lenders. Ultimately, wanting to escape the havoc, most of the boys opted to leave home, and some were placed into voluntary care at Dysons Hall, a childrens home just outside of Liverpool. 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. Their faces affected me deeply. They deal with drugs, they deal with everything. '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. But that is the common lot of thousands of 10-year-olds who have not turned into murderers. He's a good reader if he's interested in it. The first time he asked Jon to play truant with him was last September, only weeks after they had become friends. Susan Venables - People Directory - 192.com Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James injuries. After spending just eight years in custody, Britain's youngest killers were released and given lifetime anonymity in the UK. James Bulger's killers: Where are Robert Thompson and Jon Venables? Nine months later, I was one of 30 or so journalists inside Preston Crown Court when the trial began. The attitude when you live where we live is that you have to be tough or else you dont survive, she said. Robert would give Jon presents of stolen objects: trolls, of course, toy terrapins, sweets. . 2023 BBC. He says 'I know, Mum'. Lock him in it.'. Jon was slim in build and taller than Robert, just over five feet. Both had parents who had separated. xf fy. Look at mine. 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. Counsel for the prosecution, Richard Henriques QC, made it clear all three elements needed to be proved for a murder conviction. Susan Venables is on Facebook. He wanted a Rovers strip for his birthday present. The end of the court case was not the end of course. Birds. Jon Venables now: How old is James Bulger's killer? What happened to Nicola had to exchange some clothes at TJ Hughes, Denise waited nearby, watching the children. A parole board ruled that Thompson and Venables were no longer a threat. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. 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?'. 'You'd better tell the truth. 'His mum was more strict. The Americans fed 1 1/2 minutes of the Jamie Bulger story into a 22-minute bulletin of national and international news. Lady Penelope was his favourite character because she was rich, followed by Brains with the glasses. James' mother Denise believes they should have remained in jail for life and has tirelessly campaigned against their rights to anonymity. The most agonising thing about the whole case was that so many people had stopped them and questioned them. gk. He disliked Thunderbirds because of the puppets' 'stringy thingies'. football, snooker, things like that. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. ", 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.". Since his 14-year-old brother, Phillip , had already tried to stab him, the social services agreed. Not their punishmentand exclusion from society for the rest of their childhood. 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. Money was always a struggle, and she got through the first years drinking in Higson's Top House off St Mary's Lane. everyone blamed Thompson and. Both were banned from ever returning to Liverpool and given new identities at a reported cost of 1.5million. He was pale in complexion and had watery brown, listless eyes. 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. While, on the face of it, there doesnt appear to be as much external devastation present in Jons family history as in Roberts, his outlandish behavior suggested that internally, Jon was in a state of extreme emotional upset. this weekend for breaching the terms of his early release, the parents of both the Bulger killers continue to stand by them. 'America is the land of shopping malls. See that cell. "The age of criminal responsibility in this country is 10 that's too low. 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. 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. Spidery and messy. When you have got people in the area threatening to blow your kneecaps off every moment of the daythats just the way they are. 'I didn't know it would be like this,' Mr Venables said with hindsight. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. . Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. They didnt kill him in an accident it was premeditated and they tortured that poor baby. and things like that is that he was frightened. Although he appeared to have the more stable upbringing of the two boys, there was a history of family problems. This would have been at about 5.30pm - just the time the boys were about to begin killing Jamie. Parents who stand by James's killers - Express.co.uk Once the jury retired, so did the journalists - but we didnt go far. She said that Jon was always "loving, caring, thoughtful and considerate . ANN THOMPSON, the mother of Robert Thompson, child A, says her son is a thief, a liar, is devious and plays truant. They fled the city, never to return. . Southern. The mayor of Preston accused them of being sick ghouls, but still they came, queuing up for tickets two hours before proceedings began. 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. ", 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.". He's quite bright and clever. Constantly fighting and battering one another, and possibly, too, being hit by their emotionally drained mother, the Thompson brothers often looked scruffy, and, on more than one occasion, were seen bearing bruises and bite marks. Moments later, we were told, Jon Venables uttered the words, We did it. Venables and Thompson were seen on CCTV calmly leading the toddler out of the shopping centre by his hand. Once he stole decorating borders from a DIY shop which he discarded at regular intervals to mark his way home. Teachers later reported that whereas the boys were manageable when separated, together their behavior worsened dramatically. He would call people names and get them to chase him. They and Ann Thompson, who has six other. Then they had carried, dragged and kicked him along a two and a half mile journey, at times swinging him violently in the air or dropping him against the road, until they reached the railway where they stoned him with bricks, bashed his head with a 22lb iron bar, and left him dead across the tracks to be cut in half by a passing goods train. Susan opted to remove him from the school then, and some months later, she reenrolled him in St. Marys in Walton. For me, though, it is Susan and Neil Venables who stay most in my memory of that day. But just as he was entering the school gates he met Jon and they decided to sag off together for the fourth - and final - time. Behind them eyes bore into them - from everyone on all sides, journalists, their parents, members of the public, and of course, theBulgerfamily. Her husband came back to Walton now and again to see his mother, but he never came to see the boys. The pattern of bullying among the brothers, which had been noted by the Head mistress of the boys school, appeared to descend down the line, with the eldest Thompson brother beating the one just below him in age, and that brother beating the brother below him, in turn. I just heard an almighty screech. 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. "We are committed to driving sustainability in the leather industry, through the commitment of. 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. 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. The questioning was calm, steady, even playful at the beginning to try to get a sense the two boys really did know the difference between right and wrong. 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 is an old-fashioned crime and punishment man. As a result of the incident, Jon's mother decided to move him to another school. On the 20 year anniversary of the murder of James Bulger, BBC Radio 5 Live's Shelagh Fogarty recalls the trial of his young killers. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. He used to be bullied by other children for being so behind, and would return home at night visibly upset. I wasnt on duty that day, so the very beginnings of the story washed over me. Architect Shahed Saleem in the Ramadan Pavilion 2023 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. One investigating police officer said: 'You could look into the eyes of Robert and knew you were looking at evil.' He had that odd combination of obsession with and disdain for possessions that is characteristic of children who have never enjoyed any of their own. Both of them struggled at school and had been lumped into the year below their age. For his parents, the fact they were children was actually a cause for hope at that point. '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.'. He would go to bed. The press were gobbling it up. They looked, moved, fidgeted, scratched, cried - even sucked their thumbs - just like any 11-year-olds. Robert is not believed to have reoffended - Venables has been convicted twice since being set free. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. He had an elder brother, aged 13, and a nine-year-old sister. Real bottom of the gut stuff, like an animal. 'It was very dark and I shouted down, shouted his name. For she added: 'But he's not a murderer.'. Robert had eaten too many and felt sick. Dudson was given a minimum term of 18 years. Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman . Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? The two had an aberrant relationship with one another, in the sense that it was almost as though they had never divorced. That's the thing that upsets me because obviously where I was standing poor little James must have been not. . Sitting in the new class was a chubby boy with a cherub's face - Robert Thompson. Their age was hard to gauge from the CCTV images, so just when you imagined you couldnt be more shocked by this story, it emerged the two accused were just 10-years-old. . 'They were just your average scruff - like the rest of us.'. She claimed, however, that she was completely unaware of Jons erratic behaviors at school, had never seen any evidence to support them (such as cuts on his arms or holes in his socks), and dismissed the possibility that many of the occurrences cited by the teacher had ever taken place. 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. His mother called him hyperactive since, even more than his friend, he was scarcely able to sit still. 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. Englands Ollie Chessum dives in to score his sides second try during the Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham Stadium, London, Sam Smith arrives for the Brit Awards ceremony, A robin redbreast takes flight in Dublins botanic gardens. Channel 5 is set to air a new two-part documentary that tells the definitive story of . He has never really been what you would call a sagger off school (a truant). Just something to do.'. He would often have to stay in class at break times to catch up. It is about a Good Guy doll invaded by the spirit of a mass murderer who kills people in gruesome ways. The left will make play of social deprivation, unemployment, bad housing and general inner-city rot. So he came home. Haunting words of killer Jon Venables' parents resurface on 25th When the court was played Jon's taped descriptions of how they had truanted they simultaneously smiled. Venables, who was said to have been subjected to regular beatings by his mother Susan, titled the drawing 'My Dads house'. si fs. JON Venables's family was far from affluent, but it was not as close to the breadline as Robert's. Those who knew him well said he was a very emotional child, prone to mood swings. his mother was told that it was important that she stayed in his life and stood by him. 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. 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. They have never come out of hiding. 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. Following the arrest of their sons it was reported that the mothers of the boys had been attacked and vilified in. He is one of those children that if you told him to put his hand in the fire, he would. The prosecution, led by Richard Henriques QC, made its case quite simply really, using the journey they took James on to tell the story. Look at mine. There was almost total silence there apart from the sound of shoes on the ground. 'We have never really been apart,' Mrs Venables said. Then, one Friday in February, they discovered a new rule to break: they murdered a two-year-old. He once came to me crying saying the other boys were picking on him, trying to steal his bike.'. 'It was good. Friday 12th February 1993. Chilling words of Jon Venables' parents resurface on 25th anniversary Its beyond me," one viewer tweeted. He denied having had any films that were not mainstream, or that were pornographic, in the house. I don't think so. Ian was clever enough to know that to survive he had to get out. 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. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. On many occasions, Susan was observed physically and verbally assaulting Jon. Celestial. A day later she would face much worse. They would sneak out during the morning break, hiding behind a wall before the coast was clear. 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. His response couldn't have been more different as he sank into the oversized blazer he was wearing. Fiction Writing. That seems the very least they could face for what they did. One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging in the air as he sat in the custody office. 'When the fisticuffs ended, they made friends.' Usually, they were slung out. Little Bobby went to visit his brothers every so often, eager to show them the latest playthings he had robbed from the assorted shops nearby. Tweet. He took a jar of paracetamol. "All he said when we've said 'Why didn't you run away?' Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. Police respond to reporters of a swan being removed from the harbour by a drunk male before it being involved in a collision on Mutley Plain. 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. Denise, James Bugler's mother, went with her brother's girlfriend Nicola to the Bootle Strand Shopping Centre and took James with her. It was the kind of family neighbours compare themselves against and then feel better. They said their son met Robert Thompson in September 1991, when Jon was transferred from another school. Jon Venables is demonstrably no such thing. Susan Venabless bent body shrank deeper into itself. "'It wasnt fair to interview him. I am providing this page for those who are interested in learning more about the lives of these boys prior to their offense. Shame? 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. I got on with my job, but months later the impact of that trial had sunk in and a difficult, tearful, confusing year followed for me. It was when Jon turned seven that Susan and the children had relocated to Norris Green, one of Liverpools larger, more reputable areas. Robert's mother agreed with her son's assessment: 'Name one family in the area who would have a good word for us.'. It would be a week before we heard their voices, in hours of taped police interviews, They stopped us all in our tracks. 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One of the new works by Banksy, appears to show a 1950s housewife, wearing a classic blue pinny and yellow washing up gloves, with a swollen eye and a missing tooth seemingly shoving her male partner into a chest freezer, the piece is set on a white wall backdrop in Kent. Bulger killer had 'better life' after toddler murder - BBC News At Preston Crown Court Thompsons mother Ann and Venables parents Neil and Sue sat side by side. Jon spent Sunday to Thursday with his mum and the rest of every week with his dad. In any case, the couple drifted together, and in 1983, just fifteen months succeeding Jons birth, Susan gave birth to their third child, a daughter. Verdict day came. 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. Revealed: The horror drawing by Jon Venables weeks before he killed what is the bite force of a baboon. The toddler's mum Denise Bulger was at the counter of a butchers in the Strand shopping centre in Bootle, Liverpool, on February 12, 1993, when she briefly let go of her son's hand to get some change from her purse.