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. DAVID James Smith, who visited Mrs Thompson at one of her secret homes, reveals that it was a sad existence. 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. Most of the fun revolved around shoplifting - sweets, trolls, pepperami, tins of modelling paint, drinks, candles; anything, really. The sunrises through the sea mist over the sculpture The Couple by Sean Henry at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea on the Northumberland coast. Following the arrest of their sons it was reported that the mothers of the boys had been attacked and vilified in. Susan and neil venables. At his first primary school the headmistress referred him to a psychologist, noting how he used to bang his head against the classroom wall to gain attention. They have never come out of hiding. Jon's parents said they talked to their son about James after he was arrested, but had to stop. There was almost total silence there apart from the sound of shoes on the ground. That's the thing that upsets me because obviously where I was standing poor little James must have been not. For she added: 'But he's not a murderer.'. She would arrive at the secure unit with food parcels and is said to be proud of his achievements since the crime. She said an educational psychologist had diagnosed hyperactivity in her son, who was bullied at his previous school. Every day the public gallery was packed with students, pensioners, mothers, teenagers, all drawn to the courtroom spectacle as to a TV soap. He started with Liverpool, but by the time of the murder he had switched to Blackburn Rovers. Both of them struggled at school and had been lumped into the year below their age. 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. 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. A heartstopping moment came when the playing of the tapes in court was paused. Venables served seven years of a life sentence for the 1993 murder before he was freed in June 2001, aged 18. The first Susan Venables knew they had stayed away from school was when she saw one of Jon's classmates on her way home with the gerbils. Both parents hope was that he would make something of his life and eventually find some peace. I made notes of the pathologists evidence. Twenty-five years on, Im still prone to hot tears at the memory of it all and I do question the trial. Fiction Writing. Born on August 13th, 1982, Jon was the middle child of Neil and Susan Venables. 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. It seems likely that he was bullied. The James Bulger murder View gallery Venables was born on August 12, 1982. Yet, even while Susan admitted to being under huge emotional strain on a daily basis, the couple later denied that her constant hysterics would have encroached on Jon in any way, considering he was still in infancy at the time. By now the Venables were reunited as a result of the court case. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. portrayed him as the leader and evil one, says James Smith. You know, we just try and help him as best we can to try to come to terms with things. In the last few years she stopped drinking in the Top House and tried to keep things together. The judge, in sentencing the boys yesterday, voiced his strong suspicion that exposure to violent videos had played a strong part in corrupting them. They deal with drugs, they deal with everything. Last November he was arrested and recalled to jail on suspicion of possession of images of child sex abuse. Haunting CCTV footage shows the pair leading the tiny, trusting boy . In return, Jon would let Robert ride his bicycle, and from time to time he would suggest naughty deeds himself. He didn't want to hurt James. When Robert was asked what his hobby was he did not say trolls but 'skipping school'. Mrs Venables said: 'I think it was because the class group was too big for them to go in . They looked, moved, fidgeted, scratched, cried - even sucked their thumbs - just like any 11-year-olds. The reaction prompted James' mum Denise Fergus to let supporters know she had nothing to do with the programme. gk. 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. Mrs Venables said: "He mentions James, not all the time. 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. He was pale in complexion and had watery brown, listless eyes. They fled the city, never to return. Egypt. The details of Jamess death were sickening. Robert was number five of seven. Just something to do.'. Security launched a search for James inside the centre and James' family searched for their son overnight. Then, one Friday in February, they discovered a new rule to break: they murdered a two-year-old. He believes these were evil boys. I'm bringing up on my own but if I went round and screwed every warehouse my children would have everything too.'. 'I didn't know it would be like this,' Mr Venables said with hindsight. The documentary on the James Bulger murder case sparked anger after viewers criticised the Channel 4 show for "sympathising" with the toddler's killers. The first time he asked Jon to play truant with him was last September, only weeks after they had become friends. The best instincts led hundreds, including me, to lay flowers a few days later at the site of James horrific end. More press conferences, terrible details beginning to emerge about the state James was found in, and the chilling prospect, soon confirmed, that indeed it was children who had done this. TWO BOYS. In the business world, too many people think it's all about being hard, tough, ambitious, or having grit. His mother was not so keen on the idea - they cost pounds 35 each. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. Grainy CCTV footage shows them walking James away from the Strand . Like Ann Thompson, however, both parents of Jon Venables rallied round their son and in preparationfor his release Mr Venables accom-panied him on trips to football matches. "He tends to be a bit hyperactive so his concentration did go a bit, but apart from that he is quite bright, no worries.". On many occasions, Susan was observed physically and verbally assaulting Jon. ", Children accused of a crime are usually granted anonymity, but at the end of the trial the judge allowed both to be named, "because the public interest overrode the interest of the defendants.". fun to be with". The primary concern among the faculty was Roberts growing amount of absences. 'I don't know,' he replied. He is an old-fashioned crime and punishment man. 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. Their kids have got everything. At school Jon was considered bright enough, though he had trouble keeping up with lessons. Southern. Mrs Thompson worked as an office cleaner until two years ago, when she got pregnant again by another man, who also left her. They rejected suggestions that he could have watched Child's Play Three, a film that his father had rented three weeks before James's death, which, it has been claimed, included scenes similar to those of the attack on the two-year-old. I have cried for JamesBulgermany times, so God only knows the tears his parents and family have shed. On countless occasions, Bobby battered his wife, once causing her to miscarry, and his temper didnt stop at his wife. "Youngsters are usually tried in a youth court, [Thompson and Venables] were tried in an adult court. If I wanted to kill a baby, Id kill Id kill me own, wouldnt I?. 'When the fisticuffs ended, they made friends.' She also had to stay strong for the remaining children. Ironically, the relationship between mother and son improved when he, was behind bars. Get out and get into Dyson Hall children's centre, the only residential care school in the country just outside Liverpool. The boys lived off chips. I have lost my son as well. The Crown Prosecution Service released a statement in January confirming Venables had been charged. . Few had the patience to be friends with him, only his younger brother and a couple of lads who lived nearby. 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. Just four years earlier, we had all covered the Hillsborough disaster and come together in grief. She was a woman as large in personality and physique as the burdens she carried. We still dont know why. That means he is currently 35-years-old. He was jailed for two years before being granted parole again in July 2013.. Mrs Thompson claimed she had been the victim of revenge attacks after her identity became known. 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. 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. 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. They had much in common. The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. When you have got people in the area threatening to blow your kneecaps off every moment of the daythats just the way they are. Its beyond me," one viewer tweeted. For weeks, she stayed in bed, not bothering to tend to the children, and when she finally did reemerge, she readily admitted she drank from morning to night, but had stopped taking the pills. Scores more watched proceedings from a neighbouring office block which, for the duration of the trial, came under court jurisdiction. Thompson was inscrutable in the dock as we heard his voice for the first time. 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. But then, the whole of Robert's family was a bit like that - shunned, outcast, the butt of local criticism, and very well known to police. We are proud to endorse the COP27 Leather Manifesto. Not for long though. "An awful mistake for 10 year olds is shoplifting not murdering a 2 year old FFS," another angry viewer tweeted. "In terms of knowing what the full consequences of your actions are, you are into older childhood or adolescence. "'It wasnt fair to interview him. Toddler James Bulger disappeared on February 12 1993. Denise was in court that day. 'I was the softie,' Neil Venables said. qu fy. 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. He once came to me crying saying the other boys were picking on him, trying to steal his bike.'. At 2:30 they went to the two-story shopping centre. Only a handful of officials and close family members know their true identities. wo. In Jon's case, 'hyperactivity' went beyond mere fidgeting into outbursts of sudden anger and violence. My young body must have been tense with the deep anxiety that permeated every inch of that courtroom. King Charles III shakes hands with Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky as he welcomes at Buckingham Palace, in London, ahead of an audience during his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 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. 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. 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. "In order that justice can be done, no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.". Still, despite being clearly intimidated by him, Roberts brother appeared to share a strangely intimate bond with him. James Bulger was weeks away from his third birthday, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson behaved very differently in court, Mother who killed her five children euthanised, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Alex Murdaugh jailed for life for double murder, US sues Exxon over nooses found at Louisiana plant, Zoom boss Greg Tomb fired without cause. Pictures; Inside the Guardian; Guardian Weekly . Venables was a different creature. They did. Ian was clever enough to know that to survive he had to get out. Witness after witness who had seen them, or stopped and asked them what was going on, took the stand. 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. 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. He would often have to stay in class at break times to catch up. He's quite bright and clever. 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. 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. Once the jury retired, so did the journalists - but we didnt go far. 'I can't read hard words,' he said. Money, or his family's lack of it, preyed on his mind. [3] [4] Thompson and Venables led Bulger away . The pair were handed new identities after being released from prison. His grip was so strong that it took two people to pry Jon off of the boy. His parents say he is 'broken-hearted'. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. Express. Jon lived in terror of losing his mother's love, yet he was also terrified of her. Recently, I dug out my old notebooks of the trial and my handwriting during the verdicts says it all. In 1999, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the pair did not receive a fair trial and awarded costs and expenses of 29,000 to Jon Venables and 15,000 to Robert Thompson. . however, as the incident in the playground shows, the ever-present threat of discovery cast a constant shadow over anyone related to the two murderers. 'In this state it is quite painful to see a normal relationship between mother and child. 'I walked round for a couple of hours trying to find them. On one occasion, he said, Robert ran off down the street laughing, "You can't catch me". As always you can unsubscribe at any time. "We are committed to driving sustainability in the leather industry, through the commitment of. fn ye vw la. Another added: "An awful mistake??!! At Preston Crown Court Thompsons mother Ann and Venables parents Neil and Sue sat side by side. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. 2023 BBC. "The report of the Prison Service into an incident at Red Bank secure unit has not been published. Just seeing the size of them that first time, the childish figures they naturally were, caught my breath. She was a happy baby, much happier than her eldest brother had been, but as she grew older, Susan began noticing that she, too, appeared lazy, and was not as advanced as Jon. One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging. The days James was abducted, February 12 1993, I was a young reporter in my home city of Liverpool. . With Neil seldom in contact with Susan or the children during this time, Susan was forced to contend with Jons escalating troubles alone, sometimes taking her own frustrations out on the children. ', 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.' 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. It emerged that the Venables family had suffered the same fate in another area. Venables was caught with 1,170 indecent photos of children on his laptop, the Old Bailey was told. He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security . 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. 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. Mrs Venables described how she searched for Jon. They would sneak out during the morning break, hiding behind a wall before the coast was clear. . One investigating police officer said: 'You could look into the eyes of Robert and knew you were looking at evil.' 'I think it has something to do with a hatred of vulnerability and babyness in themselves which they projected on to this toddler.'. Depressed, Ann began drinking heavily and was taking narcotics which caused her to hallucinate. When the fisticuffs ended, impressed by each other's performance, they made friends. Moments later, we were told, Jon Venables uttered the words, We did it. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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 frequented local cinemas and regularly hired videos for the night. 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. Usually, they were slung out. si fs. Bird Pictures. "I don't think we went wrong as parents at all. It was their sons picked up by detectives. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? In March 2010, Venables was recalled to prison for downloading and distributing more than 100 images of child abuse. During that time, Susan felt as if she was trapped and overburdened, often taking her frustrations out on her husband, who believed it was her responsibility to take care of the children, and offered her little support in the way of childrearing. 'I thought he was all right,' said Boy B, as he was known in court - Jon Venables. But viewers were shocked when experts "defended" the 10-year-old murderers saying they made "an awful mistake". "You look at him and you say to yourself, 'How could you be involved in anything like this?'" The living versions on the floor of the court looked equally wrinkled and austere. By now the two boys from Walton were part of an international freak show. ", 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.". The shock in the city was plain to see, but it wasn't just in Liverpool that people stared at the CCTV pictures of the boy holding James' hand, while another led the way to the exit of the shopping centre where a frantic Denise Bulger would have been desperately looking for her child. A maudlin ballad about Liverpool was playing in the back- ground and she was cooking the dish known as Scouse. Their. Teachers hold placards as they shout slogans while taking part in a protest organised in Manchester as part of a national strike day. 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. Something went wrong, please try again later. It is just heartbreaking.". 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. Robert would give Jon presents of stolen objects: trolls, of course, toy terrapins, sweets. I feel so sorry for them. Financially, the couple appeared to be functioning, but meanwhile, Susan was at the end of her rope with her eldest son, who, having become increasingly frustrated at his inability to communicate, had grown terribly unhappy and was having temper tantrums regularly. This would have made little Robert the target of the fourth Thompson brother, who, in less than a years time, had confessed to arson, tried to stab his elder brother in a fit of rage, and had allegedly committed a lewd act against two small children (this incident was overlooked due to lack of evidence; however, because it was always considered a likely possibility that little Robert had been the victim of sexual abuse himself, and since Robert reportedly confirmed this years later, this occurrence involving his elder brother might be thought particularly revealing). The couple fought frequently as to their eldest sons troubles, which they later learned included mild learning difficulties, and Susan, at times becoming so exasperated by the situation, began to resent her sons presence. This time we came together in shock and disbelief. I would get him something like a cartoon.". He wore his dark hair short, almost a crew cut, which accentuated his ample forehead and blunt nose. CCTV images revealed how James had been lured away by Thompson and Venables, who was also aged 10. 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. But he liked collecting trolls, little doll-like creatures with ugly faces and spiky fluorescent hair. The guilty verdicts came quickly - within five hours. The haunting words of Jon Venables' parents only interview have resurfaced, twenty five years after he killed tot Jamie Bulger. Eventually, Bobby walked out on his family, but not before beating his wife one final time. They played a double act towards the children: his mother, Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman with a hawkish look, was the hard one. I wonder how many parents looked at their sons of a similar age that week, sure in the knowledge their own children could never be so wicked, but asked themselves anyway "what would I do if?". At the trialnine months laterI would learn that Robert Thompson had been among those people. That was in September 1991, 17 months before they killed James Bulger. At the end of the street a mesh wire frame coverered the window of the money lenders. Lady Penelope was his favourite character because she was rich, followed by Brains with the glasses. Neil Venables regarded himself as the Barry Norman of Merseyside - a film buff with a penchant for horror. 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. He has had Christmas presents. Unemployment levels were more than twice the national average in Walton. Less thanfive hours laterthe verdicts were in. According to a legal source we spoke to this week, Jon Venables parents have sought to be a support for their son, despite the enormity of his crime. Who knows. There was a pattern of bullying, with the older boys picking on their younger brothers down the line. Sometimes Robert would sag off on his own, but it was more fun with a friend. A sudden pause in the tapes and one of the officers appeared in person to describe how he asked Neil and Susan Venables to leave the room because he thought Jon wanted to tell him something. His response couldn't have been more different as he sank into the oversized blazer he was wearing. "Just TV programmes and little things remind me of the good times we had together . The parents of James Bulgers killers have also come to learn that the consequences of that terrible day will stay with them for ever too. He carried books on wrestling and wildlife in his school bag. . Ann denied the physical abuse, but later admitted to being cruel to the boys at times. Sitting in the new class was a chubby boy with a cherub's face - Robert Thompson. 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. Left to his own devices Jon liked to spend his playtime in fairly sedentary ways. Instead, she was involved in an ITV documentary with Sir Trevor McDonald that will air on Thursday. Neil explained to him that the school they attended was special, and that Jon wouldnt be accepted. Susan was known as the town " whore". 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. 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. Susan opted to remove him from the school then, and some months later, she reenrolled him in St. Marys in Walton. Susan Venables Facebook: susan.venables.9 Lives in Mellor, Blackburn With Darwen, . She remained very frightened and felt that she and her son were the most hated people in the country. 'It's always our family that gets the blame,' Robert said to police after he was arrested for James's murder. I know how I feel as a mother. The petition, that now has 14,682 signatures, reads: "We want a Public Inquiry into the James Bulger murder case. Venables and Thompson were seen on CCTV calmly leading the toddler out of the shopping centre by his hand. The best photos of birds and other wildlife from around the world. He gets upset. Verdict day came. Hes your son., Unhappily, it was during this critical time that Ann became pregnant with her seventh child, the product of another failed relationship. She was living in secrecy but always felt that she was walking around with a huge sign: mother of Bulger killer, above her head. After a while the 10-year-olds began to charge - a tenner an interview. She got her drinking under control and began giving her murderer son the attention he. So, when he first began his association with classmate Jon Venables, in September 1992, Robert was happy to have finally befriended a boy like Jon, who could almost always be persuaded to follow in his lead. "He is easily led. The most agonising thing about the whole case was that so many people had stopped them and questioned them. ", 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.". Jon spent Sunday to Thursday with his mum and the rest of every week with his dad. Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. But that is the common lot of thousands of 10-year-olds who have not turned into murderers. I wasnt on duty that day, so the very beginnings of the story washed over me. 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.