What happened to James Bulger? Child killer Mary Bell and Maxine Carr, the former girlfriend of Soham murderer Ian Huntley, are the others. I know how I feel as a mother. It would be a week before we heard their voices, in hours of taped police interviews, They stopped us all in our tracks. One neighbour said she always let him into her home whenever his mother was out. Both boys had been held back a year, and they were put in the same class. She was a woman as large in personality and physique as the burdens she carried. kl. Ann denied the physical abuse, but later admitted to being cruel to the boys at times. 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. she said. Just seeing the size of them that first time, the childish figures they naturally were, caught my breath. The boys, by now lacking any sense of guidance within the home, took to the streets, robbing, truanting, and some of them experimenting with drugs. yet, as Venables is back behind bars. Yes, these things are important, but trust. I would get him something like a cartoon.". "He fell over," was the response. Venables was a different creature. gk. Any anxiety or animosity he might have felt was manifested largely through his school-aged thumb-sucking, a habit which elicited titters and taunts from the neighborhood children. His mother, Anne Marie Thompson, who is 39, got the house from the local housing trust after her husband, Robert, ran off with a woman from Stockport five years ago. They probably weren't out to kill someone, but they were probably out to ruin someone else's happiness. ', 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.' Thompson & Venebales. The Swedes, French, Germans, Canadian and Americans had all come to gaze at Liverpool's child killers. But he is not a murderer. And in Lower Lane police station when he was being questioned about the murder she had to be told that her harsh words were inhibiting him from confessing. They occasionally exchanged furtive glances. Grainy CCTV footage shows them walking James away from the Strand . Venables and Thompson abducted, tortured and killed two-year-old James in Liverpool in 1993 when they were both aged just 10. They pair was ordered to be detained at her majesty's pleasure - meaning indefinitely - but in 2001, a six-month review by the parole board found they were no longer a threat to public safety and they were released on life licence after serving just eight years. Her warnings arent being heeded, but 25 years on, I think she is probably right. One of Anns sons claimed that Ann, too, had beaten them with sticks, and had struck one of the boys with a cane. It should certainly be moved up to 12; in some European countries it is 14," she said. His parents say he is 'broken-hearted'. susan venables pictures This happened, more often than not, at night, when they refused to go to bed when told. For she added: 'But he's not a murderer.'. His father, thin and balding, had a much gentler edge. Susan Venables, mother of Jon - referred to throughout the trial as Boy B - blamed her son's 'weakness' for the murder of James Bulger, and said he was going through torment. They have never come out of hiding. She said an educational psychologist had diagnosed hyperactivity in her son, who was bullied at his previous school. My young body must have been tense with the deep anxiety that permeated every inch of that courtroom. Venables, who was said to have been subjected to regular beatings by his mother Susan, titled the drawing 'My Dads house'. Shame? But apart from his brother, Robert struggled to build friendships. . "Youngsters are usually tried in a youth court, [Thompson and Venables] were tried in an adult court. 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. He believes these were evil boys. Jon spent Sunday to Thursday with his mum and the rest of every week with his dad. It is claimed that taxpayers could have to fork out another 250,000 to provide a new life when he is eventually released. The other shops in the area were also armoured with mesh, including the Red Garden chipper where Robert used to pop in with his brothers most nights for a 25p bag of chips. James Bulger: Jon Venables' identity leaked online - news 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. 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. . 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. 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.'. They had to report him missing at the security office before he was found, and Jon's mother was very angry. On the walls hung oil paintings of local judges and magistrates, their surfaces crinkled with age. We still dont know why. She also had to stay strong for the remaining children. Ironically, the relationship between mother and son improved when he, was behind bars. She said that Jon was always "loving, caring, thoughtful and considerate . Unemployment levels were more than twice the national average in Walton. From their point of view it makes perfect sense. 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. susan venables - Director - Juju & Co | LinkedIn Read about our approach to external linking. Kids fantasise about such things. Extraordinarily, she even shouted up to the railway tracks at Walton where she knew Robert had a den. Teachers hold placards as they shout slogans while taking part in a protest organised in Manchester as part of a national strike day. At the time Ann Thompson pleaded for her son to be left alone and revealed that she and her other children had been forced to move house nine times in eight years. He wanted a Rovers strip for his birthday present. On November 24, 1993, the two boys, by then aged 11, became the youngest defendants to be sentenced for murder in a British court. James' mother Denise believes they should have remained in jail for life and has tirelessly campaigned against their rights to anonymity. WALTON, where they both lived, is, in the jargon of planning, an inner-city urban priority area; neither the best nor the worst the city has to offer. All information on this page is true to my knowledge, and is not intended to diminish or justify either boys actions in any way whatsoever. A day later, when James still hadnt been found, it was clear from CCTV footage that he had been taken by children. "It is hard to take in really. 'It was good. 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. 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. He was in great distress' And what about the little, innocent boy he killed??! Her husband came back to Walton now and again to see his mother, but he never came to see the boys. On countless occasions, Bobby battered his wife, once causing her to miscarry, and his temper didnt stop at his wife. I came back and then (Mrs Venables) went out. God knows how they must be feeling now.. Natural Landmarks. Were they to blame? The Crown Prosecution Service released a statement in January confirming Venables had been charged. Jon Venables now: How old is James Bulger's killer? What happened to Neil Venables, 40, said he felt "just devastated, thinking of that little boy'. Wiping away tears, he went on: 'I feel for that family. Ironically, Jon was the child who caused his parents least anxiety. In Jon's case, 'hyperactivity' went beyond mere fidgeting into outbursts of sudden anger and violence. He didn't want to hurt James. By chance, the rest of Jon's family was driving past and spotted them. The Americans fed 1 1/2 minutes of the Jamie Bulger story into a 22-minute bulletin of national and international news. 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. 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. 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. Few had the patience to be friends with him, only his younger brother and a couple of lads who lived nearby. When she turned around moments later, her son was gone. The Bulger Murder: Mother cannot believe that 'devious' child killed: The press were gobbling it up. From the moment Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were convicted of the murder of James Bulger, their, families have been condemned to lives spent looking over their shoulders. "In order that justice can be done, no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.". Take him home, the officer would say to her. Online Marketing For Your Business Will you tell his Mum Im sorry?. Depressed, Ann began drinking heavily and was taking narcotics which caused her to hallucinate. ", 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.". He said that on the day James was killed, when he went to the school in the afternoon to collect Jon he was told his son was missing. I just heard an almighty screech. We have found 88 people in the UK with the name Susan Venables. The government will be required to respond within 14 days if as the petition achieves more than 100,000 signatures. He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security . I thought he was all right, Jon said of Robert during his police interviews. 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. "You look at him and you say to yourself, 'How could you be involved in anything like this?'" James Bulger's killers: Where are Robert Thompson and Jon Venables? Venables on the other hand was becoming increasingly agitated in the police interviews. ', A psychoanalyst and child psychotherapist comes up with yet another possible explanation. Not for long though. Neil Venables regarded himself as the Barry Norman of Merseyside - a film buff with a penchant for horror. Moments later, we were told, Jon Venables uttered the words, We did it. Since his 14-year-old brother, Phillip , had already tried to stab him, the social services agreed. Jon Venables is demonstrably no such thing. That's the thing that upsets me because obviously where I was standing poor little James must have been not. Fiction Writing. She couldn't. The hardliners in the police have a simpler explanation. I barely need to refer to my notes to remember in great detail the events that would dominate British news for years. Mrs Venables walked around the area for hours, searching for him. 'In my opinion he was victimised. Why would I want to kill him? he said, referring to the slain toddler. Not their punishmentand exclusion from society for the rest of their childhood. A maudlin ballad about Liverpool was playing in the back- ground and she was cooking the dish known as Scouse. "Throughout the conduct of the case there have been a number of issues that have been swept under the carpet. Robert passed this down the line bullying his eight-year-old brother into playing truant. Scores more watched proceedings from a neighbouring office block which, for the duration of the trial, came under court jurisdiction. 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 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 kids have got everything. Venables and Thompson were seen on CCTV calmly leading the toddler out of the shopping centre by his hand. One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging in the air as he sat in the custody office. Not surprisingly, Ann had also attempted suicide in the same manner, some months before. [3] [4] Thompson and Venables led Bulger away . Susan Venables Profiles | Facebook football, snooker, things like that. Mrs Venables said: "He mentions James, not all the time. Keep them apart or he'll get into trouble, they said. Click here to find personal data about Susan Venables including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. At night, for instance, the two boys would lie in bed together and suck each others thumbs. The details of Jamess death were sickening. In court, he hid his face again. Read about our approach to external linking. Denise, James Bugler's mother, went with her brother's girlfriend Nicola to the Bootle Strand Shopping Centre and took James with her. 'Sometimes I told Robbie to do things so he does,' he told a police officer, with pride in his voice. 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. 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. Following the arrest of their sons it was reported that the mothers of the boys had been attacked and vilified in. Our feelings haven't changed towards him. Sandra Gotheridge. His parents, Susan and Neil, accompanied him during the interview process. David Sharrock, Maggie O'Kane, and Edward Pilkington look at the lives of the rebels who turned to killing, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. His former wife would send their boys up the street to give their father the fingers through the bay windows of his mother's house. I am providing this page for those who are interested in learning more about the lives of these boys prior to their offense. 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". They went on family outings together, slept together, and when Susan did find a place, virtually coexisted between the two homes. susan and neil venables The prosecution, led by Richard Henriques QC, made its case quite simply really, using the journey they took James on to tell the story. 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. See that cell. Both had a need to attract attention, which they achieved through a host of petty rebellions. They were drawn to one another quickly. They looked, moved, fidgeted, scratched, cried - even sucked their thumbs - just like any 11-year-olds. On many occasions, Susan was observed physically and verbally assaulting Jon. 'I thought he was all right,' said Boy B, as he was known in court - Jon Venables.