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'You'd better tell the truth. He was also given 'respite care' - six weekly weekend breaks to relieve the family of the burden of looking after him. Their. It is here, of course, that Jon met and made friends with fellow eccentric, Robert Thompson. Online Marketing For Your Business What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? He said he was frightened of Robert's older brother. 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. It is just heartbreaking.". 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. Take him home, the officer would say to her. 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. Sometimes Robert would sag off on his own, but it was more fun with a friend. Counsel for the prosecution, Richard Henriques QC, made it clear all three elements needed to be proved for a murder conviction. xf fy. The Americans fed 1 1/2 minutes of the Jamie Bulger story into a 22-minute bulletin of national and international news. 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. Robert Thompson was born to Robert Sr. and Ann Thompson on the 23rd day of August 1982, in Liverpool, England. The family was put up in a hostel temporarily and later relocated by the social services. I couldnt make any sense of it, Robert later recalled, desolately, when asked about his fathers unexpected departure. He would throw things at other children, cut himself deliberately with scissors and stick paper all over his face. But. ", 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 was in great distress' And what about the little, innocent boy he killed??! And there were rewards for breaking rules. Were they to blame? 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 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. The documentary on the James Bulger murder case sparked anger after viewers criticised the Channel 4 show for "sympathising" with the toddler's killers. 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. Mr Venables said: "He wouldn't watch horror. He says 'I know, Mum'. It was high- lighted by the trial judge Mr Justice Morland who said they must take moral responsibility for the terrible actions of the young killers. Are they mad? 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Less thanfive hours laterthe verdicts were in. 'I can't read hard words,' he said. ql zo. 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. 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. 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. It worked. Mrs Venables has also said that she felt. Nine months later, I was one of 30 or so journalists inside Preston Crown Court when the trial began. The experience gave Jon renewed confidence, and the second time they sagged off together he suggested it. Such a childish voice. ANN THOMPSON, the mother of Robert Thompson, child A, says her son is a thief, a liar, is devious and plays truant. Fiction Writing. Just seeing the size of them that first time, the childish figures they naturally were, caught my breath. Although he appeared to have the more stable upbringing of the two boys, there was a history of family problems. He took a jar of paracetamol. By chance, the rest of Jon's family was driving past and spotted them. He has had security with loving parents and a loving brother and sister.". Child killer Mary Bell and Maxine Carr, the former girlfriend of Soham murderer Ian Huntley, are the others. . He was repulsed because he found Robert's disdain for authority scary. Regrettably, yet perhaps not entirely unforeseen, the cycle of abuse continued. He's a good reader if he's interested in it. Self pity? At Preston Crown Court Thompsons mother Ann and Venables parents Neil and Sue sat side by side. re bz. Scores more watched proceedings from a neighbouring office block which, for the duration of the trial, came under court jurisdiction. They knew what they were doing," another wrote. Kids fantasise about such things. 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. The boys lived off chips. When Robert was asked what his hobby was he did not say trolls but 'skipping school'. Venables served seven years of a life sentence for the 1993 murder before he was freed in June 2001, aged 18. As a result of the incident, Jon's mother decided to move him to another school. On one occasion, he said, Robert ran off down the street laughing, "You can't catch me". 'Just mad. Susan and the children moved in with her mother for a short time, and then settled in a small cluster of derelict apartments in Old Swan, where Jon attended the nearby Broad Green Preschool. School had no hold on him - there was no corporal punishment or other form of penalty that touched him. Left to his own devices Jon liked to spend his playtime in fairly sedentary ways. Celestial. The week after he walked out the family's home burned down in an accidental fire. I'm bringing up on my own but if I went round and screwed every warehouse my children would have everything too.'. Best of all, they would spend time on the Walton railway line where Robert had built a den close to the bridge. Still, despite being clearly intimidated by him, Roberts brother appeared to share a strangely intimate bond with him. The pair were handed new identities after being released from prison. How could two small boys savage and leave a toddler for dead? 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 Radio Merseyside newsroom, where I was working at the time, was full and everyone was on this story one way or another. "I think my son's concentration wasn't the way it should have been, but he wasn't slow. She visited regularly and they would hold family anniversaries in the, place where he was held. She was prone to hysteria and hailed from a 'strict and disciplined' background. 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. Only a handful of officials and close family members know their true identities. It was when Jon turned seven that Susan and the children had relocated to Norris Green, one of Liverpools larger, more reputable areas. He did like to be liked, and loved to have friends, and he has got involved with the wrong person.". There is, like, a little paint factory. After a while the 10-year-olds began to charge - a tenner an interview. But viewers were shocked when experts "defended" the 10-year-old murderers saying they made "an awful mistake". Not their punishmentand exclusion from society for the rest of their childhood. One police officer described how Jon Venables was so small, his legs were swinging in the air as he sat in the custody office. Now we waited. March 10, 2021 - 20:29 GMT Eve Crosbie. We still think the same of him as we always have. A day later, when James still hadnt been found, it was clear from CCTV footage that he had been taken by children. On countless occasions, Bobby battered his wife, once causing her to miscarry, and his temper didnt stop at his wife. Robert always wanted to stay out late and encouraged Jon to join him. '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. Jon's parents said they talked to their son about James after he was arrested, but had to stop. Last week the author Angela Phillips spoke of how the gentle son of the female friend of hers turned into a fascist skinhead: 'The boy his mother wanted him to become was not man enough for the world he was forced to inhabit. 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. Good people asked the boys if they were lost or urged them to take "their baby brother" home as he cried for his mummy. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. 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. But now and again. 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. 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. This time, curiosity took the upper hand: 'I wanted to see what it was like,' he said. Eventually, Bobby walked out on his family, but not before beating his wife one final time. Then they would hide their school satchels under a subway and set off on their adventure. 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. IN their interviews with the two boys, psychiatrists could find no clues to why the boys acted so violently. The primary concern among the faculty was Roberts growing amount of absences. Some people thought they were as old as 12 or 13, but when they met they were both only 10 years old. Not surprisingly, Ann had also attempted suicide in the same manner, some months before. 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. Its beyond me," one viewer tweeted. They deal with drugs, they deal with everything. Guilty of abducting and murdering James PatrickBulger. 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. Haunting CCTV footage shows the pair leading the tiny, trusting boy . The boys at Dyson Hall were the object of some envy among their mates because they were given tracksuits and trainers upon arrival and went on trips to Alton Towers. So he came home. 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 cant believe people find excuses for these murderers. Neither gave evidence to the court, but were found guilty after an officer told how Venables admitted the murder, saying, "We did it. Ann tried to discourage this by hiding his shoes, or by taking him down to the Walton Lane police station and having the officer on duty frighten him into compliance, but to no avail. Robert is not believed to have reoffended - Venables has been convicted twice since being set free. Following the arrest of their sons it was reported that the mothers of the boys had been attacked and vilified in. It was their sons picked up by detectives. Unemployment levels were more than twice the national average in Walton. 'When the fisticuffs ended, they made friends.' Thompson did what he often did, looked around, grabbing clumsily at his tongue. 'It was good. They had to report him missing at the security office before he was found, and Jon's mother was very angry. INSIDE the court sat the two boys, dwarfed by the weight and majesty of the place. Her husband came back to Walton now and again to see his mother, but he never came to see the boys. Mrs Thompson worked as an office cleaner until two years ago, when she got pregnant again by another man, who also left her. The Swedes, French, Germans, Canadian and Americans had all come to gaze at Liverpool's child killers. Meanwhile, Thompson has not re-offended since his release, and is believed to be in a long-term relationship with a man who knows who he really is. 'I didn't know it would be like this,' Mr Venables said with hindsight. He was always getting prizes for maths at school. On the days he was at school he had a knack for stirring things up. 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. Venables received a 40-month prison sentence after appearing via video link at the Old Bailey. 'I think about little James and what he must have gone through, how they must feel. When you have got people in the area threatening to blow your kneecaps off every moment of the daythats just the way they are. When shop keepers asked what they were doing they would pretend they were waiting for their mum. He frequented local cinemas and regularly hired videos for the night. Hyperactive children can't sit still all day,' Mrs Venables said. 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. Neighbors later reported that it wasnt uncommon for Robert to be seen wandering the streets of Walton after midnight, since he was always running off at night. Venables and Thompson were seen on CCTV calmly leading the toddler out of the shopping centre by his hand. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? To be absolutely accurate, she had only one illusion. He started with Liverpool, but by the time of the murder he had switched to Blackburn Rovers. In March 2010, Venables was recalled to prison for downloading and distributing more than 100 images of child abuse. It is claimed that taxpayers could have to fork out another 250,000 to provide a new life when he is eventually released. Robert passed this down the line bullying his eight-year-old brother into playing truant. Depressed, Ann began drinking heavily and was taking narcotics which caused her to hallucinate.