'In my opinion he was victimised. 2023 BBC. At Preston Crown Court a few months later, I was one of a handful of journalists given full access to the small courtroom for the trial of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both now 11-years-old. In March 2010, Venables was recalled to prison for downloading and distributing more than 100 images of child abuse. 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. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. release. 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. The sunrises through the sea mist over the sculpture The Couple by Sean Henry at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea on the Northumberland coast. Their. 'I sat away from him - he caused trouble,' Jon said. [3] [4] Thompson and Venables led Bulger away . Following the arrest of their sons it was reported that the mothers of the boys had been attacked and vilified in. I would say he was provoked. Not really?. Another added: "An awful mistake??!! . He had left her to bring up six children alone. susan venables - Director - Juju & Co | LinkedIn Grey Heron. Mr Venables said it had never crossed their minds that the video pictures from the security cameras in the shopping centre from which James went missing showed their own son. Thompson admitted nothing. 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. Once they went into a home decoration shop and hid under a pile of carpets. 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. When she turned around moments later, her son was gone. Not their punishmentand exclusion from society for the rest of their childhood. 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. JON Venables's family was far from affluent, but it was not as close to the breadline as Robert's. . He has never really been what you would call a sagger off school (a truant). 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. He is broken- hearted over it. Twenty-five years on, Im still prone to hot tears at the memory of it all and I do question the trial. Venables was caught with 1,170 indecent photos of children on his laptop, the Old Bailey was told. When he played truant he was scared she would come and find him. Jon, who had the most trouble sleeping, appeared fearful of Susan, and was terrified, above all, of her condemnation. xf fy. But talking in 1993, his mother tried to explain how her child turned into a murderer. Ann, desperate to escape the physical and emotional torment of living with her drunken father, was married to Robert, Sr. in December 1971, on the day of her eighteenth birthday. Forlorn hope, though. 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. Susan Venables Facebook: susan.venables.9 Lives in Mellor, Blackburn With Darwen, . On the days he was at school he had a knack for stirring things up. ', A psychoanalyst and child psychotherapist comes up with yet another possible explanation. Then between 1990 and 1991, Jons teachers recognized a dramatic change in the boys behavior, which was alarming enough for one of his teachers to begin keeping a daily log. Get the biggest TV headlines, recaps and insider knowledge straight to your inbox. When the fisticuffs ended, impressed by each other's performance, they made friends. 'It's always our family that gets the blame,' Robert said to police after he was arrested for James's murder. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. To be absolutely accurate, she had only one illusion. Susan Venables's bent body shrank deeper into itself. At the trialnine months laterI would learn that Robert Thompson had been among those people. Whatever problems she had in her own life, she was always there. The couples first child, a son, had been born with a cleft pallet, and when Jon was born, much of the Venables focus was on getting their eldest son into speech therapy. Her warnings arent being heeded, but 25 years on, I think she is probably right. The Killing of James Bulger: Where are Robert Thompson and Jon Venables 'Sometimes I told Robbie to do things so he does,' he told a police officer, with pride in his voice. Both were banned from ever returning to Liverpool and given new identities at a reported cost of 1.5million. 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. Three years ago, after his mother walloped him, he went to social services and asked them to put him in care. 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. Jobs were few and far between. Their parents entered the courtroom; The Venables arrived together, Ann Thompson came with supporters but no sign of Robert's father. They did. eb. The only sign he was discomforted by hearing it was a near constant pulling of his tongue in his hands. Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. I have cried for JamesBulgermany times, so God only knows the tears his parents and family have shed. She was prone to hysteria and hailed from a 'strict and disciplined' background. On one occasion, he said, Robert ran off down the street laughing, "You can't catch me". Thompson, who gained five GCSEs and A-levels in design and technology, is said to have developed an interest in theatre. It's high time they were investigated. Shortly after the breakup, an accidental fire destroyed the Thompsons home, leaving Ann homeless, jobless, and with little money to support her kids. He was also given 'respite care' - six weekly weekend breaks to relieve the family of the burden of looking after him. Meanwhile Robert Thompson always regarded as the ringleader and the most likely of the murderous duo to fall by the wayside is said to be doing well. Left to his own devices Jon liked to spend his playtime in fairly sedentary ways. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. In the years between Venabless first return to prison and this latest conviction he was deemed to be living successfully in the community, when in fact he was working out ways to dodge his internet ban and hiding a computer in his headboard in order to download abusive images of children, including what the judge described this week as serious crimes inflicted on male toddlers. She also had to stay strong for the remaining children. Ironically, the relationship between mother and son improved when he, was behind bars. Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman . She got her drinking under control and began giving her murderer son the attention he. Less thanfive hours laterthe verdicts were in. They saw it with their eyes. He's quite bright and clever. Murder of James Bulger. Grainy CCTV footage shows them walking James away from the Strand . Not for long though. Lock him in it.'. The boys lived off chips. And there were rewards for breaking rules. 'Just mad. I have lost my son as well. One day they stayed out until 10.30pm and Jon received a severe reprimand from his mother. Then they would hide their school satchels under a subway and set off on their adventure. Who knows. At night, for instance, the two boys would lie in bed together and suck each others thumbs. 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. Robert passed this down the line bullying his eight-year-old brother into playing truant. His parents, Susan and Neil, accompanied him during the interview process. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 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. He has had his holidays like everyone else. "An awful mistake for 10 year olds is shoplifting not murdering a 2 year old FFS," another angry viewer tweeted. "What he's done is wrong so he needs to be punished. They probably weren't out to kill someone, but they were probably out to ruin someone else's happiness. Members of the Up Helly Aa 'Jarl Squad' parade through the streets in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon using a camera during her visit to BBC Studioworks in Glasgow, Passersby chat with the police as they arrive to see King Charles III and the Princess Royal attend a church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, People at a vigil at Lurgan Park in Lurgan, Co Armagh in memory of murder victim Natalie McNally and opposing violence against women, Firefighters use hoses to dampen down at the scene of a fire at St Marks Church in Hamilton Terrace, St Johns Wood, London, which has been destroyed by the blaze which began in the early hours of the morning, Huskies pull their musher during a training run before this weekends annual Aviemore Sled Dog Rally, in Feshiebridge, A knitted topper celebrating Burns Night placed on a post box in Alloway, Ayrshire, Deer graze during sunrise at Ashton Court Estate, Bristol, where clear misty skies and a cold morning brings frost across parts of the south west UK, Ambulance workers on the picket line outside the Donnington Ambulance Hub, at Donnington, near Telford, Shropshire. You know, we just try and help him as best we can to try to come to terms with things. The detective explained how, before she left, she soothed him, told him his parents would love him whatever he told the police, reminding him that Denise neededto know what had happened to her baby. The haunting words of Jon Venables' parents only interview have resurfaced, twenty five years after he killed tot Jamie Bulger. To do that he put on the witness stand all those people who had seen the three boys on the route from the shopping centre to the railway line. Unemployment levels were more than twice the national average in Walton. Read about our approach to external linking. After a while the boys became used to it. Yes, these things are important, but trust. 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. Haunting words of killer Jon Venables' parents resurface on 25th One neighbour said she always let him into her home whenever his mother was out. 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. A maudlin ballad about Liverpool was playing in the back- ground and she was cooking the dish known as Scouse. She remained very frightened and felt that she and her son were the most hated people in the country. 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. 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. . We still think the same of him as we always have. 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. After a while the 10-year-olds began to charge - a tenner an interview. He's a good reader if he's interested in it. The phone-in programme, as ever, was a place to turn to try to find reasons - evil, poverty, neglect, possessed anything to explain what felt inexplicable. The Rt Reverend Glyn Webster lights a candle in front of the newly restored Lady Chapel East Window at All Saints North Street in York, one of thirteen stained glass windows from the church undergoing conservation work at Barley Studio, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Pat Cullen on the picket line outside Great Ormond Street Hospital in London during a strike by nurses and ambulance staff, Britains former prime minister Liz Truss leaves her home on February 5, 2023 in London, England.
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