Unfortunately, there are no easy answers in cases like this. During the trial, the full horror of James' death emerged. The level of brutality involved in the sadistic killing was far beyond what anyone might imagine two primary school children to be capable of. [39] A child psychiatrist, Eileen Vizard, who interviewed Thompson before the trial, was asked in court whether he would know the difference between right and wrong, that it was wrong to take a young child away from his mother, and that it was wrong to cause injury to a child. At What Age Should A Child be Held Accountable? [24][31] When Thompson and Venables were questioned about this aspect of the attack by detectives and a child psychiatrist, Eileen Vizard, the pair were reluctant to give details. Brain damage was extensive and included a haemorrhage. [141][142] In August 2009, Australia's Seven Network used real footage of the abduction to promote its crime drama City Homicide. Read about our approach to external linking. [5] Venables was sent to prison in 2010 for breaching the terms of his licence, was released on parole again in 2013, and in November 2017 was again sent to prison for possessing child sexual abuse images on his computer. Judge Andrew McFarlane turned down the request, saying that the "uniquely notorious" nature of the case meant there is "a strong possibility, if not a probability, that if his identity were known, he would be pursued, resulting in grave and possibly fatal consequences. Understandably so. He always had plenty of friends. [29][9][30] A forensic pathologist testified that Bulger died before he was struck by the train. It was arguably the most shocking crime in modern British history; the toddlers murderers were both just ten years old at the time. "My heart really goes out to them. fun to be with". Were the duo shaped into monsters by their troubled upbringings? Venables fell into drug addiction and alcohol abuse following his release from prison in 2001, James was killed a month before his third birthday, On board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry. [4], The terms of their release included the following: they were not allowed to contact each other or Bulger's family; they were prohibited from visiting the Merseyside region;[66] curfews may be imposed on them, and they must report to probation officers. To the majority of the press, Robert Thompson's mother was not there for him; on the rare occasions that she was, she was a "mess". [4], Up to 500 protesters gathered at the Magistrates' Court in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton during the boys' initial court appearances. [124][125] On 3 September 2013, it was reported that Venables had been released from prison. Despite this, Bulger's mother, Denise, told how in 2004 she received a tip-off from an anonymous source that helped her locate Thompson. [47][118] Venables was eligible for parole in July 2011. ", 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.". Could this factor have been at play here? For two children to do what they did, both Jon Venables and Robert Thompson must have been quite seriously disturbed. [9] In March 2010, a call was made by England's Children's commissioner Maggie Atkinson to raise the age of criminal responsibility from ten to twelve. Justice Secretary Jack Straw stated that Venables had been returned to prison because of "extremely serious allegations", and stated that he was "unable to give further details of the reasons for Jon Venables's return to custody, because it was not in the public interest to do so". Despite commonly held beliefs, psychopathy is mostly determined genetically. [34] The attempted abduction charge related to an incident at the New Strand Shopping Centre earlier on 12 February 1993, the day of Bulger's death. [102], Bulger's mother, Denise Fergus, said she was angry that the parole board did not tell her that Venables had been returned to prison, and called for his anonymity to be removed if he was charged with a crime. Trivia. Thompson was a member of what can only be described as a terribly dysfunctional family. Jon Venables - IMDb WebBut Jon Venables background was seemingly free from the shocking and traumatic events that his friend Robert endured. "What he's done is wrong so he needs to be punished. Jon Venables was just 10 years old when he and friend Robert Thompson murdered toddler James Bulger. Cases of children and teenagers who murder are shocking and terrible, but unfortunately they do happen. The posts were seen by 24,000 people. 'Robbed of justice': The murder of Lucie Blackman, far beyond what anyone might imagine two primary school children to be capable of. [22] They kicked him, stamped on him, and threw bricks and stones at him. Ian, aged 15, subsequently asked to be taken into care and when he was returned home he tried to kill himself by overdosing on painkillers. However, it is perfectly possible for one of the boys to be afflicted with the disorder and to have manipulated the other. He has had his holidays like everyone else. [72][73] The Observer revealed that both Venables and Thompson had passed A-Levels during their sentences. On one occasion, he said, Robert ran off down the street laughing, "You can't catch me". If they breached the rules or were deemed a risk to the public, they could be returned to prison. He was given a new name, a job and a flat on his release to try to ensure his security and give him an "ordinary" life. He is far from it. It was Jon Venables, not Robert Thompson, who had a record of violence, having attempted to throttle another boy at school. after discovering she dated child killer Jon Venables Neil Venables, 40, said he felt "just devastated, thinking of that little boy'. It was on 12 February 1993 that two-year-old James Bulger was snatched from the New Strand Centre in Bootle, on Merseyside, while his mother Denise was shopping. A spokesman commented: "There are many different images circulating online claiming to be of Venables or Thompson; potentially innocent individuals may be wrongly identified as being one of the two men and placed in danger. I used to get them for myself at night time. Background - Jon Venables and Robert Thompson [6][7], Closed-circuit television (CCTV) at the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle on 12 February 1993 showed Thompson and Venables casually observing children, apparently selecting a target. WebJon Venables was born on August 13, 1982 in Liverpool, England, UK.