He was denied parole in 2000 and ordered to stay behind bars for at least an additional two years. Despite positive behaviour and landing a job in jail, Parole officials ruled Venables was still not safe to be released. "The risk factors identified at the time of his offending included his sexual interests and an attraction to sexual violence as well as other issues considered relevant but amenable to change. He added: "As Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss held, (Venables) is 'uniquely notorious' and 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. In November 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables became the youngest convicted murderers in British history. After serving three years, he was released on parole. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . At the canal, they dropped Bulger on his head and left him on the ground crying. Venables was released in 2001 and soon found himself running afoul of the law. Finally, discover the story of Mary Bell, the 11-year-old who killed toddlers and got off light. But when she looked down, he was gone. By the time Thompson and Venables skipped school together on February 12, 1993, the two boys were good friends. Since then, the two men have taken vastly different paths. He pleaded guilty to charges of downloading and distributing child sex images and was given a sentence of two years in prison. Bulger Killer JON Venables is one half of a pair of notorious child killers who abducted and then murdered two-year-old James Bulger back in 1993. As required by law, he will be eligible for another parole review in due course.. But most did nothing and those that stopped and questioned the James Bulger killers soon enough let them go on their way to ultimately murder the toddler. Where is Robert Thompson now? James was a two-year-old boy from a loving family who lived in Bootle, Merseyside. It wont be a slap on the wrist for me.. Both were found guilty of the heinous crime, with the judge at their trial in November 1993 branding James' murder an act of "unparalleled evil and barbarity.". Robert and Jon would sexually abuse, assault, and murder Bulger before dumping his body. With some evidence in hand and the knowledge that the James Bulger killers were likely two children, the police checked nearby schools absentee lists for the day of the disappearance. The police then visited both childrens homes and discovered blood on Thompsons shoes and blue paint on Venables jacket. "Risk factors identified in subsequent reviews include thinking about sex a lot, problems in maintaining relationships, concerns about self-awareness, and his ability to deal with stress. "This is, therefore, a wholly exceptional case and the evidence in 2019 is more than sufficient to sustain the conclusion that there continues to be a real risk of very substantial harm to (Venables).". He became eligible for parole in 2013, at which time Ralph Bulger told the parole board that he couldnt forgive his sons killers and that Venables should not be released. This left her with the impression that he was faking remorse. Though not much is known about his current whereabouts, he is reportedly in a stable relationship with a man who is fully aware of his past. So, when the eight years were up in 2001, both boys were released. ", Outside court, solicitor advocate for the Bulgers, Robin Makin, said: "The authorities seem to be hell-bent on protecting JV regardless of the risk to others and this has been a primary driving force behind Ralph and Jimmys application.". Robert Thompson had a tough childhood and there were allegations of . Explaining why a worldwide injuction preventing details about Venables and Thompson was imposed, then Home Secretary David Blunkett said: "The injunction was granted because there was a real and strong possibility that their lives would be at risk if their identities became known.". But one bystander provided a glimmer of hope however fleeting for James Bulger. Sarah Everard: Serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, arrested on suspicion of murder, kidnap & indecent exposure, Brazil Covid variant is an 'atom bomb' that threatens to destroy worlds hopes of beating the pandemic, experts warn, Burping and 8 other unusual Covid symptoms that can linger for months, Bizarre floating ships seen off the coast of Britain could unlock the 109-year-old mystery of the Titanic's sinking, Weather forecast UK LIVE Met Office warnings of gale force winds for ALL of England today, Kent variant is up to TWICE as deadly as original strains, scientists warn. From 1993 to 2001, Venables served time in the Red Bank secure unit in St. Helens, Merseyside. Venables and Thompson then called for Bulger to come. chloe johnson peter buck wedding; le mal en elle fin du film He totally denied everything, said Detective Sergeant Phil Roberts. He could now be kept in prison for the rest of his life ifthe board decides he poses too much of a risk to ever be freed again. But in 1993, these two British boys became cold-blooded killers and murdered a toddler. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? To those who arent familiar, the scene looks harmless enough: Two boys leading a toddler, one holding his hand as they make their way through a normal shopping mall in Bootle, England. The computer was taken away and 57 indecent images of children over a 12-month period were found. He claimed that information about him already existed online. Meanwhile, after Venables, Thompson, and Bulger had left the mall, the toddler began crying out for his mother. Venables was given a SECOND new identity following his release from prison in 2013. New Zealand's immigration department had not received any applications from Venables, she told media. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. June 24, 2011. They were released on lifelong licence in 2001, but Venables was . Having a partner thats comfortable with his identity must have helped a lot. They also said that neither boy was a sociopath. He added: "As Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss held, (Venables) is 'uniquely notorious' and 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. Lawyers working for him were paid 8,100 in legal aid, with government lawyers working on the case costing an additional 57,300. By 4:15 PM, however, there was no sign of James Bulger and he was reported missing to the local police station. The parole experts cited there would need to be several very strict limitations on Venables and his contacts, movements and activities would need to be limited. At some point, for reasons that still remain unclear more than two decades later, Venables and Thompson decided to steal someones child. Eventually, Venables and Thompson placed Bulgers dead body (a forensic pathologist later concluded that he was dead at this point) across the train tracks, in hopes of making the whole thing look like an accident, and abandoned the scene before a train came along and severed the toddler in two. He was 10 years old. Robert Thompson, now 36, said he is a "better person" thanks to his years in prison but. She quickly found mall security personnel and described her son and what he was wearing. June 24, 2011. Though Thompson was believed to have been the leader of the James Bulger murder plot, he has never reoffended since hes been released. James Bulgers mother, Denise, was able to locate Robert Thompson in 2004 but was paralyzed with hatred and could not confront him. This valuable clue would lead to the arrest of Venables and his 10-year-old accomplice Robert Thompson (via Crime and Investigation). At the mall, James Bulger killers wandered from shop to shop, stealing anything they could get their hands on, then tossing their stolen booty down escalators just for the fun of it. This is a case that rocked Britain and shocked the entire world. Finally, they hit Bulger over the head with a 22-pound iron bar. But no one did anything. A move abroad would cost, of course, but the thinking is it would be cheaper in the long run,a source said. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. On the outside, he finds it difficult to make friends or gain employment and he seeks out drink, sex and pornography as a way of adding excitement to his life and thats a potent mix.. Robert hasn't reoffended. Security cameras caught the three children walking outside at 3:42 p.m. By that point, Fergus had already alerted mall security, who made several announcements to shoppers about the missing child. Apparently satisfied with their explanation, the woman simply told the two boys to take the toddler down to the nearby Walton Lane Police Station. The Netline reports that Thompson has fully integrated into society and has "built a healthy relationship" inside the community in which he lives. But when she asked another woman nearby to look after her daughter while she did so, that woman refused because her dog did not like children. But Denise Fergus, James's mum, does not support the proceedings and said her son's killer should keep his anonymity to avoid vigilante justice. To date, no significant attempts at vengeance have been made. Some witnesses later remembered seeing Bulger laughing while others remembered seeing him resisting and even screaming for his mother. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10, murdered him in cold blood. Most recently, Venables was denied parole in September 2020. He was visited regularly by his parents and was kept at Red Bank for the full eight years because of good progress, despite the facility only being a short-stay remand unit. RM2D3M2P8 - The grave of murdered toddler James Bulger in Kirkdale cemetery, Liverpool, June 22, 2001. After murdering Bulger, Thompson and Venables placed his body on the railway track in an attempt to make his death look accidental. Once those CCTV images were released to the media, the story went nationwide and the search for Bulger intensified. [B]ut, in the end, he shot himself in the foot by giving me a detailed account of what James Bulger was wearing. Nevertheless, throughout the whole process, Thompson remained chillingly unfazed, earning him the nickname the boy who did not cry from the press. The search ended two days after the disappearance when four children discovered Bulgers body on the railway track just 200 yards from the nearest police station. "Features leading up to his offending as an adult included a sense of dissatisfaction and lack of fulfilment in life, a need for excitement, and a tendency to turn to sex or pornography as a means of coping. What befell James Bulger? BWP Media via Getty ImagesJames Bulger at age two. His dad abandoned the family five years before Bulger's murder - leaving mum Ann devastated. Official figures showed that Venables' attempt to keep his identity secret cost taxpayers more than 65,000. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Venables and Thompson were both charged. We pay for your stories! ROBERT Thompson abducted and tortured to death two-year-old James Bulger alongside his partner in crime Jon Venables when they were just ten years old. Witnesses would later testify in court that they saw a crying Bulger being dragged along the two-and-a-half-mile route between the Strand and the railroad tracks where he would be eventually found. While the abduction of James Bulger was caught on camera, police had few leads for potential suspects. So the authorities secretly visited Robert Thompson who lived in Walton, not far from the murder scene with his mother and 2 younger brothers. The young men pummeled . But the President of the Family Division Sir Andrew McFarlane rejected the bid, saying it was in place to protect Venables from being "put to death". It added that Jon had stated that hed benefited from psychological work in prison and didnt ask the panel for release. Such was the shocking story of two 10-year-old's, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson from England, who killed and mutilated the body of 2-year-old James Bulger.. On that fateful day, the troubled boys were skipping school and wandering around a busy mall, stealing sweets . Something went wrong, please try again later. And even by 2000, top child psychiatrist Sir Michael Rutter claimed the risk posed by Venables on his release was "trivial". Channel 5 is set to air a new two-part documentary that tells the definitive story of the murder of James Bulger, who was horrifically killed by Jon . Later that night, one of the women saw the news that Bulger was missing. The murder of two-year-old James Bulger shocked Britain. In this case, it was just eight years, at which time the boys would be 18. Officials wrote: "The panel listed as risk factors those influences that made it more likely that Mr Venables would reoffend in the future. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. "This is, therefore, a wholly exceptional case and the evidence in 2019 is more than sufficient to sustain the conclusion that there continues to be a real risk of very substantial harm to (Venables).". We pay for videos too. All of the instruments used in the attack were found strewn around the area the iron bar, stones, and bricks all covered in the boys blood. Another suspect, Jon Venables was also taken into custody. Mere luck had saved the boy and sealed James Bulgers terrible fate. At first, they announced the boys name over the malls loudspeakers. By all accounts, Venables and Thompson showed no violent or aberrant behavior in prison but instead served their time for the James Bulger murder quietly and without incident. The Liverpool railway embankment where James Bulgers body was found. When Venables saw the mother, they told the boy to go back to her and they vanished. 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