Susan Venables is on Facebook. Asked later if he could recall a time when his brother had exhibited any unusually aggressive tendencies, Roberts brother said no: Hes frightened of his own shadow. Nonetheless, in hindsight, its safe to assume that by 1993, ten-year-old Robert was swiftly approaching crisis point., Alarmingly, some of the neighboring children later claimed to have seen Robert behave cruelly towards animals, and pull the heads off of baby pigeons, although this was never unequivocally confirmed. By now the two boys from Walton were part of an international freak show. To be absolutely accurate, she had only one illusion. From the start, Jon was drawn and repulsed by Robbie like opposite and equal poles of a magnet. Jon was slim in build and taller than Robert, just over five feet. In 1999, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the pair did not receive a fair trial and awarded costs and expenses of 29,000 to Jon Venables and 15,000 to Robert Thompson. as he was known in court - Jon Venables. 'I didn't know it would be like this,' Mr Venables said with hindsight. In 2010, Meggie Atkinson, then children's commissioner for England, called for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 12 in light of the trial. He is an old-fashioned crime and punishment man. Counsel for the prosecution, Richard Henriques QC, made it clear all three elements needed to be proved for a murder conviction. The only sign he was discomforted by hearing it was a near constant pulling of his tongue in his hands. A parole board ruled that Thompson and Venables were no longer a threat. 'The attitude when you live where we live is that you have to be tough or else you don't survive,' she said. She said an educational psychologist had diagnosed hyperactivity in her son, who was bullied at his previous school. Both had a need to attract attention, which they achieved through a host of petty rebellions. On Monday night's documentary, Robert Thompson's solicitor Dominic Lloyd said: "Many years after the trial a juror said 'we found them guilty of murder but we didn't have the option to find them guilty of being two very bewildered and frightened little boys who made an awful mistake and need a lot of help'.". What they did was exceptionally unpleasant and the fact that a little boy ended up dead is not something the nation can easily forget. James' mother Denise believes they should have remained in jail for life and has tirelessly campaigned against their rights to anonymity. 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. Thompson & Venebales. They rejected suggestions that he could have watched Child's Play Three, a film that his father had rented three weeks before James's death, which, it has been claimed, included scenes similar to those of the attack on the two-year-old. The Radio Merseyside newsroom, where I was working at the time, was full and everyone was on this story one way or another. The first Susan Venables knew they had stayed away from school was when she saw one of Jon's classmates on her way home with the gerbils. 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. Those who knew him well said he was a very emotional child, prone to mood swings. "He is easily led. His body was found two days later on a railway line. The pair was tried for the abduction and murder of James as adults owing to the fact they were over 10, which is legally deemed to be the age of criminal responsibility. Gillespie, McNeilly, and Powell were sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. Susan Venables Profiles | Facebook On the 20 year anniversary of the murder of James Bulger, BBC Radio 5 Live's Shelagh Fogarty recalls the trial of his young killers. But talking in 1993, his mother tried to explain how her child turned into a murderer. As the paedophile killer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to possessing more than 1,000 indecent images of children and a "paedo manual" - his parents words on their son's involvement make disturbing reading. They passed 36 people, with one recalling how they urged the boys to take their 'little brother' home because he was 'crying for his mummy'. He was pale in complexion and had watery brown, listless eyes. "You look at him and you say to yourself, 'How could you be involved in anything like this?'" I just burst into tears because you just knew what that meanther heart was broken. gk. I just heard an almighty screech. Once the jury retired, so did the journalists - but we didnt go far. They fled the city, never to return. I came back and then (Mrs Venables) went out. 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). In the first press conference she gave the day after her son was taken, this 25-year-old woman struck me as a girl, a desperate, grief stricken girl whose tired swollen eyes told their own story. Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James' injuries. 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. I don't think they understood he was hyperactive. Regrettably, yet perhaps not entirely unforeseen, the cycle of abuse continued. She was prone to hysteria and hailed from a 'strict and disciplined' background. Online Marketing For Your Business Venables served seven years of a life sentence for the 1993 murder before he was freed in June 2001, aged 18. Not that he had any need to borrow his dad's. When Jon's parents gave a recent press interview, it was Mrs Venables who did most of the talking; the father just sat and cried. . The experience gave Jon renewed confidence, and the second time they sagged off together he suggested it. Usually, they were slung out. However, you will find some great articles which you can comment on right now in our Comment section. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Ann Thompson and Susan and Neil Venables didn't need to imagine. susan venables pictures When you have got people in the area threatening to blow your kneecaps off every moment of the daythats just the way they are. He is one of those children that if you told him to put his hand in the fire, he would. The shocking murder that shook the nation, Both Venables and Robert Thompson were 10 years-old when they tortured and killed 2 year-old James Bulger, Thompson and Venables were tried as adults, James Bulger, aged 2 years old, being led away in a shopping centre in Liverpool, Denise Fergus denied having anything to do with the Channel 4 documentary about her son, James Bulger's murder case could now be investigated, The petition is on nearly 15,000 signatures, James Bulger was just two when he was brutally murdered, He had been out shopping with his mum Denise, James was made to walk two miles before being left for dead on a disused rail line, Denise tirelessly campaigned to have their sentence increased, Denise once admitted she's lived 'in fear' since the trial. 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. He has had security with loving parents and a loving brother and sister.". He used to be bullied by other children for being so behind, and would return home at night visibly upset. Although he appeared to have the more stable upbringing of the two boys, there was a history of family problems. 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. Such a childish voice. After spending just eight years in custody, Britain's youngest killers were released and given lifetime anonymity in the UK. Still, despite being clearly intimidated by him, Roberts brother appeared to share a strangely intimate bond with him. He would throw things at other children, cut himself deliberately with scissors and stick paper all over his face. 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. 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. "On the other hand, you are looking at him and you are saying 'Well, I know why - because he is so weak'. Only a handful of officials and close family members know their true identities. It is here, of course, that Jon met and made friends with fellow eccentric, Robert Thompson. 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. Some people thought they were as old as 12 or 13, but when they met they were both only 10 years old. I am not sure if in fact he was seen by the school psychologist, but I did complete a form for him.. They played a double act towards the children: his mother, Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman with a hawkish look, was the hard one. Three years ago, after his mother walloped him, he went to social services and asked them to put him in care. The primary concern among the faculty was Roberts growing amount of absences. Susan Venable - we found 141 people search records: 55 CVs and social profiles with photos, 50 addresses & phone numbers, 1 real estate objects, 6 Susan Venable's cars, 2 companies. Money was always a struggle, and she got through the first years drinking in Higson's Top House off St Mary's Lane. He started with Liverpool, but by the time of the murder he had switched to Blackburn Rovers. ', The closest either boy came to offering an explanation was when Jon was asked by police why he had taken James's shoe off by the railway tracks. IN their interviews with the two boys, psychiatrists could find no clues to why the boys acted so violently. It seems likely that he was bullied. "He is easily led. The taunts upset Jons already volatile temper, and he began coming home in increasingly low spirits and crying. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (second left) and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack (second right) during a visit to the Port of Cromarty Firth, Invergordon, during a two day visit to Scotland to highlight the benefits of remaining in the United Kingdom as he seeks to counter Nicola Sturgeon's push for independence, King Charles reacts as he visits the Aboyne and Mid Deeside Community Shed in Scotland, There are only a handful of images of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, 'Jon was weak and was provoked': Parents of Jamie Bulger killers speak, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. 'If, in their own lives, they have had it extremely tough and been bullied and neglected and abused then they end up rapidly having to prove themselves to be extremely tough and invulnerable - a bit like Arnold Shwarzenegger in The Terminator. The petition, that now has 14,682 signatures, reads: "We want a Public Inquiry into the James Bulger murder case. the street. For she added: 'But he's not a murderer.'. We will never be able to do the fun things any more . The attitude when you live where we live is that you have to be tough or else you dont survive, she said. But he liked collecting trolls, little doll-like creatures with ugly faces and spiky fluorescent hair. 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. The government will be required to respond within 14 days if as the petition achieves more than 100,000 signatures. He was too scared to be naughty on his own. School had no hold on him - there was no corporal punishment or other form of penalty that touched him. 'In my opinion he was victimised. It was not until much later, when questioned as to his involvement in the death of James Bulger, that Roberts resentment towards the new baby became suddenly and painfully apparent. You know, we just try and help him as best we can to try to come to terms with things. If I wanted to kill a baby, Id kill Id kill me own, wouldnt I?. Find out more, The latest offers and discount codes from popular brands on Telegraph Voucher Codes, As James Bulger killer Jon Venables is sent back to prison, Shelagh Fogarty writes about her experiences as a young reporter on the case at the time, James Bulger, aged 2 years old, being led away in the New Strand shopping centre in the Bootle area of Liverpool, Denise Bulger arrives at Preston Crown Couty on November 24 1993, Shelagh Fogarty was a young reporter at the time of the murder, The police van carrying Venables and Thompson arrives at Preston Crown Court, Sarah Ferguson exclusive: Meghan has made Harry very happy, 32 best gifts for her: top present ideas to buy for mother's day in 2023, Midlife women are being told to sit down and shut up and not just by men, Imogen Stubbs: Its become less and less acceptable to age, Cost of HRT set to be slashed in new prescription scheme, Magic Mike and the naked truth about male strippers, Inside the James Bulger files 25 years on. The trial though didnt, and was never designed to, shed light on how two such young children could be guilty of such sustained barbarity. But his comment sparked anger from viewers. He was fearful, he was weak and he was provoked," she said. Denise Fergus is the same age as me, a fact I only registered when I met her for the first time two weeks ago. 'Sometimes I told Robbie to do things so he does,' he told a police officer, with pride in his voice. Susan Venables - Facebook Profile: Jon Venables - BBC News In the last few years she stopped drinking in the Top House and tried to keep things together. Some of the red brick houses were well-kept, others had torn net curtains and grubby windows. Teachers hold placards as they shout slogans while taking part in a protest organised in Manchester as part of a national strike day. ', A psychoanalyst and child psychotherapist comes up with yet another possible explanation. According to a legal source we spoke to this week, Jon Venables parents have sought to be a support for their son, despite the enormity of his crime. We are proud to endorse the COP27 Leather Manifesto. He denied having had any films that were not mainstream, or that were pornographic, in the house. In court, he hid his face again. Jon lived in terror of losing his mother's love, yet he was also terrified of her. He was fearful of the other boy. Jon Venables is demonstrably no such thing. We have found 88 people in the UK with the name Susan Venables. Robert passed this down the line bullying his eight-year-old brother into playing truant. From a distance Robert looked a sweet child. 'We have never really been apart,' Mrs Venables said. S. Susan venables. Sandra Gotheridge. . One investigating police officer said: 'You could look into the eyes of Robert and knew you were looking at evil.' . At the end of the street a mesh wire frame coverered the window of the money lenders. The most agonising thing about the whole case was that so many people had stopped them and questioned them. She initially enrolled the two younger children in Broad Square Elementary, but it soon became clear that her daughter was struggling to keep up with the schools curriculum.
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