The twisted child killer,. Mifflintown, PA 17059. Despite positive behaviour and landing a job in jail, Parole officials ruled Venables was still not safe to be released. She phoned the police and expressed regret for not doing something. It was a crime that shocked the nation and a story that will never be forgotten. They also said that neither boy was a sociopath. Robert is now openly gay and is in a long-term relationship. The parents of James Bulger, Denise and Ralph, at a police press conference in Liverpool the day after their son disappeared. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables The public was already outraged as the police were still not able to catch the killers. When Venables saw the mother, they told the boy to go back to her and they vanished. He was then told that hed have to wait two more years before hed be eligible for parole again. 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. They spotted Bulger in a butcher shop and grabbed him. As for Venables, he was also born in Liverpool, and just a few days before Thompson, on August 13, 1982. It was suggested authorities believed paying for James Bulgers killer to go to a country like Canada, Australia or New Zealand would be cheaper than funding more failed new starts in the UK. Nevertheless, Venables was released. Here is what we know about the child killer and who was released from a young offenders' institution under licence in 2001. Popular disgust only intensified when witnesses and the media noted Thompsons cold, seemingly remorseless behavior at trial (compared with Venables hysterical outbursts). But by 4:15 p.m., there was no sign of the boy and so he was quickly reported missing to the police. The child killer was released from a young offenders' institution under licence in 2001 and has not re-offended since. On March 4, 2019, it was announced Thompson's accomplice Jon Venables is to keep his anonymity after a judge ruled it would protect him from "serious violence". 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. James Bulger's grieving father Ralph lost a High Court bid to have information about Venables made public. The cops soon checked both boys homes. Today, while Thompson is believed to be assimilating back into society and living a quiet life, the same cannot be said of Venables. During his hearing, the court heard that upon his arrest he told cops in the police car: "This is my own fault. "My decision is in no way a reflection on the applicants themselves, for whom there is a profoundest sympathy," he said. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Ten-year-old Robert Thompson, one James Bulgers killers, poses for a mugshot for British authorities on February 20, 1993. In addition, they thought that the kidnappers mightve been 13 or 14 years old, which threw them off track. Not only did they find blue paint on Venables jacket, but they also found blood on Thompsons shoes. Clickhereto upload yours. However, Denise Fergus, James Bulgers mother, concurred with the judges ruling. He is yet to violate the terms of his release. Venables and Thompson then called for Bulger to come. Both of them served their eight-year sentences and earned release from prison in 2001 after they each had turned 18. And if they hadnt been caught I fear they would have struck again.. By the time Bulger was dead, he had sustained 42 brutal injuries in total. He was sent back to prison with a new identity as hed divulged who he was to staff and inmates. Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, pictured after their arrest for the murder of James Bulger. Harry Fletcher, a probation officers union official, talked toIndependentabout Jons difficulty with keeping his identity secret. Venables was first imprisoned for possessing images of child abuse in 2010, but he was released in 2013. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Authorities gave Robert and Jon new identities and released them into society under strict supervision. "My decision is in no way a reflection on the applicants themselves, for whom there is a profoundest sympathy," he said. Thompson was the fifth of seven children, born on August 23, 1982, in Liverpool, England. And if they hadnt been caught I fear they would have struck again. This left her with the impression that he was faking remorse. February 13, 1993. ", 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.". The judge said: [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.. Due to the national furor surrounding their case, they were both given new identities. In June 2019, it was reported Venables was being assessed for a permanent move to Canada. The older boys Jon Venables and Robert Thompson seem like they could be the brothers of the toddler as some bystanders thought in the mall that day. Beyond that, I have no further comments to make., Inside Aimee Challenors life, her husband and parents, Inside Kimberly Guilfoyles life, her parents and ex-husbands, Are Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes still dating? Robert Thompson was born on August 23, 1982 - the fifth of seven children. Jon Venables was born on August 13, 1982. 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. A freak of nature. June 24, 2011. [Robert Thompson and Jon Venables] now 18, were sent to secure units in November 1993, after they were found guilty of abducting two-year old James Bulger and beating him to death, the Home Office has announced today that they will be freed after serving less than nine years of their sentence. The police then visited both childrens homes and discovered blood on Thompsons shoes and blue paint on Venables jacket. On February 12, 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables abducted a 2-year-old boy named James Bulger from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, England. The computer was taken away and 57 indecent images of children over a 12-month period were found. On one occasion, his probation officer made a home visit and saw that Venables was busy trying to destroy a hard drive from his computer. A policeman stands guard at the entrance of the site where the body of James Bulger was found on a railway embankment in Liverpool. A woman would recognize one of the suspects, 10-year-old Jon Venables. They were caught by a surveillance camera leaving the mall at 3:42 PM. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10, murdered him in cold blood. The brutal torture and murder of James Bulger occurred sometime between 5:45 and 6:30 PM. A freak of nature. Updated: 20:25, 29 Sep 2021 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. 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 . "Pure evil, I will never change my mind about that.". So, when the eight years were up in 2001, both boys were released. In his confession, Jon stated that it was Roberts idea that they kill Bulger. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. The woman began calling for her son and ran outside, where she found Venables and Thompson beckoning the boy to follow them. During the murder trial in November 1993, Thompson was depicted as the leader, and Venables the follower. In 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables abducted, tortured and murdered the toddler after leading him away from a shopping centre in . In this case, it was just eight years, at which time the boys would be 18. But the two ten-year-olds said, We just found him at the bottom of the hill.. They were remanded to separate maximum security juvenile institutions under aliases, out of fear for their safety. Their young age, coupled with the brutality of their crime, shocked the United Kingdom to its core. Some witnesses later remembered seeing Bulger laughing while others remembered seeing him resisting and even screaming for his mother. That blow alone caused 10 skull fractures. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. We pay for videos too. The stolen tin of blue paint was found nearby. He was just ten years old when he abducted two-year-old James Bulger from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, with his friend Robert Thompson. 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. After learning about Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, read about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Ten-year-old Jon Venables poses for a mugshot for British authorities on February 20, 1993. View our online Press Pack. Venables soon blurted out, I did kill him. They then led him to an area called Walton in Liverpool, where they tortured him, beat him to death, and abandoned his body on a railway track in an effort to make his murder look like an accident. The killer walked free in June 2001 with unprecedented lifelong anonymity after a parole board ruled he was no longer a threat to public safety. In 2010, he was imprisoned for downloading images depicting various kinds of sexual abuse being inflicted upon male toddlers. During their November 1993 trial, the world was equally shocked and outraged that two young boys could have the capacity to viciously murder a toddler. But it didnt take long for Venables to confess. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. We pay for your stories! His current new identity came under threat in February 2018 after James Bulger's dad Ralph launched High Court proceedings against the order that allows him to live anonymously. Other searches were conducted elsewhere, all leading to nothing. But when Venables was recalled to jail in 2010, it emerged Thompson had done well at Barton Moss secure unit, in Eccles, Lancs, showing a growing interest and talent in art. It wont be a slap on the wrist for me.. 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 seven years he spent in detention helped Robert as he is yet to reoffend or violate the terms of his release. Apparently satisfied with their explanation, the woman simply told the two boys to take the toddler down to the nearby Walton Lane Police Station. Robert had no father figure as his dad abandoned the family five years before the murder. The. While there, he reportedly told his fellow inmates that he was a car thief. Once free, Venables spent most of his leisure time playing video games and his probation office met a number of girlfriends over the years. Though Bulgers mother Denise Fergus had been holding his hand, she had briefly let go to pay for groceries, only to look down with horror and realize that her child had vanished. Three months later, he got off with a warning after police caught him in possession of a small amount of cocaine. His health struggles detailed, Martina McClures story: Her injury and recovery, How did Simon Dunn die? Many of them would later express regret for not doing anything. Since then, the two men have taken vastly different paths. Once those CCTV images were released to the media, the story went nationwide and the search for Bulger intensified. BWP Media via Getty ImagesTen-year-old Jon Venables poses for a mugshot for British authorities on February 20, 1993. And in the time between when that image was captured and when James Bulger was killed in a railway embankment a few miles away, the three boys had been seen walking around the area by dozens of people. An official Parole Board summary explained why Venables, who was said to use "sex and pornography as a means of coping", was not deemed safe to be released from jail. Four years later, Venables returned to prison on the same charge. In Channel 5's two-part documentary Lost Boy: The Killing of James Bulger, one of the investigators who questioned Thompson said the young boy was "street smart" and "clever," and said the ten-year-old was "trying very, very hard to con me.". Feb 11 2021 On February 12th, 1993, two ten year old's, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, kidnapped, tortured, and killed two-year-old James Patrick Bulger in Liverpool England. 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. His dad abandoned the family five years before Bulger's murder - leaving mum Ann devastated. James Bulger's father calls for Jon Venables's anonymity to be lifted, A police handout photo of Robert Thompson from 1993, James Bulger, two, was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, Ralph Bulger is the father of murdered James, Venables (pictured as a child) was sent to prison over possession of child abuse imagery, A video still of James Bulger being led away in 1993, John Venables, pictured after his arrest in February 1993. A source told the paper that Venables told the panel and his probation officer he doesn't even want to be freed. But she pulled her curtains and blocked out the scene. They were a match made in hell. The child murderers were sent to a. However, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern issued a short and sharp response to reports Venables could apply to relocate to the country. 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. The case was rejected by Judge Sir Andrew McFarlane, who argued the convict could be killed if his new identity was revealed. His identity is protected by a worldwide injunction - meaning that even trying to find out where he lives could land you in jail. On November 24, 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were found guilty of the abduction and murder of James Bulger, making them the youngest convicted killers in modern British history. Authorities considered Thompson to be the ringleader in the murder that he and Venables committed. Venables took him by the hand. The child killer was released from a young offenders institution under licence in 2001 and has not re-offended since. WikimediaJames Bulger killers Jon Venables (holding the boys hand) and Robert Thompson (walking directly in front of the boy) abduct their victim just before killing him, as captured by a surveillance camera. We pay for your stories! In their bid to have Venable's identity disclosed, lawyers for Ralph and Jimmy Bulger argued certain details about the killer and his life are "common knowledge" and easily accessible online. Later that night, one of the women saw the news that Bulger was missing. But sometimes the unthinkable happens - children kill. Peter Byrne/PA Images/Getty ImagesJames Bulgers father Ralph Bulger (pictured) is fighting to keep Jon Venables in prison for life. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Thompson and Venables were only 10 years old at the time of the murder, making them the youngest convicted killers in Britain. 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