Adult criminals have also been given new identities over fears of a vigilante attack. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Shockingly, James Bulger wasnt the first child they targeted that day. His identity is protected by a worldwide injunction - meaning that even trying to find out where he lives could land you in jail. "To let him out could be another death sentence for an innocent child like James. 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. 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. 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.". He said: "I don't know how he was doing at school, but he was switched on and he was trying to con me, trying very hard". Meanwhile, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables led the toddler far away from the mall and toward another town. Once free, Venables spent most of his leisure time playing video games and his probation office met a number of girlfriends over the years. Robert is now openly gay and is in a long-term relationship. The ex-convict has kept his bargain of the clause of his release. But as they scanned the lists of children who had been absent that day from local schools, they soon received an anonymous phone call that blamed Venables and Thompson for the crime. June 24, 2011. A woman concerned for the toddler told Venables and Thompson that she would take the child to the police station herself. She turned to drink and fell into depression, as well as allegedly trying to take her own life with an overdose. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were arrested on February 18, 1993, a little less than a week after the murder. A court order that is in place to prevent a person from being identified as Jon Venables or Robert Thompson has been amended, following an application from the Attorney General, Rt Hon. James Patrick Bulger (16 March 1990 - 12 February 1993) was a two-year-old boy from Kirkby, Merseyside, England, who was abducted, tortured, and murdered by two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson (born 23 August 1982) and Jon Venables (born 13 August 1982), on 12 February 1993. Over the course of interviews lasting several days, Venables eventually confessed. March 10, 2021 - 20:29 GMT Eve Crosbie. My advice would be dont bother applying,she said. The parents of James Bulger, Denise and Ralph, at a police press conference in Liverpool the day after their son disappeared. Now 38, It is believed that he is still. View our online Press Pack. At trial in 1993, Thompson was painted as the ringleader, leading Venables on at every turn. However, Denise Fergus, James Bulgers mother, concurred with the judges ruling. With Bulgers mother, Denise, momentarily distracted, they got the toddler to come with them. Denise Fergus and her then-husband Ralph Bulger were worried sick. The child murderers were sent to a. Nevertheless, additional passersby could still see the partially-covered forehead injury, and one person even saw a tear on Bulgers cheek. 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. His dad abandoned the family five years before Bulger's murder - leaving mum Ann devastated. ONE of James Bulger's killers says he has had a better life as a result of murdering the toddler. A two-year-old James Bulger was kidnapped and killed by the ten-year-old Robert Thompson and his partner Jon Venables. BWP Media/Getty Images Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, pictured after their arrest for the murder of James Bulger. 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". Now the tide has turned and finally he is facing real prison time where he should have been from the beginning., *Lost Boy: The Killing of James Bulger airs tonight on Channel 5 at 9pm and continues at the same time on Thursday, Get the biggest TV headlines, recaps and insider knowledge straight to your inbox. The brutal torture and murder of James Bulger occurred sometime between 5:45 and 6:30 PM. 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.. Where is Robert Thompson now? Everything we know, Mr. Justice Edis sentenced Venables to 40 months in prison, saying, Shed objected to Ralphs petition, saying, Who are Miles Pfeffers parents? While there, he reportedly told his fellow inmates that he was a car thief. All in all, Bulger sustained 42 injuries to his face, head, and body. However, the psychiatrists were not able to find a motive for this horrific crime. But this wouldn't be the only time Venables would have a brush with police. He totally denied everything, said Detective Sergeant Phil Roberts. So the authorities secretly visited Robert Thompson who lived in Walton, not far from the murder scene with his mother and 2 younger brothers. Ralph expressed concern that Jon would reoffend if released from prison with a new identity. I believe the only way to prevent him from killing another baby like James is to keep him locked up for life, Ralph Bulger said in response to the parole boards decision. Jon Venables was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, not far from half the amount of time he served for joining Robert Thompson in perpetrating the murder of James Bulger a quarter-century before. Venables, Thompson, and Bulger then walked into two different stores where they interacted with both shopkeepers who, though suspicious of the older boys, let them go. A 2015 interview with James Bulgers mother. But it was ultimately an anonymous phone call to the police that implicated Jon Venables and Robert Thompson as the James Bulger killers. Venables has now been caged for 40 months foradmitting having a paedo manual explaining "how to have sex with little girls" as well as over 1,000 vile child abuse images. 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.". Inside a TJ Hughes department store, a woman noticed that two boys were trying to get her kids attention. He said: "I don't know how he was doing at school, but he was switched on and he was trying to con me, trying very hard". It is believed Thompson remains in a long-term relationship with a man who knows his real identity. They walked down one of Liverpools busiest streets. 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. James Bulgers mother, Denise, was able to locate Robert Thompson in 2004 but was paralyzed with hatred and could not confront him. Venables was first imprisoned for possessing images of child abuse in 2010, but he was released in 2013. A move abroad would cost, of course, but the thinking is it would be cheaper in the long run,a source said. 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. Why Kissing The Blarney Stone Is One Of Ireland's Most Legendary Traditions, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. And still he followed. Venables was given a new identity with a fabricated passport, qualification certificates and medical records. Authorities considered Thompson to be the ringleader in the murder that he and Venables committed. But they werent. They added: "Venables told the board he did not seek release because hes worried that hell re-offend. Venables and Thompson became the youngest convicted murderers in Britain for 250 years and it was recommended they remained locked up for eight years. At first glance, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables seemed like two ordinary 10-year-olds. After bringing in Thompson and Jon Venables for questioning, Phil said: As far as Im concerned that day 20 years ago I stared evil in the face. February 13, 1993. The 36-year-old has not re-offended since being released on licence when he was 18 years old. There are currently six infamous Brit criminals whose crimes are so notorious they have been given lifetime anonymity. Police dropped the charges against him after he agreed to enroll in an alcohol awareness course. He was jailed for two years. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables The public was already outraged as the police were still not able to catch the killers. And even by 2000, top child psychiatrist Sir Michael Rutter claimed the risk posed by Venables on his release was "trivial". Sometimes Bulger ran ahead, leaving Venables and Thompson to beckon him back with calls of Come on, baby.. The computer was taken away and 57 indecent images of children over a 12-month period were found. James 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. Its not surprising that he may have revealed his true identity, given the enormity of what hes done and the difficulty of coming to terms with that and a new identity,Harry said. AT just ten years old, Jon Venables callously abducted and murdered James Bulger, 2, in 1993 in a case that sent shockwaves through the UK and the rest of the world. She had thought that her son was by her side as she was placing her order at the butcher shop. 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. Some even saw the older boys punch and kick the two-year-old. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. The tot was kidnapped, tortured, and sexually abused by the two ten-year-olds. Jon Venables pictured using a mobile phone, a questionable activity given his inability to maintain anonymity. He pleaded guilty to charges of downloading and distributing child sex images and was given a sentence of two years in prison. Other searches were conducted elsewhere, all leading to nothing. She was also bothered by the fact that Thompson would cry, but there wouldn't be any tears. In fact, that first child nearly became the victim. But by 4:15 p.m., there was no sign of the boy and so he was quickly reported missing to the police. Apparently satisfied with their explanation, the woman simply told the two boys to take the toddler down to the nearby Walton Lane Police Station. His body had been severed in two by a train. February 17, 2022 0 In the wake of baiting the baby away from a retail plaza in Bootle, Merseyside, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables seized, tortured, and killed him in 1993. And so Bulger slipped away from safety once again. The lawyer, representing Ralph and his brother Jimmy, told a court on May 2 that the original injunction granted to Venables was on the basis that he was rehabilitated and did not re-offend. By this time, Denise was panicking. Robert Thompson was born on August 23, 1982 - the fifth of seven children. A life for a life.. They also said that neither boy was a sociopath. On 24 November 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were found guilty of the murder of James Bulger, becoming the youngest convicted murderers in the 20th century. Though authorities initially thought Bulger had been abducted by an adult, CCTV footage revealed the shocking truth that he had been taken by two kids. Both of them served their eight-year sentences and earned release from prison in 2001 after they each had turned 18. Within hours of that surveillance image being captured on the afternoon of February 12, 1993, 10-year-olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson had tortured two-year-old James Bulger to death. After a three-week trial, the jury took only five hours to render a guilty verdict for the boys. With evening approaching, an elderly woman saw Bulger crying, noticed his injuries, and approached the trio to enquire what was wrong. ", The report said Venables was benefitting from ongoing psychological work in prison and had taken part in programmes to address decision making, better ways of thinking and a propensity for sexual offending.. They went out that day to kill I truly believe that. A freak of nature. The murder of two-year-old James Bulger shocked Britain. The woman began calling for her son and ran outside, where she found Venables and Thompson beckoning the boy to follow them. In June 2019, it was reported Venables was being assessed for a permanent move to Canada. He was arrested yet again in 2017 for the same crime. James Bulgers parents, pictured one day before their child was found dead. There, they splashed stolen blue paint into Bulgers eyes. Venables claimed he was acting in self-defence and the charges were dropped after he agreed to go on an alcohol-awareness course. Thompson has been revealed to be in a relationship with a man who is said to know his true identity. More than 25 years later, the surveillance image above remains etched in the minds of the millions familiar with the James Bulger case. And if they hadnt been caught I fear they would have struck again. Ten-year-old Robert Thompson, one James Bulgers killers, poses for a mugshot for British authorities on February 20, 1993. Thompson has been free since his release in 2001. 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. Soon after the aborted abduction, Venables and Thompson were loitering around a snack kiosk hoping to steal candy when they noticed James Bulger by the door of a nearby butchers shop. Upon their release, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were given new identities and granted legal anonymity for life due to the public fury that surrounded their trial and the danger of citizens hunting down the infamous James Bulger killers in order to take vengeance. The body of two-year-old James Bulger was discovered near a set of railroad tracks in Liverpool, England on a cold February day in 1993. I shouldnt have let go.. Venables and Thompson were tried in an adult courtroom by a jury. Though they were known to be rule-breakers, they mostly dabbled in low-level criminal activity, like stealing small items from stores and throwing them down mall escalators. After learning about Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, read about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Venables was held at the Red Bank secure unit in St. Helens, Merseyside, which was not revealed until after he had been released. 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 this life and thats a potent mix.. Moments later, her three-year-old daughter and two-year-old son were missing. One person even saw Thompson kick Bulger in the ribs for resisting. His health struggles detailed, Martina McClures story: Her injury and recovery, How did Simon Dunn die? These include his "level of intelligence, making constructive use of his time, a capacity and motivation for self-reflection, and a supportive social network in the community". For other inquiries, Contact Us. These boys asked who the toddler was and Venables replied that he was Thompsons brother and that they were taking him home. Children are seen by society as innocent and pure, without malice. How James Bulger Was Killed By Jon Venables And Robert Thompson. The UK's Ministry of Justice repeatedly declined to comment on claims. Venables' new identity has been changed twice after he told friends he was a convicted murderer. Both were released under strict conditions in 2001 and given new identities, but Venables kept falling foul of the law and was put behind bars once again for more horrific crimes. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10, murdered him in cold blood. A freak of nature. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. New Zealands Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, stated that the UK shouldnt bother applying for Jons residency in her country. This was largely due to the fact that Venables appeared more emotional, while Thompson often appeared chillingly unfazed. He had passed five GCSEs, taken A-levels and enjoyed trips to the Lake District and even to the theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. More than 25 years later, the surveillance image above remains etched in the minds of the millions familiar with the James Bulger case. The. It wont be a slap on the wrist for me.. Venables and Thompson were both charged. ROBERT Thompson abducted, tortured and murdered two-year-old James Bulger alongside his partner in crime Jon Venables when they were just 10 years old. The report noted he had displayed "positive behaviour" since being locked up, but felt a "lack of fulfilment in life" and had a "need for excitement". Instead of jail time, he was ordered to seek treatment for alcohol abuse. "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).". The child killer was released from a young offenders institution under licence in 2001 and has not re-offended since. All about his family, Was Dave Hollis Sick? We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Then, read up on the most horrific child murderers. In 2010, he was arrested for possessing images of child sexual abuse accumulated in over a year. Meanwhile, after Venables, Thompson, and Bulger had left the mall, the toddler began crying out for his mother. Gone outside with the boy, she said. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Though Thompson tried very hard not to incriminate himself while he was speaking to the interrogators, he failed when he gave a detailed account of what James Bulger had been wearing on the day he was killed. James Bulger Story. In one of the most chilling photos in recent times, Venables was captured holding the 2-year-old James Bulger as Robert walked ahead of the pair. Here is what we know about the child killer and who was released from a young offenders' institution under licence in 2001. The pair recollect a few details in which James Bulger was brutally tortured and murdered in February 1993. In 2010, reports stated that Robert had reintegrated into society and had built a healthy relationship with a community in the North West. Officials said: "Mr Venables indicated, through his legal representative, that he was benefiting from ongoing psychological work and did not ask the panel to direct his release or recommend a transfer to open conditions at this stage.". A freak of nature. They were remanded to separate maximum security juvenile institutions under aliases, out of fear for their safety. 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. Updated: 15:25 ET, Sep 29 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. Outside the courthouse, people called for the blood of the James Bulger killers. His family, was able to locate Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, she.... His mother arrested for possessing images of children over a 12-month period were.! 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