The first time he asked Jon to play truant with him was last September, only weeks after they had become friends. Self pity? 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. Haunting words of killer Jon Venables' parents resurface on 25th Jon breaks into hysteria whenever the subject is mentioned. Constantly fighting and battering one another, and possibly, too, being hit by their emotionally drained mother, the Thompson brothers often looked scruffy, and, on more than one occasion, were seen bearing bruises and bite marks. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. He's a good reader if he's interested in it. Susan Venables, now 53, suffered from severe depres-sion and struggled with her two other children, an older son and younger daughter, who suffered learning difficulties. I didnt connect the dots until much later on. Just seeing the size of them that first time, the childish figures they naturally were, caught my breath. Few had the patience to be friends with him, only his younger brother and a couple of lads who lived nearby. He is one of those children that if you told him to put his hand in the fire, he would. A smell of bleach lingered on some of the tiled steps that led up to the front doors. There is, like, a little paint factory. But that is the common lot of thousands of 10-year-olds who have not turned into murderers. I thought he was all right, Jon said of Robert during his police interviews. Mr Venables said that the two boys had played truant together four times before, adding that he caught them twice. She said that Jon was always "loving, caring, thoughtful and considerate . What doing well means is anybodys guess. The fathers of both Robert and Jon were without work. Since his 14-year-old brother, Phillip , had already tried to stab him, the social services agreed. Nine months later, I was one of 30 or so journalists inside Preston Crown Court when the trial began. The atmosphere in the courtroom was oppressive as the tension of a month was about to break. They hid his body under bricks so that the first train to come along cut his body in two, but he was already dead before this happened. Teachers hold placards as they shout slogans while taking part in a protest organised in Manchester as part of a national strike day. Grey Heron. The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. One investigating police officer said: 'You could look into the eyes of Robert and knew you were looking at evil.' She got her drinking under control and began giving her murderer son the attention he. They would sneak out during the morning break, hiding behind a wall before the coast was clear. I'm bringing up on my own but if I went round and screwed every warehouse my children would have everything too.'. The parents of James Bulgers killers have also come to learn that the consequences of that terrible day will stay with them for ever too. The street in which Robert lived was not untypical: a row of terraced bay windowed houses that stretched from the railway line back towards the city. cl gz. She couldn't. It worked. JON Venables's family was far from affluent, but it was not as close to the breadline as Robert's. We still think the same of him as we always have. During that time, Susan felt as if she was trapped and overburdened, often taking her frustrations out on her husband, who believed it was her responsibility to take care of the children, and offered her little support in the way of childrearing. Ann and Bobby fought regularly in front of the children, with virtually all of the fights leading to physical violence. It set the tone for the years ahead in which there was to be no respite from the hatred. Other parents came in to complain about attention seeking. As a result of the incident, Jon's mother decided to move him to another school. Her family were dignified throughout, but on that day one of theBulgerfamily supporters allowed themselvesa loud 'YES' as the verdicts came in. One time they sagged off with Robert's younger brother, which went disastrously wrong. Put bluntly, Jon Venables still gets a kick out of seeing small children suffer. Neil had been laid off in the months prior, so the couple sold their home, and Neil moved back in with his father, before finally relocating to an apartment in Kirkdale. "It is hard to take in really. Robert said 'If you tell anybody I'll get my big brother to batter you up'. At Radio City in Liverpool the calls were coming through from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Robert Thompson was born to Robert Sr. and Ann Thompson on the 23rd day of August 1982, in Liverpool, England. Last week the author Angela Phillips spoke of how the gentle son of the female friend of hers turned into a fascist skinhead: 'The boy his mother wanted him to become was not man enough for the world he was forced to inhabit. His response couldn't have been more different as he sank into the oversized blazer he was wearing. Mrs Venables said: "He mentions James, not all the time. Friday 12th February 1993. Scores more watched proceedings from a neighbouring office block which, for the duration of the trial, came under court jurisdiction. Robert said 'If you tell anybody I'll get my big brother to batter you up'. This time we came together in shock and disbelief. The haunting words of Jon Venables' parents only interview have resurfaced, twenty five years after he killed tot Jamie Bulger. ROBERT THOMPSON - angelfire.com The boys at Dyson Hall were the object of some envy among their mates because they were given tracksuits and trainers upon arrival and went on trips to Alton Towers. I'm warning yer,' she would say. "You look at him and you say to yourself, 'How could you be involved in anything like this?'" Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. A parole board ruled that Thompson and Venables were no longer a threat. Neither gave evidence to the court, but were found guilty after an officer told how Venables admitted the murder, saying, "We did it. Susan and neil venables. "One mystery surrounding the murder of James Bulger case is why the 'experts' insisted that Jon Venables was rehabilitated. "In order that justice can be done, no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.". A newsroom reporter who was not working on the case fended off transatlantic interview demands, saying that it was not enough that he had a Liverpool accent. 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. Southern. "He fell over," was the response. Could they have planned to do it in advance? It is here, of course, that Jon met and made friends with fellow eccentric, Robert Thompson. It is time to examine all this.". S. Susan venables. gk. He started with Liverpool, but by the time of the murder he had switched to Blackburn Rovers. At the time Ann Thompson pleaded for her son to be left alone and revealed that she and her other children had been forced to move house nine times in eight years. Haunting CCTV footage shows the pair leading the tiny, trusting boy . On the days he was at school he had a knack for stirring things up. Ann denied the physical abuse, but later admitted to being cruel to the boys at times. Hyperactive children can't sit still all day,' Mrs Venables said. She was a woman as large in personality and physique as the burdens she carried. James mother Denise Fergus has been saying this for a long time, but still we hoped that the boy who savaged a tiny child to death could become a man safe to be in our midst. she said. By chance, the rest of Jon's family was driving past and spotted them. But he is not a murderer. The attitude when you live where we live is that you have to be tough or else you dont survive, she said. Some people thought they were as old as 12 or 13, but when they met they were both only 10 years old. I got on with my job, but months later the impact of that trial had sunk in and a difficult, tearful, confusing year followed for me. 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. He is one of those children that if you told him to put his hand in the fire, he would. Robert had asked once before but Jon, who had rarely truanted in his previous school, was scared and said no. A maudlin ballad about Liverpool was playing in the back- ground and she was cooking the dish known as Scouse. Thompson, who gained five GCSEs and A-levels in design and technology, is said to have developed an interest in theatre. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. Denise, James Bugler's mother, went with her brother's girlfriend Nicola to the Bootle Strand Shopping Centre and took James with her. They had to report him missing at the security office before he was found, and Jon's mother was very angry. Jon's parents said they talked to their son about James after he was arrested, but had to stop. Their. The shock in the city was plain to see, but it wasn't just in Liverpool that people stared at the CCTV pictures of the boy holding James' hand, while another led the way to the exit of the shopping centre where a frantic Denise Bulger would have been desperately looking for her child. He was fearful of the other boy. 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'.". Once he stole decorating borders from a DIY shop which he discarded at regular intervals to mark his way home. Sitting in the new class was a chubby boy with a cherub's face - Robert Thompson. Eventually, Bobby walked out on his family, but not before beating his wife one final time. In Crosbies corner shop Ian, the next oldest to Robert, was able to tot up the shopping in his mind before the cash register rang up the total. Susan Venables Facebook: susan.venables.9 Lives in Mellor, Blackburn With Darwen, . Both boys had been held back a year, and they were put in the same class. 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. Spidery and messy. David James Smith, who wrote a book about the Bulger case, The Sleep Of Reason, and stayed in touch with Ann Thompson afterwards. Click here to find personal data about Susan Venables including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. IN their interviews with the two boys, psychiatrists could find no clues to why the boys acted so violently. '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. He believes these were evil boys. He was pale in complexion and had watery brown, listless eyes. Tweet. Absence of a male role model is increasingly being explored - by both left and right - as one of the main reasons why today's boys and young men are going wrong; why 90 per cent of indictable offences are committed by men. The pair were handed new identities after being released from prison. Robert's mother agreed with her son's assessment: 'Name one family in the area who would have a good word for us.'. It is not known whether the boy watched any of his father's adult movies. 'I don't know,' he replied. Will you tell his mum I'm sorry?". Reporters from around the world ended up in the drab streets of Walton, cadging interviews off any 10-year-old boys hanging around in the streets. I just burst into tears because you just knew what that meanther heart was broken. rk ye. 'I think it has something to do with a hatred of vulnerability and babyness in themselves which they projected on to this toddler.'. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? "In terms of knowing what the full consequences of your actions are, you are into older childhood or adolescence. Anne Thompson could hold her drink and no one ever saw her staggering home. Meanwhile Robert Thompson always regarded as the ringleader and the most likely of the murderous duo to fall by the wayside is said to be doing well. 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. Child Killer - Thompson & Venables - Murder in the Uk Fiction Writing. Our feelings haven't changed towards him. He was jailed for two years before being granted parole again in July 2013.. In some families this was the third generation to be unemployed. We have found 88 people in the UK with the name Susan Venables. When social workers came round, they did so to see his sister and his brother, who had learning difficulties and was receiving special education. . Real bottom of the gut stuff, like an animal. Meanwhile, A petition demanding a public inquiry into James Bulger's murder case has got nearly 15,000 signatures in one day. The bird was taken to the vets where they are nursing it back to health. Venables was a different creature. Both had parents who had separated. Following the arrest of their sons it was reported that the mothers of the boys had been attacked and vilified in. 'I sat away from him - he caused trouble,' Jon said. Susan opted to remove him from the school then, and some months later, she reenrolled him in St. Marys in Walton. As a grim portrait of abuse, drunkenness and neglect emerged, the hatred and loathing for Robert Thompson and Jon Venables was also turned on their parents. Read about our approach to external linking. Police respond to reporters of a swan being removed from the harbour by a drunk male before it being involved in a collision on Mutley Plain. 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. At Preston Crown Court Thompsons mother Ann and Venables parents Neil and Sue sat side by side. football, snooker, things like that. Thompson and Venables, now both 27 years old, are among only four individuals in the UK whose crimes are so notorious that they have been given lifelong anonymity. Look at mine. The police have uncovered no evidence of any abuse within either family. 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. 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. To widespread dismay and condemnation from the Bulger family, the killers were given new identities, courtesy of the taxpayer. Although he appeared to have the more stable upbringing of the two boys, there was a history of family problems. There was a pattern of bullying, with the older boys picking on their younger brothers down the line. His mates called him a girl because whenever there was something on his mind he sucked his thumb. Such pleasantries were not for Robbie. The guilty verdicts came quickly - within five hours. Bird Pictures. Financially, the couple appeared to be functioning, but meanwhile, Susan was at the end of her rope with her eldest son, who, having become increasingly frustrated at his inability to communicate, had grown terribly unhappy and was having temper tantrums regularly. The Royal Mint of a 50p coin featuring Professor Albus Dumbledore as part of a Harry Potter-themed collection. The distress of one woman who had come agonisingly close to taking James by the hand herself to a police station, only to be hoodwinked by Thompson and Venables that they were doing just that. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. Many of us had dined together most nights throughout the trial, mulling it all over but distracting ourselves, too. The couple was financially strained from the start, but Ann did what she could to make it work. The government will be required to respond within 14 days if as the petition achieves more than 100,000 signatures. re bz. According to the teacher, Jon would rock back and forth in his desk, making strange noises (this behavior was later speculated to be Jons jealous attempt to emulate his elder brother, in order to receive the same special attention), bang his head on the desk or walls repeatedly, glue bits of paper all over his face, wedge himself in between desks, throw himself on the ground, throw chairs across the corridor, rip projects off the classroom walls, cut holes in his socks, and intentionally cut himself with scissors. They played a double act towards the children: his mother, Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman with a hawkish look, was the hard one. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. I just think of James and his Dad and about all that fun with his little boy, like I had with Jon.".
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