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. We pay for your stories! He claimed that information about him already existed online. Something went wrong, please try again later. The stolen tin of blue paint was found nearby. "I have had urges, inquisitive. Ten-year-old Robert Thompson, one James Bulgers killers, poses for a mugshot for British authorities on February 20, 1993. Robert Thompson was born on August 23, 1982 - the fifth of seven children. Due to the national furor surrounding their case, they were both given new identities. At the canal, they dropped Bulger on his head and left him on the ground crying. Robert Thompson was born on August 23, 1982 the fifth of seven children. They went out that day to kill I truly believe that. As the jury foreman read the verdict, Venables and Thompson were sitting in an adult court dock that had been altered so that the boys could see over it. March 10, 2021 - 20:29 GMT Eve Crosbie. A 2015 interview with James Bulgers mother. Moreover, court-appointed psychiatrists determined that the two boys knew right from wrong and werent sociopaths, but were nevertheless able to uncover any concrete motives for James Bulgers murder something no professional has been able to confidently determine even in the years since. The case was rejected by Judge Sir Andrew McFarlane, who argued the convict could be killed if his new identity was revealed. Both Robert Thompson and Jon Venables had rough early years. Police dropped the charges against him after he agreed to enroll in an alcohol awareness course. Once free, Venables spent most of his leisure time playing video games and his probation office met a number of girlfriends over the years. In October last year, a parole report warned that Venables has an "attraction to sexual violence" and "thinks about sex a lot". There, they splashed stolen blue paint into Bulgers eyes. 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. [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. With evening approaching, an elderly woman saw Bulger crying, noticed his injuries, and approached the trio to enquire what was wrong. Ever since James was murdered so horrifically, the courts have bent over backwards to look after both Venables and Thompson. Finally, they hit Bulger over the head with a 22-pound iron bar. On March 4, 2019, it was announced Venables is to keep his anonymity after a judge ruled it would protect him from "serious violence". Venables and Thompson were found guilty of Bulger's abduction and murder on November 24, 1993 - makingthem the youngest people to be jailed for murder in 250 years. 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". 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. James was a two-year-old boy from a loving family who lived in Bootle, Merseyside. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were arrested on February 18, 1993, a little less than a week after the murder. This led to a police investigation of the drive, which yielded dozens of images of abused children. As of this writing, Venables is still incarcerated. He was 10 years old. 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. Lifelong anonymity is put in place by courts rarely and is usually in only the most infamous and horrific cases. 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. Four years later, Venables returned to prison on the same charge. It is believed Thompson remains in a long-term relationship with a man who knows his real identity. Police were focused on other children who already had violent records, and they remained convinced that the two boys from the fuzzy CCTV footage looked 13 or 14, not 10. ", 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.. I think Thompson was in charge, but they both attacked James. And even by 2000, top child psychiatrist Sir Michael Rutter claimed the risk posed by Venables on his release was "trivial". But it didnt take long for Venables to confess. After luring the toddler away from a shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables kidnapped, tormented, and murdered him in 1993. 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. 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. Nine months later, the trial began. Venables and Thompson had brought blue paint stolen from the shopping mall and splashed it in Bulgers left eye. 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. "My decision is in no way a reflection on the applicants themselves, for whom there is a profoundest sympathy," he said. Apparently satisfied with their explanation, the woman simply told the two boys to take the toddler down to the nearby Walton Lane Police Station. 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.. But in 1993, these two British boys became cold-blooded killers and murdered a toddler. In 2010, he was arrested for possessing images of child sexual abuse accumulated in over a year. But no one did anything. Despite the fuzzy footage, it was two small boys that could be seen leading James Bulger (identified from the description of his clothing provided by his mother) to the exit. He excelled in his academics and began to develop an interest in textiles. While some adults stopped to ask the children a few questions, they all let the boys go on their way, apparently believing that Bulger was either being taken home or to the police station. Grainy CCTV footage shows them walking James away from the. This is one of the saddest and most devastating stories I have ever heard. While inside, Venables received education and rehabilitation while being taught how to conceal his real name and horrifying crime. Here is what we know about the child killer and who was released from a young offenders' institution under licence in 2001. A move abroad would cost, of course, but the thinking is it would be cheaper in the long run.. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . In this case, it was just eight years, at which time the boys would be 18. Wikimedia Commons James Bulger being kidnapped by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, as seen on CCTV footage. 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. Nevertheless, additional passersby could still see the partially-covered forehead injury, and one person even saw a tear on Bulgers cheek. James Bulgers father Ralph Bulger (pictured) is fighting to keep Jon Venables in prison for life. 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. 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. Jon Venables was just 10-years-old when he and Robert Thompson abducted and murdered James Bulger alongside - and now he is back behind bars after being caught with horrific child abuse images. Clickhereto upload yours. in March 2019. Was Abraham Lincoln Our First Gay President? Nor did the panel recommend to the Secretary of State that Mr Venables should be transferred to open prison. Malcolm Croft PA Images/PA Images via Getty ImagesThe parents of James Bulger, Denise and Ralph, at a police press conference in Liverpool the day after their son disappeared. 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. Lawyers working for him were paid 8,100 in legal aid, with government lawyers working on the case costing an additional 57,300. Jon Venables New Identity Leaked This caused various children to be identified as potential killers, with some parents even reporting their own kids. Email us attips@the-sun.co.ukor call 0207 782 4368 . 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. Motive aside, both Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were convicted, making them the youngest to be convicted of that crime in Britain in 250 years. "My decision is in no way a reflection on the applicants themselves, for whom there is a profoundest sympathy," he said. 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. A judge sentenced the pair to detention which ended when the pair hit eighteen. In 2017, Venables was caught in possession of thousands of child pornography images and sentenced to a minimum of 40 months in prison. But he found himself back in a maximum category A jail, which we cannot identify for legal reasons,after being caught with vile child abuse images following a top-secret police operation. The Netline reports that Thompson has fully integrated into society and has "built a healthy relationship" inside the community in which he lives. A woman concerned for the toddler told Venables and Thompson that she would take the child to the police station herself. The same path would not apply to his partner in crime, however. The child killer was released from a young offenders institution under licence in 2001 and has not re-offended since. In July 2010, Venables appeared at the Old Bailey via video link which was only visible to the judge. Venables was first imprisoned for possessing images of child abuse in 2010, but he was released in 2013. He was arrested yet again in 2017 for the same crime. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. "The reality is that the case for varying the injunction has simply not been made.". He pleaded guilty to charges of downloading and distributing child sex images and was given a sentence of two years in prison. 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. Hes gonna be all right, Denise, I said. The computer was taken away and 57 indecent images of children over a 12-month period were found. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. Several shoppers later remembered noticing the trio as they walked through the mall. 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. 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.". In November 2020, a source speaking toThe Sunconfirmed that Jon had asked the parole board not to approve his release. Venables himself begged not to be released as he fears he will reoffend, a report in November last year stated. The boys ended up at the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle (near Liverpool) on the afternoon of February 12 after having skipped school that day. 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. Three months later, he got off with a warning after police caught him in possession of a small amount of cocaine. I did kill him, Venables said. He lives in a community in the North West. She was also bothered by the fact that Thompson would cry, but there wouldn't be any tears. That was the biggest mistake of my life. Nearly twenty years later, Ralph became a father again. [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 judge, Mr Justice Morland, told they boys they had committed a crime of " unparalleled evil and barbarity in my judgement, your conduct was both cunning and very wicked. However, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern issued a short and sharp response to reports Venables could apply to relocate to the country. The ex-convict has kept his bargain of the clause of his release. His identity is protected by a worldwide injunction - meaning that even trying to find out where he lives could land you in jail. They then bludgeoned him with bricks and stones, kicked his battered body, and shoved batteries into his mouth. "Pure evil, I will never change my mind about that.". 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. 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