"My decision is in no way a reflection on the applicants themselves, for whom there is a profoundest sympathy," he said. Venables took him by the hand. 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. Dr. 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. However, Venables was recalled to prison in November 2017 when he was caught with the sickening child abuse images once again. Then, dive into the maddening mystery behind the Atlanta Child Murders. James Bulgers father Ralph Bulger thinks that if Venables were to be released now, he would be at risk of killing again. Robert Thompson was released in 2010. Venables was caged once again in 2010 after being found with a hoard of horrifying child abuse images on his laptop. Meanwhile, court-appointed psychiatrists said that both Thompson and Venables knew the difference between right and wrong. This left her with the impression that he was faking remorse. 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. Retired detective Laurie Dalton recalled her feeling that Thompson was "pure evil" (via The Sun) and would try to manipulate the police during questioning. Lifelong anonymity is put in place by courts rarely and is usually in only the most infamous and horrific cases. In September 2008 he was arrested on suspicion of affray after a drunken brawl outside a nightclub and was given a formal warning by the probation service. Venables and Thompson then called for Bulger to come. James Bulger was not the first child that the pair tried to abduct. The older boys ignored him and continued down to a secluded area near a canal. Despite this evidence, however, Venables and Thompson werent initially the authorities prime suspects. Authorities gave Robert and Jon new identities and released them into society under strict supervision. in March 2019. He was so badly battered, authorities later concluded, that there was no way to tell which injury represented the fatal blow. After luring the toddler away from a shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables kidnapped, tormented, and murdered him in 1993. As of this writing, Venables is still incarcerated. 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. Jon Venables and Robert Thompson: Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were child killers who abducted and murdered 2-year-old James Bulger. Many of these witnesses later admitted that Bulger looked distressed. The child killer was released from a young offenders' institution under licence in 2001 and has not re-offended since. Robert and Jon would sexually abuse, assault, and murder Bulger before dumping his body. After intensive rehabilitation, the pair were handed new identities. 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. Though they were unsuccessful, Thompson and Venables didnt give up. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. He lives in a community in the North West. 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 child killer was released from a young offenders institution under licence in 2001 and has not re-offended since. But when she asked another woman nearby to look after her daughter while she did so, that woman refused because her dog did not like children. One person even saw Thompson kick Bulger in the ribs for resisting. And even by 2000, top child psychiatrist Sir Michael Rutter claimed the risk posed by Venables on his release was "trivial". He was denied parole in 2000 and ordered to stay behind bars for at least an additional two years. They first attempted to lure a three-year-old girl and her two-year-old brother away from their mother. The report concluded: After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made whilst in custody and on licence, as well as the other evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that Mr Venables was suitable for re-release. But once a child turns 18, their name can be reported. Something went wrong, please try again later. Robert Thompson, now 36, said he is a "better person" thanks to his years in prison but. His body would be found two days later by a group of horrified teenage boys who were playing in the area. Toddler James Bulger disappeared on February 12 1993. Interestingly, his partner knows his real identity. Sentencing him to 40 months jail in 2018, Mr Justice Edis said: The children depicted were often very young and vulnerable, there is discernible pain and distress suffered.. The child killer was released from a. A move abroad would cost, of course, but the thinking is it would be cheaper in the long run,a source said. 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. 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. Inside a TJ Hughes department store, a woman noticed that two boys were trying to get her kids attention. Meanwhile, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables led the toddler far away from the mall and toward another town. In 2010, he was arrested for possessing images of child sexual abuse accumulated in over a year. Venables himself begged not to be released as he fears he will reoffend, a report in November last year stated. "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 twisted child killer, now aged 39, took the youngster from a shopping centre along with friend Robert Thompson, before the baby's dead body by a railway track. The child murderers were sent to a. That blow alone caused 10 skull fractures. June 24, 2011. Mr Bulger said: Ive always believed Venables will kill another child again if he is allowed back into the community. Though Venables father was still in the picture, his mother was known to be harsh toward the young boy. But she pulled her curtains and blocked out the scene. The report, which explained why he was denied parole, stated Venables has landed a job in jail while living a top secret life with a new identity among other cons. Jon Venables was born on August 13, 1982. He was arrested yet again in 2017 for the same crime. It added that Jon had stated that hed benefited from psychological work in prison and didnt ask the panel for release. This was largely due to the fact that Venables appeared more emotional, while Thompson often appeared chillingly unfazed. What about his mum, will you tell her Im sorry?. Ralph expressed concern that Jon would reoffend if released from prison with a new identity. 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. The panel listed as risk factors those influencers that made it more likely that Mr. Venables would reoffend in the future,the report read. They were a match made in hell. After serving three years, he was released on parole. A judge sentenced the pair to detention which ended when the pair hit eighteen. I have let people down again. In January 2018, James Bulger's mum Denise Fergus backed calls for a public inquiry into the toddler's murder. James Bulger's grieving father Ralph lost a High Court bid to have information about Venables made public. The killer was 10-years-old when he and Robert Thompson murdered two-year-old James Bulger in 1993, which is. Thompson hasnt reoffended per the terms of his release, but authorities believe he masterminded the plan that led to James Bulgers death. And still he followed. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? All about his family, Was Dave Hollis Sick? This is a case that rocked Britain and shocked the entire world. 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. A life for a life.. Not only had both boys been truant that day, but Venables had also been seen with blue paint on his jacket (the same color that had been used to blind Bulger during his torture). Closed-circuit camera footage revealed that a child fitting Bulger's description was led away from the shopping center by two young boys. 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. Robert had no father figure as his dad abandoned the family five years before the murder. Though Thompson was believed to have been the leader of the James Bulger murder plot, he has never reoffended since hes been released. 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. Thompson has been free since his release in 2001. 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. 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. Police dropped the charges against him after he agreed to enroll in an alcohol awareness course. Ten-year-old Jon Venables poses for a mugshot for British authorities on February 20, 1993. First, of course, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson had to snatch Bulger away from his mother in the midst of a busy shopping mall. Email us attips@the-sun.co.ukor call 0207 782 4368 . Thompson and Venables eventually arrived near a railway track in Walton. Clickhereto upload yours. The search ended two days after the disappearance when four children discovered Bulgers body on the railway track just 200 yards from the nearest police station. James Bulgers mother, Denise, was able to locate Robert Thompson in 2004 but was paralyzed with hatred and could not confront him. He claimed that information about him already existed online. "Of course, because of his existing convictions he would need an exemption my advice would be 'don't bother applying'.". The killer was 10-years-old when he and Robert Thompson murdered two-year-old James Bulger in 1993, which is the focus of tonight's new Channel 5 documentary Lost Boy: The Killing of James Bulger. 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. James was a two-year-old boy from a loving family who lived in Bootle, Merseyside. [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. Though many people on the streets believed that the three boys were siblings, others were concerned about Thompson and Venables aggressive behavior toward Bulger. Another investigator said Thompson "would cry whenever there would be an awkward situation," to avoid questioning. A Match Made In Hell: How Robert Thompson And Jon Venables Became Killers At Age 10. He was visited regularly by his parents and was kept at Red Bank for the full eight years because of good progress, despite the facility only being a short-stay remand unit. Footage of the boy's two abductors was released to the public by police. Jon Venables was responsible for a sickening crime that horrified the nation. Today, while Thompson is believed to be assimilating back into society and living a quiet life, the same cannot be said of Venables. 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". 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.". Venables soon blurted out, I did kill him. Not only did they find blue paint on Venables jacket, but they also found blood on Thompsons shoes. They were caught by a surveillance camera leaving the mall at 3:42 PM. The 36-year-old has not re-offended since being released on licence when he was 18 years old. 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 risk factors identified at the time of his offending included his sexual interests and an attraction to sexual violence as well as other issues considered relevant but amenable to change. BWP Media via Getty ImagesTen-year-old Jon Venables poses for a mugshot for British authorities on February 20, 1993. Robert Thompson, on the other hand, was not such an easy interview. James Bulgers parents, pictured one day before their child was found dead. 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. Malcolm Croft PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images. "Features leading up to his offending as an adult included a sense of dissatisfaction and lack of fulfilment in life, a need for excitement, and a tendency to turn to sex or pornography as a means of coping. He is a dangerous, predatory child abuser and killer, and I am terrified he will harm another child like my James,Ralph said. But unfortunately, their story didnt end in 1993. After that point, the James Bulger killers were to be assessed and, if they werent deemed to be a danger to society, released. 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. But Denise Fergus, James's mum, does not support the proceedings and said her son's killer should keep his anonymity to avoid vigilante justice. During his hearing, the court heard that upon his arrest he told cops in the police car: "This is my own fault. The youngster had no record of violence before he was found guilty of killing two-year-old James Bulger. 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". 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. 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". "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). He was sent back to prison with a new identity as hed divulged who he was to staff and inmates. The young men pummeled . Thompson and Venables led Bulger away from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, after his mother had taken her . Both Venables and Thompson were released at age 18 in June 2001. Ive had urges, inquisitive.Mr. Justice Edis sentenced Venables to 40 months in prison, saying:The children depicted were often very young and vulnerable, there is discernible pain and distress suffered.. From 1993 to 2001, Venables served time in the Red Bank secure unit in St. Helens, Merseyside. Thompson and Venables were only 10 years old at the time of the murder, making them the youngest convicted killers in Britain. 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. Finally, the boys hit Bulger over the head with a 22-pound iron bar, which resulted in 10 skull fractures. 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. 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. 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. We pay for videos too. Venables was still on strict probation following his 2001 release from prison. Robert Thompson was born on August 23, 1982 - the fifth of seven children. 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. Frantically she asked her daughter where he was. The murder captivated the nation as people wondered what would motivate two 10-year-olds to abduct and murder a defenseless toddler.