susan venables and ann thompson pictures
To be absolutely accurate, she had only one illusion. He was repulsed because he found Robert's disdain for authority scary. Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged 10, were charged with the abduction and murder of Jamie Bulger, the youngest accused murderers in Britain in the 20th century. From a distance Robert looked a sweet child. One neighbour said she always let him into her home whenever his mother was out. will never understand how they could do what they did.”. Among the list were several horror films, including one video in which the police took special interest: Child's Play 3, a film which carries the line 'Children are consumer trainees'. and torn. He also liked to scare old ladies by jumping out in front of their noses. They played a double act towards the children: his mother, Susan, aged 36, a sharp woman with a hawkish look, was the hard one. Yesterday me and He had that odd combination of obsession with and disdain for possessions that is characteristic of children who have never enjoyed any of their own. reproduced in black and white in the media, it wasn’t very clear. Bulger was led away from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle as his mother had taken her eyes off him momentarily. Superintendent Albert Kirby, who headed the investigation, doesn't believe in the under-belly of Liverpool nonsense or stuff about the disintegration of modern society, the collapse of the nineties cities. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. The two boys stood trial in November 1993 at an adult court. Then they had carried, dragged and kicked him along a two and a half mile journey, at times swinging him violently in the air or dropping him against the road, until they reached the railway where they stoned him with bricks, bashed his head with a 22lb iron bar, and left him dead across the tracks to be cut in half by a passing goods train. “They were a match made in hell. A true story based on interview transcripts and records from … in the shopping centre, then he admitted seeing James. After a while the 10-year-olds began to charge - a tenner an interview. Both had parents who had separated. 'You'd better tell the truth. It was the kind of family neighbours compare themselves against and then feel better. He liked to spend the weekend on the streets. Another time they were saucy and asked a sales girl if she stocked 'fishy nickers'. what he was doing. Jon Venables (left) & Robert Thompson (school photos) That same morning, Jon Venables left his Merseyside home for school. But curiosity drew him towards Robert in equal measure. Ann Thompson was portrayed as an incompetent alcoholic, while Susan Venables was painted as a loose woman whose neighbours "noted a procession of men friends for Mrs Venables". I never ever saw him shed a tear. In the last few years she stopped drinking in the Top House and tried to keep things together. “We brought in several boys but as soon as I started questioning them I knew Richard had 5 siblings: Susan Maria Pettet, Harriet Venables, Elizabeth Mary Venables, Patience Elizabeth Venables and Ann Venables. He had left her to bring up six children alone. started to shout that it was all Jon’s fault. Mr Venables ran out of the car and grabbed him, while Robert ran off down the street laughing and shouting: 'You can't catch me.'. He would throw things at other children, cut himself deliberately with scissors and stick paper all over his face. In Jon's case, 'hyperactivity' went beyond mere fidgeting into outbursts of sudden anger and violence. The mayor of Preston accused them of being sick ghouls, but still they came, queuing up for tickets two hours before proceedings began. Explaining why the sexual attack on James was not mentioned at the trial, Phil Everyone called him Chubby, because of his round, cherub's face. Later a woman called the police station, reporting that her friend They went out that day I can still hear it now.”. Are they mad? that Jon had hurt him as he just stood there, that he had tried to persuade There is hatred and envy directed at the baby - a wish to see it suffer in the way they have suffered. James had vanished as his mum Denise let go of his hand in the butcher’s to But he liked collecting trolls, little doll-like creatures with ugly faces and spiky fluorescent hair. On … “I went to Thompson’s house. The right will draw attention to the broken homes, the single parents, the persistent truancy. “If they had got away with James’s murder I believe they would have struck Most of the fun revolved around shoplifting - sweets, trolls, pepperami, tins of modelling paint, drinks, candles; anything, really. They deal with drugs, they deal with everything. You would have to be One police officer described how Jon Venables was so … I’m sorry, I was there and Thompson was cold, calculating and knew exactly “But with James it was the scenario that made it so much worse. For she added: 'But he's not a murderer.'. Jon was slim in build and taller than Robert, just over five feet. Sitting in the new class was a chubby boy with a cherub's face - Robert Thompson. Unemployment levels were more than twice the national average in Walton. In return, Jon would let Robert ride his bicycle, and from time to time he would suggest naughty deeds himself. assumed police were looking for an adult psychopath. teenager. They would sneak out during the morning break, hiding behind a wall before the coast was clear. 'His mum was more strict. Maybe it was that incident that put the idea into Jon or Robbie's head to 'get a little boy lost'. Without anyone in the family to turn to for support, he had to look outside for people whose swaggering aggression he could emulate. The press were gobbling it up. The living versions on the floor of the court looked equally wrinkled and austere. Just something to do.'. Neil Venables regarded himself as the Barry Norman of Merseyside - a film buff with a penchant for horror. 'I didn't know it would be like this,' Mr Venables said with hindsight. Jon breaks into hysteria whenever the subject is mentioned. Then they would hide their school satchels under a subway and set off on their adventure. before from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle. Jon Venables said the class teacher tried to entice Robert by offering him a prize for a week's continual attendance - he did, but the prize never came. Truanting, or 'sagging off', had become a way of life for Robert. Thompson or Venables. into the world?’”. And in Lower Lane police station when he was being questioned about the murder she had to be told that her harsh words were inhibiting him from confessing. It is about a Good Guy doll invaded by the spirit of a mass murderer who kills people in gruesome ways. Money, or his family's lack of it, preyed on his mind. The other shops in the area were also armoured with mesh, including the Red Garden chipper where Robert used to pop in with his brothers most nights for a 25p bag of chips. Once Robert shared with him a tin of Roses chocolates which he had poured surreptitiously into his coat pocket. Phil adds: “He was small for his age, I had to get on my knees to address him. Jon spent Sunday to Thursday with his mum and the rest of every week with his dad. View our online Press Pack. He says: “I told her, ‘He is one of the most hated boys in the world at the moment, you’ve got to show him some love and affection’. He carried a note from his mother, requesting that he be allowed to take the class gerbils home, where he could care for them over the upcoming holiday break. As the full horror of what had happened to James was revealed, the pressure The first time he asked Jon to play truant with him was last September, only weeks after they had become friends. The Liverpool Echo boasted that their man had one of 'just 34 seats' allocated to the international press. The top city of residence is Milwaukee, followed by Waukesha. Venables ended up back behind bars in March 2010 after The list was gut-wrenching, almost too much to take in. She went to get him. They probably weren't out to kill someone, but they were probably out to ruin someone else's happiness. Pure evil, I will never change my mind about that. Photos larger than 8.0 MB will be optimized and reduced. Not that he had any need to borrow his dad's. That's the thing that upsets me because obviously where I was standing poor little James must have been not. He says: “I told her, ‘He is one of the most hated boys in the world at the Like Ann Thompson, Venables' mother Susan was a regular visitor to local pubs. 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. Phil says: “Everyone worked round the clock. It is not known whether the boy watched any of his father's adult movies. “He started to cry, but there were no tears. Phil recalls: “It showed James hand in hand with what we thought was a The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional 10 photos (for a total of 30 on the memorial). 'Just mad. They played truant, they pinched sweets, they terrorised old ladies. She couldn't. They had much in common. But his progress took a nose dive in September 1991 when he was transferred into another class. Father: Often out of work and divorced from his mother. Here one of the lead detectives tells how the case still haunts him. 'The attitude when you live where we live is that you have to be tough or else you don't survive,' she said. Phil was on Merseyside’s serious crime squad when he got a call at 6am on At the end of the street a mesh wire frame coverered the window of the money lenders. He took a jar of paracetamol. Born 10 days apart in August 1982 in Liverpool. identities. For other inquiries, Contact Us. in his memory. He started with Liverpool, but by the time of the murder he had switched to Blackburn Rovers. By then, Robert and Jon had abducted James Bulger from the Strand and attempted to drown him in the nearby canal. His father, thin and balding, had a much gentler edge. Every day the public gallery was packed with students, pensioners, mothers, teenagers, all drawn to the courtroom spectacle as to a TV soap. Jon's mother, Susan Venables, blamed her son's actions on "weakness", claiming he was "fearful" and "provoked" by his accomplice Robert Thompson. He appears to be a normal human, but inside the soft flesh there is indestructable metal. TWO BOYS. 18 who might be involved. “That was a surprise, that two youths had apparently taken him. They had to report him missing at the security office before he was found, and Jon's mother was very angry. The family was already exhaustingly overextended, and Robert, being the fifth edition, was quick to pick up on the coping mechanisms needed to survive in a … The week after he walked out the family's home burned down in an accidental fire. years. When social workers came round, they did so to see his sister and his brother, who had learning difficulties and was receiving special education. monsters. It was arguably the most shocking crime in modern British history; the toddler’s murderers were both just ten years old when they committed the horrific act. Venable LLP is a law firm of trusted advisors serving businesses, organizations, and individuals in many of the most important aspects of their work. 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. At one time, it was revealed, Philip was … Ann was a heavy drinker, separated from her … So he came home. He had a Game Boy console and hankered after a Sega machine, and when they played truant he would head straight for the computer game corner of Tandy's or Dixons. “We went to pick up Thompson and Venables on the Thursday after James’s body I told his mum I needed to speak to Thompson Her husband came back to Walton now and again to see his mother, but he never came to see the boys. Robert's feelings towards his half-brother also appear to have been ambivalent - he told police he would not have murdered James Bulger because 'if I wanted to kill a baby, I'd kill my own, wouldn't I?'. At the station Thompson repeatedly protested his innocence and challenged Phil But Robert was stuck in Walton with his older brothers and the baby. He used to be bullied by other children for being so behind, and would return home at night visibly upset. 'We have never really been apart,' Mrs Venables said. “I can never comprehend what they did to him — never. 'It was good. 'They would say 'take your son home'. He was also given 'respite care' - six weekly weekend breaks to relieve the family of the burden of looking after him. He would often have to stay in class at break times to catch up. Lock him in it.'. body, cop Phil Roberts wondered what type of sick monster was responsible. His mother, Anne Marie Thompson, who is 39, got the house from the local housing trust after her husband, Robert, ran off with a woman from Stockport five years ago. It seems likely that he was bullied. This week James’s mum Denise Fergus revealed she is demanding that details of In the first hours they denied He said that his friend Robert Thompson had thrown it at him. It was a sign of such restlessness that he was unable to hang on to a football team for long - he kept shifting his allegiance like a floating voter. Picture: Supplied be considered by a parole board dealing with Venables. This time, curiosity took the upper hand: 'I wanted to see what it was like,' he said. to prove he was involved. In all, they played truant four times. There were few leads until the manager of another shop said his CCTV might On 24 November 1993 Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, aged 10, became the youngest convicted murderers in English history. The hardliners in the police have a simpler explanation. Like Ann Thompson, Venables' mother Susan was a regular visitor to local pubs. Once he stole decorating borders from a DIY shop which he discarded at regular intervals to mark his way home. Everton was his team. To my dying day I 'America is the land of shopping malls. They were drawn to one another quickly. THE first time the boys set eyes on each other after they were arrested was in Preston crown court 3 1/2 weeks ago. “Back in the interview room Thompson began his crocodile tears again, then he “Before they took James they tried to entice another little boy to walk in 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. He frequented local cinemas and regularly hired videos for the night. front of busy traffic. “He claimed it was just a glimpse. When the fisticuffs ended, impressed by each other's performance, they made friends. There was a pattern of bullying, with the older boys picking on their younger brothers down the line. 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. He soon learned that two ten-year-olds had inflicted such brutal violence on As a result of the incident, Jon's mother decided to move him to another school. Other parents came in to complain about attention seeking. that James had been murdered. His former wife would send their boys up the street to give their father the fingers through the bay windows of his mother's house. He was pale in complexion and had watery brown, listless eyes. The boys took James to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, led him to a railway line near the Walton & Anfield railway … His parents say he is 'broken-hearted'. The final scene takes place among the tracks of a fun-fair ghost train where the doll, which resembles an infant with spiky hair has his face slashed before he is cut to pieces by a ventilator fan. 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. Never violent, but frequently arguing with Susan Venables. I said no. a sexual assault on her son, which were withheld from the boys’ 1993 trial, “Venables was at another police station. to kill — I truly believe that. I don't think so. And if they hadn’t been caught I fear they He would steal objects that he neither needed nor wanted, then chuck them away in the street. would have struck again. 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. He asked his mother if they caught the boys. The boys lived off chips. 'It's always our family that gets the blame,' Robert said to police after he was arrested for James's murder. bosses, ‘We’ve got them’. They looked, moved, fidgeted, scratched, cried - even sucked their thumbs - just like any 11-year-olds. It was always pretend crying.”. Jon Venables had made a nuisance of himself at his first school, crawling between the desks during lessons and hurting other children. “It echoed around the station. If I seen them lads, Id kick their heads in, he said. 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. Apart from Jon's incident with the ruler, there had been no record of previous violence. Both had a need to attract attention, which they achieved through a host of petty rebellions. 'They were just your average scruff - like the rest of us.'. He also recalls asking Ann Thompson to comfort her son. He was a loyal fan, though he did not go often to Goodison Park. 'I don't know,' he replied. Then, one Friday in February, they discovered a new rule to break: they murdered a two-year-old. Robert would give Jon presents of stolen objects: trolls, of course, toy terrapins, sweets. 'I couldn't be arsed talking about them,' said one. WALTON, where they both lived, is, in the jargon of planning, an inner-city urban priority area; neither the best nor the worst the city has to offer. He asked his mother if they caught the boys. Two freaks of nature who found each other.”. Then there were the separated parents, the poverty, the truanting, the videos. Susan Thompson in Wisconsin . “But I didn’t know then how evil Thompson was.”. 'In my opinion he was victimised. The beginnings of the friendship were inauspicious enough. The experience gave Jon renewed confidence, and the second time they sagged off together he suggested it. were in a more terrible state. Hyperactive children can't sit still all day,' Mrs Venables said. Ian was clever enough to know that to survive he had to get out. again.”. A hard-nosed detective sergeant with 23 years’ experience at the time, Phil had been found. “At that time only one picture of James had been released. I told my This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. His mates called him a girl because whenever there was something on his mind he sucked his thumb. “It was far worse than anything I had dealt with before, or after.”. Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were only 10 years old when they became the country’s youngest murderers in 250 years. Each contributor can upload a maximum of 5 photos for a memorial. The amount of information coming “We immediately started combing records of anyone between the ages of 12 and He stayed away from school so often the local police called him a professional truant. Mrs Thompson said she was so often called to Walton Lane police station to retrieve her truanting son that they should have given her a job there. The woman had noticed blue paint on one of the boy’s clothes. Two decades on, Phil cannot feel it in his heart to show any compassion for clothing James was wearing. ROBERT had a reputation in the neighbourhood for being a troublemaker. 'I couldn't hear anything,' she said. Boy A - Robert Thompson - was the shorter and more rounded of the two. Some people thought they were as old as 12 or 13, but when they met they were both only 10 years old. 'Provided you have no court orders for debts already,' the man on the phone would add helpfully. More often, he would pinch them from local shops. Then news came in that a body had been found on a railway line. Venables has shown an aptitude for computer work and Thompson has revealed an artistic side to his character. Venables has … Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged 10, were charged with the abduction and murder of Jamie Bulger, the youngest accused murderers in Britain in the 20th century. Phil says: “Yes, they were two little boys, but they were also two cruel INSIDE the court sat the two boys, dwarfed by the weight and majesty of the place. It was hard. He says: “I always mark that date. The two-year-old was abducted from a shopping centre, tortured and left to His mother was not so keen on the idea - they cost pounds 35 each. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). “As far as I’m concerned that day — 20 years ago — I stared evil in the face. I had to remain detached, unemotional. and they could think, ‘We did that and we’ve got away with it’. Their kids have got everything. Left to his own devices Jon liked to spend his playtime in fairly sedentary ways. He had an elder brother, aged 13, and a nine-year-old sister. Richard married Elizabeth Venables on October 29 1871, at age 32 in St Leonard's Shoreditch, Middlesex, England. At another home nearby, Jon Venables told his mother, Susan: ‘If I’d seen them kids hurting the baby, I’d have kicked their heads in.’ … Jon’s father, meanwhile, asked his son about the blue paint that was splattered on his mustard-coloured coat. I knew then we had them. There was another boy in front — we thought he was about 13. The lead up to the arrest At home, Jon showed an intense interest in the story of James's disappearance. That was in September 1991, 17 months before they killed James Bulger. “As I waited his younger brother told me, ‘It’s terrible. He was too scared to be naughty on his own. The case is doomed to be picked over by every faction within the caring professionals and politics. Kids fantasise about such things.