Background – James Patrick Bulger was a young toddler from Merseyside in the UK. James was murdered when he was just 2 years old on the 12 February 1933. He was abducted, tortured and murdered by 2 10 year old boys, Robert Thompson (born 23 August 1982) and Jon Venables (born 13 August 1982).
The Crime – On Friday, 12 February 1993, CCTV footage taken from the New Strand Shopping Centre showed Thompson and Venables looking at children, walking around the mall supposedly looking for a target, someone young and vulnerable they could easily lead away and later exploit, torture and kill. Both Thompson and Venables were bunking of school, something they usually did as neither of them were a big fan of school. As well as loitering, both of the boys were seen stealing items out of the various shops such as sweets, a Troll Doll, some batteries and a can of blue paint – some of these items were later found at the crime scene. Thompson later revealed in a police interview they were going to find a child to kidnap, lead the child to the busy road beside the mall and push the child into the oncoming traffic.
[Here is a video showing some CCTV footage that was taken from the mall the day Thompson and Venables kidnapped and murdered young James Bulger.]
The same afternoon, unfortunately, that Thompson and Venables were looking for a young victim, James Bulger and his mother Denise went to the mall to do some shopping. While inside A.R Tym’s butcher shop on the ground floor of the mall at around 3:40pm, Denise realised that her soon had disappeared, after having only been distracted for a mere few seconds. Thompson and Venables approached the young boy and lured him before taking him by the hand and leading him straight out of the shopping centre; this was captured on CCTV at around 3:42pm, just 2 minutes after Denise and James arrived at the shopping mall.
[Denise and her ex-husband Ralph pictured in a media interview soon after James’ disappearance.]
Both of the boys took James on a rough 2.5 mile walk across the city to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal where they dropped James on his head, causing injuries to his face; they also joked about pushing him into the canal. During the walk, the boys were seen by around 38 people; James had a bump on his head and was crying but most people did nothing, assuming that James was a younger brother of one of the boys. 2 people did challenge the boys but the boys recanted that same story that James was a younger brother, also telling one person that they found him and they were taking him to the police station. The boys eventually reached the village of Walton, leading James up a steep bank to a railway line where they began to torture him.
[Still from the CCTV footage showing Thompson and Venables leading James away.]
Later at the trial, it was at this point established that one of the boys threw blue Humbrol modelling paint, which they had stolen earlier, into James’ left eye. They kicked and stood on him, also throwing bricks and stones at him. Batteries were also forced into James’ mouth; police also believe some batteries may have been inserted into James’ anus however none were found there following the discovery of James’ body. When they finished their attack, a 10kg iron bar, described at the trial as a railway fishplate, was dropped on James. James suffered 10 skull fractures as a result of this striking his head. Dr. Alan Williams, the case pathologist, stated that James suffered so many injuries – 42 in total – that none could be isolated as the blow that killed him.
Police also suspected that there was a sexual motive to the crime since James’ shoes, socks, trousers and underwear had been removed. The pathologist’s report also read that James’ foreskin had been forcibly pushed back. When questioned about his aspect of the murder, Thompson and Venables were reluctant to give any information, and they also rejected the claim that batteries were inserted into James’ anus. At his parole, Venable’s psychiatrist, Dr. Susan Bailey, reported that “visiting and revisiting the issue with Jon as a child, and now as an adolescent, he gives no account of any sexual element to the offence.”
[Picture of James and his father, Ralph Bulger.]
Before the boys left, they laid James across the railway tracks and covered his head with rubble as to weigh it down, hoping that the train would hit him and make his death appear as an accident. After they left the scene, James’ body was cut in half by a train. His body was discovered 2 days later on 14 February; later the pathologist determined that James had died before being struck by the train. After the discovery of James’ body, the railway embankment was flooded with 100’s of flowers and messages wishing the little boy to rest in peace and that his killers would be found.
The family of 1 boy, who was detained for questioning but released, had to flee Liverpool due to threats by vigilantes. The breakthrough came when a woman, who seen the images of the CCTV footage of the abduction, recognised Venables. She knew he usually played truant with Thompson and that they both had that day. She contacted police soon after and both boys were arrested.
The Arrest –
The fact these 2 suspects were so young was a huge shock to the police force, headed by Detective Superintendent Albert Kirby. Early media reports and police statements referred to James being seen with ‘two youths’, suggesting the killers were teenagers as the age of the boys was difficult to tell with the grainy CCTV images. Later, forensic testing confirmed the boys had the same blue paint on their clothes that was found on James’ body. Both boys had blood on their shoes, the blood on Thompson’s shoe was later matched to James’ through DNA testing. Bruising on James’ right cheek matched the upper part of Thompson’s shoe, indicating that he used a lot of force when kicking James in the face.
[Video showing the police interview of Thompson and Venables.]
The boys were charged with the murder of James Bulger on 20 February 1993 and appeared in South Sefton Youth Court on 22 February 1993 where they were remanded in custody to await trial. After their arrest and through media campaigns, they were merely referred to as ‘Child A’ (Thompson) and ‘Child B’ (Venables). They were held in secure units where they would eventually be sentenced to be detained indefinitely.
At the day of the trial, up to 500 protesters gathered. The parents of the boys were moved to different parts of the country and were given new identities following death threats from vigilantes. The full trial of the boys took place on 1 November 1993 and was conducted as an adult trial with the boys in the dock away from their parents. The boys denied the charges of murder, abduction and attempted abduction; the attempted abduction charge related to an earlier incident where they tried to abduct another 2 year old boy before James, but were stopped by the boy’s mother. The boys were sat on raised chairs so they could see out of the dock and had 2 social workers each. Even though they were separated from their parents, they were in touching distance. The lead prosecution Richard Henriques QC successfully rebutted doli incapax, a principle that presumes that young children can’t be held legally responsible for their actions.
They were considered by the court to be capable of ‘mischievous direction’, meaning the ability to act with criminal intent as they were old enough to understand that what they were doing was wrong. Dr. Eileen Vizard, a child psychiatrist, who interviewed Thompson before the trial was asked whether he knew right from wrong. She was also asked did he know it was wrong to take a young child away from his mother, and was it wrong to cause injury to the child. Unequivocally, it was determined he knew the difference between right and wrong.
[Artist illustration of Thompson and Venables in court.]
The boys didn’t speak during the trial and the evidence against them was based on more than 20 hours of police interviews, which were played back in court. Thompson was determined to have took the leading role in the abduction, whereas it was Venables who brought up the idea of taking James to the railway line. Venables described James “liking” him, holding his hand and allowing him to pick him up during the journey to his death. The prosecution showed a number of items of evidence during the trial including a box of 27 bricks, a blood stained stone, James’ underwear and the rusty iron bar that was described as the fishplate. The pathologist spent 33 minutes outlining James’ injuries, many of those to his legs were inflicted after he was stripped down, brain damage was also extensive and included a haemorrhage.
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. 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.” The judge recommended they should be kept in custody for a minimum term of 8 years. At the end of the trial, the judge lifted restrictions and allowed the names of the killers to be released – however Sir David Omand criticised this decision and outlined the difficulties caused by it in 2010. Laurence Lee, Venables solicitor during the trial, declared that Thompson was one of the most frightening children he’d ever met, comparing him to the Pied Piper.
[Image of some of the mob outside during the trial.]
Post Trial – After the trial, Lord Taylor of Gosforth recommended the boys serve a minimum of 10 years, making them eligible for release in February 2003, at the age of 20. The Sun newspaper created a petition with almost 280,000 signatures in a bid to increase the time spent by the boys in custody. The campaign was successful and in July 1994, Home Secretary Michael Howard announced they would be kept away for a minimum of 15 years.
Some UK papers claimed the attack was inspired by the film Child’s Play 3 and campaigned for the rules on violent movies and videos to be tighened. This came about as during the police investigation, it emerged that this movie was one of the movies that Venable’s father had rented in the months prior to the killing – however, it was never established that Venables ever watched it. One scene in the movie shows Chucky being splashed with blue paint. One Merseyside detective said, “We went through something like 200 titles rented by the Venables family. There were some you or I wouldn’t want to see, but nothing – no scene, or plot, or dialogue – where you could put your finger on the freeze button and say that influenced a boy to go out and commit murder.”
[Denise pictured holding one of the last photos taken of James.]
Thompson was held at the Barton Moss Secure Care Centre in Manchester whereas Venables was detained in Vardy House in Merseyside. These locations were not publicly known until after the boys were released. Details of how the boys lived, acted etc. were recorded twice a day and stored at units in Whitehall. They were taught to hide their real names as they were so infamous in the units. Venable’s parents visited their son, just as Thompson’s mother did, every 3 days. They received education and rehabilitation despite problems at the start. Venables was said to have been troubled at first but eventually made good progress, resulting in him being there for 8 years despite it being a short stay unit. Both boys were reported to have suffered PTSD and told of experiencing nightmares and flashbacks, Venable’s in particular.
The Release – In 1999, the boy’s lawyers appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, saying they should be released because they were too young to understand an adult trial – their case was dismissed. On 15 March 1999, the court voted 14 votes to 5 that Article 6 regarding a fair trial had been violated. In September 1999, James’ parents applied to the court, but failed to persuade the court that a victim of a crime has the right to be involved in determining the sentence of the criminal.
In June 2001, after a 6 month review, the parole board ruled the boys were no longer a threat to the public and could be released as their minimum sentence had expired in the February of that year. Home Secretary David Blunkett approved the decision and they were released a few weeks later on lifelong license after serving 8 years. Both men were given new identities and moved to secret locations in a witness protection style program. They were given new passports, National Insurance numbers, qualification certificates and medical records. Blunkett however insisted on being sent updates on every action the men took.
The terms of their release was that they weren’t allowe to contact each other or James’ family, they’re not allowed in the Merseyside region, curfews may be imposed if they’re seen to become risks again and they must report to a probation officer. Any attempt to flee or any other criminal charges would mean they’d be sent straight to prison. The media were also given an injunction, meaning they couldn’t report any further on their new secret identities.
Aftermath – In the months after the trial and after the birth of their second son, Denise and Ralph’s marriage broke down and they got a divorce in 1995; they have since both remarried and had more children. The Observer newspaper reported that both Venables and Thompson had passed their a-levels while sentenced. The newspaper also reported that Bulger family lawyers had consulted psychiatric experts in order to create a report that Thompson is an undiagnosed psychopath, citing his lack of remorse during the trial and arrest. However, this report was dismissed. In a separate report in 2000 before Venables’ release, he was described as posing a trivial risk to the public and unlikely to reoffend. His chances of successful rehabilitation were very high.
No vigilante action has since been taken against the boys, however, Denise told media in 2004 she received a tip off from an anonymous source that helped her locate Thompson. When she saw him, she was so “paralysed with hatred” she was unable to confront him.
On 14 March 2008, the Red Balloon Learner Centre was set up in Merseyside in memory of James by Denise, his mother, and Esther Rantzen. A memorial garden was created in Sacred Heart Primary School where James would’ve attended had he’d not been murdered.
In April 2010, a 19 year old man from the Isle of Man was given a 3 month suspended sentence for claiming in a Facebook message that one of his ex-co-workers was Robert Thompson. It was said the teenager had put that person at risk of serious harm by making the allegation. In March 2012, a 26 year old man from Lancashire was arrested after setting up a Facebook group titled “What happened to Jamie Bulger was fucking hilarious“. The mans computer was seized pending further investigation.
On 25 February 2013, the Attorney General’s Office announced it was taking court proceedings out on several people who’d published photos online showing Thompson and Venables as adults. On 26 April 2013, 2 men received a suspended sentence after admitting to contempt of court by publishing photos which they claimed to be Venables and Thompson on Twitter and Facebook. These posts were seen collectively by 24,000 people. On 14 July 2016, a woman from Kent was jailed for 3 years after sending Twitter messages to Denise where she posed as one of his killers and as James’ ghost.
Venables: Evil Unforgotten – On 2 March 2010, the Ministry of Justice revealed that Venables (pictured above as a child) was returned to prison for a violation of his release which were later revealed to be child pornography charges. Denise later said she was angry that the parole board didn’t inform her of the return to prison and called for his anonymity to be stripped if he’s charged. On 21 June 2010, Venables was charged with possession and distribution of indecent images of children. It was alleged he downloaded 57 images over a 12 month period and allowed other people to access this images through a P2P network. On 23 July, he appeared at a court hearing via video link, visible only to the judge during the hearing. He pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 2 years in prison.
At the hearing, it came out that he had posed in chat room as a 35 year old woman called Dawn Smith, married from Liverpool who boasted about abusing her 8 year old daughter in the hope of receiving further child pornography. Venables then contacted his parole officer in February 2010, fearing his identity was compromised as his place of work. When the officer came to Venables house, he was attempting to remove the hard drive from his computer with a knife and tin opener. The officer was suspicious and the computer was seized leading to the discovery of child pornography which included children as young as 2 being raped and the penetrative rape of 7/8 year olds.
The High Court also heard that Venables had been arrested on suspicion of affray (disturbance of peace) in September 2008 following a drunken street fight. Later in the same year he was cautioned for possession of cocaine.
After Venables was jailed in 2010, allegations were reported of his sexual encounters with a female member of staff in a secure unit where he served his original sentence. When Venables was 17, he was alleged to have had sex with a woman who worked at the Red Bank secure centre. The member of staff was accused of sexual misconduct and was suspended. A spokeswoman for St. Helen’s Borough Council denied the incident was covered up, saying “All allegations were thoroughly investigated by an independent team on the orders of the Home Office and chaired by Arthur de Frischling, a retired prison governer.”
In March 2002, when Venables began living alone, he began a relationship with a woman who had a 5 year old child. It’s not known whether at this time Venables was already downloading child porn, although at the time of dating the woman he said he never met the child. In 2005, when he was 23, he was seen to have had a 17 year old girlfriend. His string of ‘young girlfriends’ presumed that Venables was havng a delayed adolesence. During a period of reduced supervision, Venables began drinking hard, taking drugs, downloading child porn as well as visiting Merseyside (a bread of his probation). In 2008, a new probation officer noted he spent a lot of time on the internet. On 2 separate occasions, Venables revealed his true identity to a friend.
My Opinion – In my opinion, these two boys should have always been tried and treated as adults. From the time we’re babies, we’re told not to touch things, or not to say things. And so by the time we’re 10 years old, I think it’s pretty safe to say we know not to abduct and kill innocent children. Thompson and Venables are disgusting human beings. Although Thompson has recouperated and is apparently doing well, Venables should be locked away. You cannot blame the crimes he has committed since being released on ‘delayed adolesence’. Venables is a sick, twisted human being and should never have been set free from prison.
Murders, Mysteries and Missing 