Criminals in Britain: The James Bulger Case
In the UK, our prisons are known for being rehabilitation orientated centres, where prisoners can go to get help for their mental health and well-being and make them see the crimes they have committed as wrong, and to reform them into people who can be let back into the community. Generally, I think people are supportive of this approach to people who commit crimes against the community, and in the past I have done polls on if the death penalty should be brought back, as an example, and over 60% said no. American and European countries arguably focus on the punishment aspect rather than the reforming aspect that we Brits supposedly support. In the UK, young people who are criminals are sent to young people centres rather than adult prison; what Americans might call the 'juvy' equivalent. The Gov.UK website has more info on this if you want to take a look. Famous child killers include Mary Bell, Will Cornick and perhaps the case that shook England in the 90s, the case of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, who murdered toddler James Bulger, aged only 2.
The reason I chose to focus on the case of James Bulger in this post is because I was struck by a quote I read in The Sunday Times, whereby Robert Thompson stated he'd had a better life behind bars than he would have on the outside, an article you can read here. I didn't know how to feel about this statement and was horrified to think, initially, that our prison system had given this person a better life than was deserved for killing a toddler. However, I then remembered the life that Robert Thompson came from; one of poverty, abuse and neglect. I want to make it clear that I am in NO WAY defending what these two boys did to James Bulger, I am just trying to write out my thoughts which haven't left my mind since I read this quote.
James Patrick Bulger was born on March 16th 1990 to Denise Fergus and Ralph Bulger, in Kirkby, Merseyside in Liverpool. On the day of James' murder, him, his mother, his soon to be auntie and cousin all went shopping at The Strand shopping centre in Bootle. According to Denise Fergus, she 'held her sons hand' the entire time of the shopping trip, until she went to pay for the pork chops in the butchers, the last stop on their trip and the place James was led away from. There is not evidence to suggest Denise is lying, however it doesn't seem 100% plausible that she did keep her son by her side for the entire trip, and some witnesses have stated she was actually far ahead of her son, paying him no attention. James was known to be well behaved and a happy child, who lived in a small house with his family. The two boys who kidnapped James were very different to him in every aspect.
Robert was 10 years old and was from a family of 5 other brothers and an alcoholic mother and an absent father figure who beat his mother mercilessly before leaving the family as an alcoholic also. He lived in poverty and was regularly subject to brutal beatings from his brothers and mother. All the boys from the Thompson family became criminals, including one of the boys becoming a sex offender and also known for sexually assaulting his brothers. Robert was the 5th out of the 6 boys and arguably caused his little brother Ryan to take the same path of skipping school and crime as all the other boys had. Robert also took most of the heat for the case against James Bulger, and was supposedly the instigator for the murder.
Jon Venables was also from a poor household and actually showed to be more unstable mentally and predisposed to violence than the assumed ringleader, Thompson. Venables was 10 years old also, and had been living in Cheshire at the time of the crime. He and Robert met in school and often truanted together. Venables' mother apparently suffered from extremely severe depression and often beat her son.
The case is horrifying to read about, so if you are sensitive to child murder, or murder and torture in general, then I would advise caution when reading about what they did to James.
The two boys, Jon and Robert, were seen skipping school in The New Strand shopping centre on February 12th 1993. The two were supposedly picking out a toddler target, and had attempted to take a little boy already, but failed to successfully abduct him. They had also stolen batteries, a troll doll, blue paint and sweets, which were later used on James in acts of torture. It was later revealed that the plan was initially to abduct a child and 'push him into the oncoming traffic'. It was not the plan that unfolded.
James was taken away by the hand of Jon Venables, with Robert Thompson ahead of them, and they led him 2.5 miles away from the centre to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, where James was beaten and pushed into the canal. Shockingly, 38 people witnessed James being led away by the two boys, and only 2 stopped to question them due to James crying for his mother. The first man stopped them and got the reply that James was their brother. The second lady got the reply that they had found James and were taking him to the police station. The lady let them go on their way, with no offer of help. At this stage, a search for James had begun. The 3 eventually reached the village of Walton, and the 2 boys led James onto the railway tracks at Walton and Anfield railway station. This is where they began to end James' life.
*THIS IS VERY DISTURBING. PLEASE SKIP IF YOU NEED TO*
Paint was thrown in James' eyes, he was beaten with iron bars, bricks and beaten by the hands of the two boys. He had batteries put in his mouth, and supposedly in his anus although none were found there. The boys then dropped a 22 pound iron bar onto James. The case's pathologist stated that James had suffered so many hideously severe injuries it was not possible to tell which was the fatal blow. It was also noted that James was found mostly naked, and his genitals showed signs of sexual assault. The two boys had tied James to the railway track and weighed his head down in rubble, in the hopes of making his death seem like an accident. James' body was then abandoned and a train cut him in two. His body was found two days after the initial crime. It is known he would have died before he was struck by the train.
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The two boys were only suspected of the murder when a woman recognised Jon from this CCTV footage on national television, and she knew he had truanted school with Robert that day. The two boys were found with matching blue paint and blood on their clothing. They were then arrested on the suspicion of murdering James Bulger.
DNA testing and matching injuries were done from the crime scene and the boys, and it was proved they were the perpetrators of the case. You can hear in the interview audio given by Thompson that he was frightened to admit the crime as he would get the most blame as he had more blood on his clothes. You can also hear Venables' mother getting angry with him, which can also lead one to believe that this is why it took longer for the boys to openly admit their crime. You can listen to the interviews here. The boys were sent to trial and were known as 'child A' (Robert) and 'child B' (Jon). Nearly 500 people gathered to protest outside their court hearings, and the boys families were moved around the country after receiving death threats from the public. The trial was treated in an adult setting, with the boys away from their parents, on booster seats so they could see over the stand. This is one of the facts that really hits home about how young these two boys were. The boys both denied all charges against them, despite admitting it in the interviews. - In 1999 the European court of human rights ruled that the boys had received an unfair trail seeing as it was an adult setting and very public. This comes up later in the case.
It was stated by the court psychiatrist that Thompson and Venables were suffering PTSD from the attack on Bulger, and that Thompson was aware of right and wrong. The analysis on Venables also indicated that he, with 100% certainty, knew right from wrong. The boys did not speak in court, as the 20 hours worth of interview audio was used in court instead. Thomspon was dubbed as the leader of the crime, however it seemed to appear Venables was the one who decided on abducting a child to begin with. Evidence was also produced and explained at the trail for a whole 33 minutes. The boys were convicted of James Bulger's murder and were detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure. The judge said he wanted to sentence them for at least 8 years.
The sentence was played with for a long while, with their time being increased to 10 years, and then overturned, despite public outrage. After the trail the boys were to be separated for life, with Thompson being held at Barton Moss Secure Care Centre in Manchester and Venables detained in Vardy House in St. Helen's, Merseyside. The two were told to keep their identities a secret. They got to have education, including A-Levels, whilst in detention as well as rehabilitation. It was said that Jon made great achievements whilst at Vardy House and was kept there for 8 years despite it being a short stay unit, however it must be said he was found to have had sex with a female worker at the centre later on, which questions his true progress. The two boys cost around £3000 a week to house. In 1999 the two appealed to the European court about their unfair trail due to its public nature and 'charged atmosphere'. The court denied the charges that the trial was 'inhuman' but agreed that the atmosphere was not suitable for 11 year old children, as they were at the time of the trial.
In 2001 the parole board stated the two boys were no longer a danger to society and could be released back into the English public. Both men were given new identities and moved to new locations whilst under protection, and they even got new national insurance numbers, passports etc. The conditions for their release were that they could not contact each other, or the Bulger family, they could not return to Merseyside as well as having curfews they had to abide and report for. An injunction was then put on the media in order to protect the new identities of Jon and Robert.
James Bulger's parents had another son after his death, but subsequently divorced in 1995. Denise married Stuart Fergus and she had a further two sons. Ralph Bulger also remarried and now has 3 daughters. It can be said that their sons death was the leading factor in their divorce.
The Manchester Evening News newspaper in 2001 published an article which hinted at the two men's new locations; a violation of the media injunction. They were fined £30,000 and had to pay a further £120,000. Denise told that she was also given a clue as to where Thompson's new location was, but she was 'so filled with hatred' that she could not bring herself to confront him. (I call bullshit but ok)...The Children's Commissioner Maggie Atkinson also said in 2010 that the boys should have not been prosecuted and should have had a program by which they could have been reformed. It was then called for that the legal age of criminal responsibility be raised from 10 to 12 years old.
This was not, however, the last we would hear from Venables.
In March of 2010, Venables was returned to prison on charges of child pornography possessions, which he plead guilty to and was given 2 years inside. He was also found to have been accused of street fighting and the possession of cocaine, and had been posing on a chatroom as a married woman who abused her daughter, in an attempt to get more pornographic images. Venables began living independently in 2002, however he eventually began to indulge in narcotics and alcohol as well as visiting Merseyside, which breached his licence. It was also told on 2 occasions, Venables revealed himself to be Jon Venables to a friend. In 2011, Venables was given a new identity, which cost further millions of pounds, and was released in 2013...only to be back in prison in 2017 on child abuse imagery charges. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison due to pleading guilty to having category A, B and C images of child pornography. His new release date has not been revealed. It was said that Thompson has been rehabilitated since his crime and is living with his male partner and he has not re-offended since. Revealing the two men and their new identities can hold up to a 2 year prison sentence. A great video on the case by Bella Fiori can be seen here.
I suppose now to wrap this whole thing up I have to ask, what do you think? Do you think that our prison system is too weak, or is it right to rehabilitate prisoners? The two murderers were never put in an adult prison, only young offenders centres, which also makes me ask you, was this right? And should children of ages 10 or 12 be responsible for their actions? I am still undecided on all these matters. All I know is that James Bulger was a very very unfortunate victim of a hideous crime, and no one shall ever forget it.
The reason I chose to focus on the case of James Bulger in this post is because I was struck by a quote I read in The Sunday Times, whereby Robert Thompson stated he'd had a better life behind bars than he would have on the outside, an article you can read here. I didn't know how to feel about this statement and was horrified to think, initially, that our prison system had given this person a better life than was deserved for killing a toddler. However, I then remembered the life that Robert Thompson came from; one of poverty, abuse and neglect. I want to make it clear that I am in NO WAY defending what these two boys did to James Bulger, I am just trying to write out my thoughts which haven't left my mind since I read this quote.
James Patrick Bulger was born on March 16th 1990 to Denise Fergus and Ralph Bulger, in Kirkby, Merseyside in Liverpool. On the day of James' murder, him, his mother, his soon to be auntie and cousin all went shopping at The Strand shopping centre in Bootle. According to Denise Fergus, she 'held her sons hand' the entire time of the shopping trip, until she went to pay for the pork chops in the butchers, the last stop on their trip and the place James was led away from. There is not evidence to suggest Denise is lying, however it doesn't seem 100% plausible that she did keep her son by her side for the entire trip, and some witnesses have stated she was actually far ahead of her son, paying him no attention. James was known to be well behaved and a happy child, who lived in a small house with his family. The two boys who kidnapped James were very different to him in every aspect.
Robert was 10 years old and was from a family of 5 other brothers and an alcoholic mother and an absent father figure who beat his mother mercilessly before leaving the family as an alcoholic also. He lived in poverty and was regularly subject to brutal beatings from his brothers and mother. All the boys from the Thompson family became criminals, including one of the boys becoming a sex offender and also known for sexually assaulting his brothers. Robert was the 5th out of the 6 boys and arguably caused his little brother Ryan to take the same path of skipping school and crime as all the other boys had. Robert also took most of the heat for the case against James Bulger, and was supposedly the instigator for the murder.
Jon Venables was also from a poor household and actually showed to be more unstable mentally and predisposed to violence than the assumed ringleader, Thompson. Venables was 10 years old also, and had been living in Cheshire at the time of the crime. He and Robert met in school and often truanted together. Venables' mother apparently suffered from extremely severe depression and often beat her son.
The case is horrifying to read about, so if you are sensitive to child murder, or murder and torture in general, then I would advise caution when reading about what they did to James.
The two boys, Jon and Robert, were seen skipping school in The New Strand shopping centre on February 12th 1993. The two were supposedly picking out a toddler target, and had attempted to take a little boy already, but failed to successfully abduct him. They had also stolen batteries, a troll doll, blue paint and sweets, which were later used on James in acts of torture. It was later revealed that the plan was initially to abduct a child and 'push him into the oncoming traffic'. It was not the plan that unfolded.
James was taken away by the hand of Jon Venables, with Robert Thompson ahead of them, and they led him 2.5 miles away from the centre to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, where James was beaten and pushed into the canal. Shockingly, 38 people witnessed James being led away by the two boys, and only 2 stopped to question them due to James crying for his mother. The first man stopped them and got the reply that James was their brother. The second lady got the reply that they had found James and were taking him to the police station. The lady let them go on their way, with no offer of help. At this stage, a search for James had begun. The 3 eventually reached the village of Walton, and the 2 boys led James onto the railway tracks at Walton and Anfield railway station. This is where they began to end James' life.
*THIS IS VERY DISTURBING. PLEASE SKIP IF YOU NEED TO*
Paint was thrown in James' eyes, he was beaten with iron bars, bricks and beaten by the hands of the two boys. He had batteries put in his mouth, and supposedly in his anus although none were found there. The boys then dropped a 22 pound iron bar onto James. The case's pathologist stated that James had suffered so many hideously severe injuries it was not possible to tell which was the fatal blow. It was also noted that James was found mostly naked, and his genitals showed signs of sexual assault. The two boys had tied James to the railway track and weighed his head down in rubble, in the hopes of making his death seem like an accident. James' body was then abandoned and a train cut him in two. His body was found two days after the initial crime. It is known he would have died before he was struck by the train.
************************************************************************************************
The two boys were only suspected of the murder when a woman recognised Jon from this CCTV footage on national television, and she knew he had truanted school with Robert that day. The two boys were found with matching blue paint and blood on their clothing. They were then arrested on the suspicion of murdering James Bulger.
DNA testing and matching injuries were done from the crime scene and the boys, and it was proved they were the perpetrators of the case. You can hear in the interview audio given by Thompson that he was frightened to admit the crime as he would get the most blame as he had more blood on his clothes. You can also hear Venables' mother getting angry with him, which can also lead one to believe that this is why it took longer for the boys to openly admit their crime. You can listen to the interviews here. The boys were sent to trial and were known as 'child A' (Robert) and 'child B' (Jon). Nearly 500 people gathered to protest outside their court hearings, and the boys families were moved around the country after receiving death threats from the public. The trial was treated in an adult setting, with the boys away from their parents, on booster seats so they could see over the stand. This is one of the facts that really hits home about how young these two boys were. The boys both denied all charges against them, despite admitting it in the interviews. - In 1999 the European court of human rights ruled that the boys had received an unfair trail seeing as it was an adult setting and very public. This comes up later in the case.
It was stated by the court psychiatrist that Thompson and Venables were suffering PTSD from the attack on Bulger, and that Thompson was aware of right and wrong. The analysis on Venables also indicated that he, with 100% certainty, knew right from wrong. The boys did not speak in court, as the 20 hours worth of interview audio was used in court instead. Thomspon was dubbed as the leader of the crime, however it seemed to appear Venables was the one who decided on abducting a child to begin with. Evidence was also produced and explained at the trail for a whole 33 minutes. The boys were convicted of James Bulger's murder and were detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure. The judge said he wanted to sentence them for at least 8 years.
The sentence was played with for a long while, with their time being increased to 10 years, and then overturned, despite public outrage. After the trail the boys were to be separated for life, with Thompson being held at Barton Moss Secure Care Centre in Manchester and Venables detained in Vardy House in St. Helen's, Merseyside. The two were told to keep their identities a secret. They got to have education, including A-Levels, whilst in detention as well as rehabilitation. It was said that Jon made great achievements whilst at Vardy House and was kept there for 8 years despite it being a short stay unit, however it must be said he was found to have had sex with a female worker at the centre later on, which questions his true progress. The two boys cost around £3000 a week to house. In 1999 the two appealed to the European court about their unfair trail due to its public nature and 'charged atmosphere'. The court denied the charges that the trial was 'inhuman' but agreed that the atmosphere was not suitable for 11 year old children, as they were at the time of the trial.
In 2001 the parole board stated the two boys were no longer a danger to society and could be released back into the English public. Both men were given new identities and moved to new locations whilst under protection, and they even got new national insurance numbers, passports etc. The conditions for their release were that they could not contact each other, or the Bulger family, they could not return to Merseyside as well as having curfews they had to abide and report for. An injunction was then put on the media in order to protect the new identities of Jon and Robert.
James Bulger's parents had another son after his death, but subsequently divorced in 1995. Denise married Stuart Fergus and she had a further two sons. Ralph Bulger also remarried and now has 3 daughters. It can be said that their sons death was the leading factor in their divorce.
The Manchester Evening News newspaper in 2001 published an article which hinted at the two men's new locations; a violation of the media injunction. They were fined £30,000 and had to pay a further £120,000. Denise told that she was also given a clue as to where Thompson's new location was, but she was 'so filled with hatred' that she could not bring herself to confront him. (I call bullshit but ok)...The Children's Commissioner Maggie Atkinson also said in 2010 that the boys should have not been prosecuted and should have had a program by which they could have been reformed. It was then called for that the legal age of criminal responsibility be raised from 10 to 12 years old.
This was not, however, the last we would hear from Venables.
In March of 2010, Venables was returned to prison on charges of child pornography possessions, which he plead guilty to and was given 2 years inside. He was also found to have been accused of street fighting and the possession of cocaine, and had been posing on a chatroom as a married woman who abused her daughter, in an attempt to get more pornographic images. Venables began living independently in 2002, however he eventually began to indulge in narcotics and alcohol as well as visiting Merseyside, which breached his licence. It was also told on 2 occasions, Venables revealed himself to be Jon Venables to a friend. In 2011, Venables was given a new identity, which cost further millions of pounds, and was released in 2013...only to be back in prison in 2017 on child abuse imagery charges. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison due to pleading guilty to having category A, B and C images of child pornography. His new release date has not been revealed. It was said that Thompson has been rehabilitated since his crime and is living with his male partner and he has not re-offended since. Revealing the two men and their new identities can hold up to a 2 year prison sentence. A great video on the case by Bella Fiori can be seen here.
I suppose now to wrap this whole thing up I have to ask, what do you think? Do you think that our prison system is too weak, or is it right to rehabilitate prisoners? The two murderers were never put in an adult prison, only young offenders centres, which also makes me ask you, was this right? And should children of ages 10 or 12 be responsible for their actions? I am still undecided on all these matters. All I know is that James Bulger was a very very unfortunate victim of a hideous crime, and no one shall ever forget it.
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