But that is the common lot of thousands of 10-year-olds who have not turned into murderers. This would have put Jon in a particularly arduous position, as the couples only excelling child, and as author Gitta Sereny observed from her time spent with the Venables in 1994, forcing this middle child, Jon, for a long time, perhaps unconsciously, to compensate his mother for her two problem children, put an enormous weight of responsibility on this child virtually from the time he was born., As Susan struggled to manage her two disadvantaged children day to day, Neil was the familys breadwinner, working as a forklift driver. Will you tell his mum I'm sorry?". It is not known whether the boy watched any of his father's adult movies. One woman asked how James had injured his forehead. On Sundays he used to watch Thunderbirds. The bleached houses were peppered with burglar alarms, the shabby ones did not look worth the trouble. If it suited his moodwhich it frequently didBobby would beat the boys, curse at them, and threaten to send them to a home for children who misbehaved. Instead, she was involved in an ITV documentary with Sir Trevor McDonald that will air on Thursday. His mother, Susan, attributed this behavior with peer pressure and hyperactivity, and put him on a special diet, though it did nothing to quell his frequent emotional outbursts. Susan Venables, mother of Jon, blamed her son's "weakness" for the killing and said he was "fearful" and "provoked" by his accomplice Robert Thompson. Murder of James Bulger. When social workers came round, they did so to see his sister and his brother, who had learning difficulties and was receiving special education. The days James was abducted, February 12 1993, I was a young reporter in my home city of Liverpool. His mother especially has been a tower of strength, says the source. Grey Heron. It was so stressful trying to contain him. Facebook gives people the power. His mother was not so keen on the idea - they cost pounds 35 each. "'It wasnt fair to interview him. si fs. Both had parents who had separated. But his comment sparked anger from viewers. S. Susan venables. This time we came together in shock and disbelief. He is far from it. On countless occasions, Bobby battered his wife, once causing her to miscarry, and his temper didnt stop at his wife. His mother cared about him. Everton was his team. The shock in the city was plain to see, but it wasn't just in Liverpool that people stared at the CCTV pictures of the boy holding James' hand, while another led the way to the exit of the shopping centre where a frantic Denise Bulger would have been desperately looking for her child. 'His mum was more strict. Yes, these things are important, but trust. As a new documentary is set to air on ITV, the haunting words of Jon Venables' parents have resurfaced. For weeks, she stayed in bed, not bothering to tend to the children, and when she finally did reemerge, she readily admitted she drank from morning to night, but had stopped taking the pills. wo. Given the Venables family history, it was later suggested that Jon could arguably have been affected by an undiagnosed disorder at the time, and was clearly emotionally underdeveloped. Denise was in court that day. It is about a Good Guy doll invaded by the spirit of a mass murderer who kills people in gruesome ways. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The beginnings of the friendship were inauspicious enough. kl. That seems the very least they could face for what they did. She said an educational psychologist had diagnosed hyperactivity in her son, who was bullied at his previous school. Express. It seems likely that he was bullied. Kids fantasise about such things. A day later she would face much worse. Susan seemed happy with the arrangement, although, for the children, this type of relationship would have been just one more confusing anomaly to cope with in the wake of an already confusing time in their young lives. A sudden pause in the tapes and one of the officers appeared in person to describe how he asked Neil and Susan Venables to leave the room because he thought Jon wanted to tell him something. He has had his holidays like everyone else. I would get him something like a cartoon.". Not for long though. That's the thing that upsets me because obviously where I was standing poor little James must have been not. Susan Venable - we found 141 people search records: 55 CVs and social profiles with photos, 50 addresses & phone numbers, 1 real estate objects, 6 Susan Venable's cars, 2 companies. His mother gave him pocket money to buy them. View the profiles of people named Susan Venables. . 'If, in their own lives, they have had it extremely tough and been bullied and neglected and abused then they end up rapidly having to prove themselves to be extremely tough and invulnerable - a bit like Arnold Shwarzenegger in The Terminator. But however hollow a gesture it might have seemed, those who are in touch with the Thompson and Venables families insist that they have sought to make some sort of amends with their sons after the horrific events of 17 years ago that will rightly stay with them for the rest of their lives. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. . I thought he was all right, Jon said of Robert during his police interviews. Hope. Get out and get into Dyson Hall children's centre, the only residential care school in the country just outside Liverpool. It is just heartbreaking.". But his outbursts of anger grew worse and he was suspended for trying to throttle a boy with a ruler. By now the Venables were reunited as a result of the court case. It is claimed that taxpayers could have to fork out another 250,000 to provide a new life when he is eventually released. Nature. They sat just feet from me, perched on the edge of their wooden seat, smartly dressed and hunched in shame just below their son, Jon. UK news in pictures 15 February 2023. portrayed him as the leader and evil one, says James Smith. The atmosphere in the courtroom was oppressive as the tension of a month was about to break. Grey seal pups on the beach at Horsey in Norfolk, as the pupping season draws to a close at one the UK's most important sites for the mammals. Egypt. Members of the Up Helly Aa 'Jarl Squad' parade through the streets in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon using a camera during her visit to BBC Studioworks in Glasgow, Passersby chat with the police as they arrive to see King Charles III and the Princess Royal attend a church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, People at a vigil at Lurgan Park in Lurgan, Co Armagh in memory of murder victim Natalie McNally and opposing violence against women, Firefighters use hoses to dampen down at the scene of a fire at St Marks Church in Hamilton Terrace, St Johns Wood, London, which has been destroyed by the blaze which began in the early hours of the morning, Huskies pull their musher during a training run before this weekends annual Aviemore Sled Dog Rally, in Feshiebridge, A knitted topper celebrating Burns Night placed on a post box in Alloway, Ayrshire, Deer graze during sunrise at Ashton Court Estate, Bristol, where clear misty skies and a cold morning brings frost across parts of the south west UK, Ambulance workers on the picket line outside the Donnington Ambulance Hub, at Donnington, near Telford, Shropshire. Susan Venables, now 53, suffered from severe depres-sion and struggled with her two other children, an older son and younger daughter, who suffered learning difficulties. He has had more love and attention than a lot of children I know. I do believe that she feels guilty deep down for her own part in what happened., Despite the risks of discovery, the relationship is said to have contin- ued to thrive following Thompsons. His parents, Susan and Neil, accompanied him during the interview process. A video still of James Bulger, aged 2 years old, being led away in the 'New Strand' shopping centre. 'Sometimes I told Robbie to do things so he does,' he told a police officer, with pride in his voice. The Royal Mint of a 50p coin featuring Professor Albus Dumbledore as part of a Harry Potter-themed collection. and things like that is that he was frightened. "It is hard to take in really. To do that he put on the witness stand all those people who had seen the three boys on the route from the shopping centre to the railway line. The couple, who are living together again after a partial separation, said their feelings towards Jon had not changed despite the terrible crime. When a police officer asked him why he didn't rescue James bleeding on the railway lines he replied: ' 'Cos blood stains, doesn't it, and then me mother would have to pay more money. In 2010, Meggie Atkinson, then children's commissioner for England, called for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 12 in light of the trial. They occasionally exchanged furtive glances. She acknowledged her son had committed a terrible crime but claimed that her innocent younger children were being denied a proper education because of having to abandon their homes to escape attacks. Venables was a different creature. When he played truant he was scared she would come and find him. In the last few years she stopped drinking in the Top House and tried to keep things together. Ann and Bobby fought regularly in front of the children, with virtually all of the fights leading to physical violence. JON Venables's family was far from affluent, but it was not as close to the breadline as Robert's. Walton Village Financial Services would lend you pounds 300 for Christmas and demand a total of pounds 460 in repayment. The trial though didnt, and was never designed to, shed light on how two such young children could be guilty of such sustained barbarity. The only sign he was discomforted by hearing it was a near constant pulling of his tongue in his hands. 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. Ann denied the physical abuse, but later admitted to being cruel to the boys at times. What they did was exceptionally unpleasant and the fact that a little boy ended up dead is not something the nation can easily forget. As a result of the incident, Jon's mother decided to move him to another school. The mayor of Preston accused them of being sick ghouls, but still they came, queuing up for tickets two hours before proceedings began. His mother called him hyperactive since, even more than his friend, he was scarcely able to sit still. Jon spent Sunday to Thursday with his mum and the rest of every week with his dad. The appearance in court this week of Venables, now a 35-year-old man, on charges of possessing indecent images of children, was a jarring reminder that, still a quarter of a century on, his rehabilitation is more an ambition than a reality. Venables parents were divorced but still lived within a stones throw of one another and were both involved in their sons upbringing. "I don't think we went wrong as parents at all. Words with the drawing, full of spelling mistakes and grammatical. They were in the Strand shopping centre in Bootle when the brother wandered off. They probably weren't out to kill someone, but they were probably out to ruin someone else's happiness. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. David Sharrock, Maggie O'Kane, and Edward Pilkington look at the lives of the rebels who turned to killing, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. She was a happy baby, much happier than her eldest brother had been, but as she grew older, Susan began noticing that she, too, appeared lazy, and was not as advanced as Jon. In the business world, too many people think it's all about being hard, tough, ambitious, or having grit. Venables was caught with 1,170 indecent photos of children on his laptop, the Old Bailey was told. 'They would say 'take your son home'. Thompson & Venebales. He said he was frightened of Robert's older brother. Join Facebook to connect with Susan Venables and others you may know. Not really?. I wish we could turn the clocks back,' Mrs Venables, 36, said. Forlorn hope, though. Jon was slim in build and taller than Robert, just over five feet. James Bulger was weeks away from his third birthday, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson behaved very differently in court, Mother who killed her five children euthanised, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Alex Murdaugh jailed for life for double murder, US sues Exxon over nooses found at Louisiana plant, Zoom boss Greg Tomb fired without cause. Susan was known as the town " whore". Both had a need to attract attention, which they achieved through a host of petty rebellions. Mrs Venables described how she searched for Jon. Money, or his family's lack of it, preyed on his mind. this weekend for breaching the terms of his early release, the parents of both the Bulger killers continue to stand by them. Weeping, she said: 'I wasn't actually on the railway track because there is a fence, but I went up the side. But his progress took a nose dive in September 1991 when he was transferred into another class. Ultimately, however, the couples indifferences led to separation, and they were eventually divorced in 1986. Born on August 13th, 1982, Jon was the middle child of Neil and Susan Venables. The phone-in programme, as ever, was a place to turn to try to find reasons - evil, poverty, neglect, possessed anything to explain what felt inexplicable. sp. Neston Town Council unveil plans for Good Friday Easter Market, Drivers at risk of a 1,000 fine for these simple number plate mistakes, Trip Advisor: Six best Chinese restaurants in Wirral, 'Pubs need to adapt' if they are going to survive the times ahead, Birchwood company donates huge 45,000 to children's hospice, Series of strict conditions placed on dog after Widnes attack, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. Resentful of her husbands lack of involvement with the children, Susan conceded that the couple fought constantly, especially throughout 1983, but maintained that Neil had never been aggressive towards her, nor had she hit him. It was during this time that Susan, having suffered from clinical depression for many years, had experienced what were later described as two traumatic incidences, both of which Jon would have witnessed. He had been quiet that weekend, they said, but they had thought that was because his mother had taken him to the police station on the Friday evening for playing truant. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter', Why half of India's urban women stay at home. Look at mine. 'In my opinion he was victimised. qu fy. His grip was so strong that it took two people to pry Jon off of the boy. 'It's always our family that gets the blame,' Robert said to police after he was arrested for James's murder. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. But apart from his brother, Robert struggled to build friendships. 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.'. Forensic and pathology evidence was a huge challenge for everyone, not least the jury who were shown pictures of James injuries. fun to be with" and always had plenty of friends. Thompson, who gained five GCSEs and A-levels in design and technology, is said to have developed an interest in theatre. The couple, who also have a 13- year-old son, who has learning difficulties, and a 9-year-old daughter, denied that Jon was bullied by his brother or that he watched violent horror films at home.