"Pure evil, I will never change my mind about that.". 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. That was off limits. He was abducted, tortured and murdered by two ten-year-old boys, Robert Thompson (born 23 August 1982) and Jon Venables (born 13 August 1982). Andrew Chapman for MailOnline, Bulger killer recalled to prison over 'child porn offence' as Straw continues to deny public the truth, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Mark Gordon arrives at Crawley Police Station after remains found, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' Robert Thompson and Jon Venables shocked the world when they murdered toddler James Bulger in 1993. They went out that day to kill I truly believe that. Imagine if you had a child that died, knowing that they could still be around if it wasn't for a stupid judge in another country who thought Robert Thompson was fit for the public. He said: "Jon Venables and I did not speak to each other at all, as I remember, during the attack. He just dealt with it in a very cool, confident way, like a mini Clint Eastwood. For other inquiries, Contact Us. He was a real mummys boy and she visited him every three days. He was born on November 21, 1947, in Conway . I actually supported them being released at 18. Picture: Supplied Now Venables is reportedly terrified of being attacked or killed in jail, where he is serving time following a recent conviction for downloading child pornography, and has begged authorities for an operation to change his looks. But he denied the pair sexually assaulted James before killing him and revealed he and Venables never spoke about the attack. He was a 10-yr-old kid then. Is it the goriness? * ..and effectively granted them their freedom early 2001 subject to a Parole Board decision. The crimes of the 10-year-old killers horrified Britain. Also jon venables should not of got another new identity after he blew his cover but then again who am i to comment on this when my belief is an eye for an eye. 3 Robert Thompson murdered two-year-old James Bulger. The confession "means a lot to me," said James Churchill, who in 1984 was the lieutenant in charge of the major crimes unit of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and supervised the Marshall investigation. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. They were clearly very close.. A child psychologist explains why children aren't held responsible for their crimes, in documentary 'The Bulger Killers: Was Justice Done?' What would you do? It's disgusting. Any breach of this order, effective worldwide, is a contempt of court punishable by up to two years in prison and an unlimited fine. Robert Mueller, director, FBI, and George Tenet, director, CIA greet Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., and Joseph Lieberman, D-CT., before the start of full. The manager would even send someone to get them a cup of tea while they chatted. Normally when the offenders are released, we know the date and have a chance to say goodbye properly. It is believed Thompson remains in a long-term relationship with a man who knows his real identity. Post continues. And in 2018, he was sentenced to 40 months after admitting to possessing more than 1,000 child abuse images and the pedophile manual. Mrs Thompson said: 'They are all saying he told lies . This week 23 years ago, a NSW mum did the unthinkable. On February 12, 1993, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables abducted a 2-year-old boy named James Bulger from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, England. I would say we had a good professional relationship. I didnt feel it was possible for me to make an admission of my involvement, having seen the public reaction to the crime, and to myself and Jon Venables as the people accused of that crime. Venables and Thompson were released in 2001 on life licence after serving eight years for the murder of James who was battered on a railway line. I'm reluctant to say this because it will reveal a lot about where i am and who I'm talking about, but the UK public does know about this. 2023 Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. info@mindenpictures.com 831 661 5551 Login Register. Heres what will happen if you start a rumour on the where abouts of Robert Thompson So some one from the Isle Of Man, is the first person to be convicted of spreading lies about the whereabouts. His identity is protected by a worldwide injunction - meaning that even trying to find out where he lives could land you in jail. Menu. 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". And if they hadnt been caught I fear they would have struck again. He was treated with kid gloves and underpinning it all was this fear that something might happen to him, that something might go wrong.. Then, according to your theory, he raped and murdered a 6-year-old girl. They were a match made in hell. Though not much is known about his current whereabouts, he is reportedly in a stable relationship with a man who is fully aware of his past. It's not on hiding information about anything else he might do. His comments came after it was reported that James Bulgers killer, now 27, had carried out a sickening sex attack. He simply fell into the routine and seemed to put it all behind him.. The photographs, seen by news.com.au, were posted by a vigilante who has been circulating information about Venables and his co-accused Robert Thompson on Twitter since 2013. Thompson was the fifth of seven children, born on August 23, 1982, in Liverpool, England. The statements also reveal that Venables, now back in jail for possessing indecent images, reacted angrily when told Sun readers collected coupons calling for him to be locked up for life. So Robert Thompson got out of jail and was moved somewhere, given a new name etc. Clickhereto upload yours. I just feel extremely uneasy knowing that hes killed another child and almost no one knows about it. We all feared that a premature disclosure of information would undermine the integrity of the criminal justice process, including the investigation and potential prosecution of individuals. Not surprisingly, he was monosyllabic and sullen when we were first introduced, like all the children when they first arrive, he said. What makes you think we have any right to know? Thompson was the Pied Piper. Though Bulgers mother Denise Fergus had been holding his hand, she had briefly let go to pay for groceries, only to look down with horror and realize that her child had vanished. They first attempted to lure a three-year-old girl and her two-year-old brother away from their mother. 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). I should say permanent solitary confinement because apparently there was a "hit" placed on him by the other inmates because of the crime that he is in jail for. There was also a young rapist in his unit. Something went wrong, please try again later. Though they were known to be rule-breakers, they mostly dabbled in low-level criminal activity, like stealing small items from stores and throwing them down mall escalators. Or the simple attraction of a good story? During their November 1993 trial, the world was equally shocked and outraged that two young boys could have the capacity to viciously murder a toddler. Since then, the two men have taken vastly different paths. . James Bulger was two when he was murdered on 12 February 1993. "The reality is that the case for varying the injunction has simply not been made.". Laurence Lee represented Jon Venables. He says he is a dead man walking and is terrified once people discover who he is he will be killed, a prison source told The Star. During his trial, he was obsessed with watching the reports of the case, seeing the van on TV driving him to court. Jon cried his eyes out through court, Robert sat a stared at the judges/jury trying to psych them out, apparantly bored kicking his shoes off and has never showed any remorse during the trial. DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. And why on earth would you want to!? But there was another mugshot taken that day, and another boy found guilty of this unbelievably despicable crime. Tina McGuire breached a worldwide ban on revealing Jon Venables's current identity by. Jon Venables was sent back to prison because he faces extremely serious allegations, Justice Secretary Jack Straw admitted yesterday. All Rights Reserved. Venables and Thompson abducted, tortured and killed two-year-old James in Liverpool in 1993 when they were both aged just 10. February 17, 2022. He's laughing at everyone because he keeps winning. And even by 2000, top child psychiatrist Sir Michael Rutter claimed the risk posed by Venables on his release was "trivial". While growing up, his family moved around a lot, between Michigan, Indiana and Florida. They went out that day to kill I truly believe that. Malone, 55, admitted to retweeting the post but claimed she had no idea she was doing anything wrong. If he committed a crime like you describe then he'd be back in prison and then would be tried for it. Because of this, theres not a lot known about Thompsons post-prison life. Staff were unaware if the relationship became sexual, but they would kiss and cuddle during recreation time before being separated. It was hard for all of us who worked there. Press J to jump to the feed. A freak of nature. Join Facebook to connect with Robert Thompson and others you may know. He was then told that hed have to wait two more years before hed be eligible for parole again. Following his eight-year sentence for the horrific crime, Robert Thompson was freed and given a new identity. 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. two men were given suspended prison sentences, Protest erupts after Projects Jesus sex joke, Trauma after cannibal killer crime scene. Thompson, who was seen as the more dominant of the two and, according to Venables police statement was the one who started throwing bricks at him (James) first, has not been in trouble since. The 36-year-old has not re-offended since being released on licence when he was 18 years old. At first, he would ask us when the news was on but he very quickly learned the times of all the bulletins, so in the end we would just leave him with the remote control. She was there for about a year before being released.. Wait, I'm confused. Statements made by Robert Thompson, the accomplice to Jon Venables in the murder of Bulger, have been released. They also said that neither boy was a sociopath. He was extremely persuasive, and used this to extract what he wanted from senior staff. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Sometimes he might tilt his head to one side, or look down slightly, if anyone looked at him for too long. Mr Grieve said the public interest required the prosecution to guard against the very real risk of serious physical harm or death to anyone who might be identified, whether correctly or incorrectly, as being either of the killers. He had a good sense of humour and picked up on staff jokes that the rest of the kids wouldnt get. 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. L.A. As for Venables, he was also born in Liverpool, and just a few days before Thompson, on August 13, 1982. Though a train came and severed Bulgers body in two it was obvious that his demise was no accident. Thompson claimed he pleaded not guilty to murder for fear of revenge attacks. I was close to him but I had to keep reminding myself what he had done. We pay for videos too. This seemed to strike a chord with him and he quickly changed his mind., He added: Robert was easy enough to get along with but was never a touchy-feely kind of guy. In any case, there was one woman who never let him down his mother. Venables knows that there are plenty of people who are willing to do a life sentence to have him dead. Robert Thompson was just 10 when he and Jon Venables killed two-year-old James Bulger. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. It just wasnt in his make up.. Apparently they all know, but they have signed agreements not to say anything, plus British law forbids media discussion on the matter. At least two images purporting to be recent snaps of Jon Venables, now 35, were leaked to Twitter along with his new name and the prison in which he is currently incarcerated. By Thompson and Venables eventually arrived near a railway track in Walton. Get me one now. In the wake of baiting the baby away from a retail plaza in Bootle, Merseyside, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables seized, tortured, and killed him in 1993. Minden Pictures is recognized worldwide as the foremost provider of wildlife and nature stock photography for use by publishing and advertising professionals. Its not about receiving thanks or whether I personally would achieve anything. All times AEDT (GMT +11). It is a stupid conspiracy theory. She turned to drink and fell into depression, as well as allegedly trying to take her own life with an overdose. We pay for your stories! Robert and Jon would sexually abuse, assault, and murder Bulger before dumping his body. Abducted: CCTV footage shows Robert Thomson and Jon . Even if i wanted money for this, it wouldn't make a difference would it? But I believe Venables in particular put enormous temptation out there by posting pictures of himself on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Somewhere in Britain, possibly abroad, Robert Thompson would have doubtless watched the news last week with great interest. Venables soon blurted out, I did kill him. Venables, now 38, and his friend Robert Thompson were 10 in 1993 when they killed James (pictured), aged two, after taking him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside They said he would. I didnt have a clue it was illegal, she told the Daily Star on Sunday. Another investigator said Thompson "would cry whenever there would be an awkward situation," to avoid questioning. He devoured it all, oblivious to what was going on around him, said the social worker. . Wikimedia Commons James Bulger being kidnapped by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, as seen on CCTV footage. Start your FREE search now! Venables has reportedly now been moved to a segregated unit for his own safety and said to be on suicide watch. Robert Thompson, now 36, said he was a "better person" due to his years in jail for the 1993 abduction and murder that shocked the world. In 2013, two men were given suspended prison sentences for posting images they claimed to be of Venables and Thompson on Facebook in contravention of Britains Contempt of Court Act 1981. 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. In case your not familiar with the murder of Jamie Bulger, here is a link to some information. This was not confirmed and it is not known where he now lives. But they were against it. His body had been severed in two by a train. The Judges robes included gloves and a black cloth, which I asked my lawyers about, and the answer frightened me. A social worker who spent eight years observing his behaviour on a daily basis has come forward to reveal to The Mail on Sunday how Thompsons life unfolded during his time in detention. The staged picture of a boy with his eyes closed holding a stuffed toy was shared on Facebook to mock Robert Thompson in a family feud. -. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Robert Thompson and Venables became Britain's youngest killers for 250 years, James Bulger was snatched from his mum in a shopping mall in Merseyside, Denise Fergus shows previously unseen family photos of her murdered two-year-old son for a new documentary 'James Bulger: A Mother's Story with Trevor McDonald', Inside sinister rise of pink cocaine sweeping UK nightclubs as warring cartels battle to control 'Coca Cola of drugs', We live on Britain's WORST street - it's rife with drug addicts, crime & prostitutes we're terrified for our lives, Man 'naked and covered in blood' arrested before mum found 'murdered' at home as neighbours reveal hearing screams, Leicester 'explosion': Listen to massive 'sonic' boom that shook homes and rattled windows. The Liverpool railway embankment where James Bulgers body was found. Depends how much the Sun/Daily Mail were offering. The pair posted pictures on Twitter and Facebook purporting to depict Jon Venables and Robert Thompson as adults. Robert Lee Thompson. Though Thompson was believed to have been the leader of the James Bulger murder plot, he has never reoffended since hes been released. I'm angry! Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. l the answer is no to any of those then you should give up any ideas of ten minutes of fame and get on with your life. His father had abandoned the family early on, causing his depressed mother to turn to alcohol and even attempt suicide. Is this just another stupid conspiracy theory? Jamess mother Denise Fergus has called on Gordon Brown to lift the blanket of secrecy over Venables parole breach, as has Jamess father Ralph Bulger. Robert Thompson, Actor: L.A. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. It was as if nothing had happened. My wife was appalled that I was looking after Robert Thompson and it was the same with the partners of the other staff. If i found out down the line that my boyfriend was a murderer i'd be devastated but i guess what people don't know can't hurt em and all that huh? He also became adept at burning music CDs which he would sell to staff and other children for 1 each. Is it the goriness? Related articles Actress Tina Malone faces . I remember looking at the crowds passing him and thinking, If only you knew! Ive also seen him out drinking in pubs. And on one occasion the social worker met Thompson by chance at a major sporting event being held in the North-West. The portrait he paints may surprise: It is of someone who managed to divorce himself from a crime which shocked the world, who emerged from his secure unit aged 18 as a popular, likeable lad and, above all, singularly confident chillingly so. He was interested in sports shops and the latest trainers and would use the money hed saved up to buy a pair. 20:38 EST 06 Mar 2010 He was born. Once, he was involved in a confrontation with another youth, and he was really angry, but in a controlled sulky way. Robert Lee Thompson. Oh for goodness sake! He very quickly became influenced by the staff around him and turned into something else, someone more likeable, although he always had an unnerving tendency to look straight through you. There were frequent visits from Home Office officials who were always fussing over him, checking with him and the staff that he was all right. Though they were unsuccessful, Thompson and Venables didnt give up. "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).". American Aviator Charles Lindbergh Was A God Among Men Until He Revealed His Nazi Sympathies, Two Seattle Artists Face Federal Charges For Faking Native American Heritage To Sell Art, 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. In 2006, he graduated from Wayne High School, and proceeded to gain his B.S. ROBERT THOMPSON OBITUARY Robert Nile Thompson Fishers - Robert Nile Thompson, 84, of Fishers, Indiana passed away, Friday, June 5, 2020 surrounded by his loved ones. The media ban is on revealing the location/name/etc of Robert Thompson. Close friendships were forged and Thompson counted among his new pals a boy who had murdered his mother. The now-36-year-old was co-accused in the crime and equally found guilty of luring James away from New Strand Shopping Centre in Liverpool, England on 12 February 1993 before beating him to death. He must be 29 now. I am not au fait with the law.. Former Mr Universe Calum von Moger has issued a desperate plea after his brother disappeared last week, with police finding his car on Friday. His dad abandoned the family five years before Bulger's murder - leaving mum Ann devastated. But if he's in permanent solitary confinement - in prison - then he's not 'at large' and therefore not a threat to the public, correct? Thompson was held at Barton Moss near Manchester, where he cultivated an interest in subjects like art and theater. Robert was by no means alone in having committed a horrific crime, said the social worker. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. One day, he simply wasnt there any more, said the social worker, who quit the detention centre some years ago. The best of their '70s fetish records, Spoon's 'Gimme Fiction' is eleven impeccably-imperfect pop songs whose admixture of mysterioso slow burns, half-stoned character studies and Freedom Rock workouts feel as nervous and caustic as vintage Stones. Then he came over and we had a brief chat. RM G55MHP - Jon Venables's lawyer John Dickenson outside the High Court in London, after the judgement of Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf, who cut the minimum sentences to be served by the child killers of toddler James Bulger. But protected by draconian rules, Thompson, 27, has a new identity now, a new life, and according to someone who knew him well, is unlikely to make the same mistake as his former friend. Watch Now . The children were woken at 8.20am and, after getting showered and having breakfast, made their way to lessons. Initially, he displayed the complete opposite in fact. The allegations have revived interest in a case that shocked the nation ever since it emerged that Venables and his then friend, Robert Thompson, had abducted toddler James Bulger from a shopping . Both Venables and Thompson were released at age 18 in June 2001. Youve got to get me one. From the outset he was treated as a star prisoner and played up to it. I had a strange energy in me where I had to be doing something, getting chased, stealing something, getting into trouble, and Jon Venables with James Bulger was stopping me from doing this. Both Venables and Robert Thompson were given new identities by the court after being found guilty of murdering the toddler when they were 10 years old. They went out that day to kill I truly believe that. They spotted Bulger in a butcher shop and grabbed him. He will hate what has happened with Venables, because it will bring it all flooding back, and once more put his name in the spotlight.. Those responsible say they. "Pure evil, I will never change my mind about that.". A surveillance camera shows the abduction of two-year-old James Bulger from the Bootle. Injunction: Thompson and Venables new identities are protected. Barling, reading the old case files, found Kane to be . The kid killers were condemned to an adolescent detainment office, where they resided until their parole in 2001 at 18 years old. On March 4, 2019, it was announced Thompson's accomplice Jon Venables is to keep his anonymity after a judge ruled it would protect him from "serious violence". Austin Thompson was behind the deadly shooting spree in east Raleigh that began around 5 p.m. Thursday, local station WRAL reported, citing anonymous sources. Some witnesses later reported that the older boys roughed up Bulger in plain sight, kicking, punching, and shaking him. Aged ten, Thompson arrived at the detention centre in the North of England the day after his arrest in February 1993, and remained there until his release in 2001. This image became the one we picture when the murder is discussed, just as Jon Venables became the focus of discussions about the crime and the trial. But in 1993, these two British boys became cold-blooded killers and murdered a toddler. At first, Thompson denied everything. Most recently, Venables was denied parole in September 2020. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Your friend, the prison warden, is full of shit. PA Images/Getty ImagesThe Liverpool railway embankment where James Bulgers body was found. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. He devoured it all, oblivious to what was going on around him," the social worker said. And even by 2000, top child psychiatrist Sir Michael Rutter claimed the risk posed by Venables on his release was "trivial". It was a good 40 minutes before he eventually went to his room. He had passed five GCSEs, taken A-levels and enjoyed trips to the Lake District and even to the theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The cops soon checked both boys homes. "My decision is in no way a reflection on the applicants themselves, for whom there is a profoundest sympathy," he said. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Ukraine soldiers shoot down enemy drones with drones of their own, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA. Post continues. Ian Gallagher, Mail on Sunday Chief Reporter A grainy picture taken from CCTV footage showed . Being in jail is no protection either. r/AskReddit is the place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions. Names and dates and place of birth have been modified. The killing became the focus of Joe McGinniss' bestseller, Blind Faith. He said: My trial was an ordeal. And if they hadnt been caught I fear they would have struck again.. Sorry i should of mentioned that there identities have been changed entirely to protect them from the public so they have a chance to live normal lives. And if they hadnt been caught I fear they would have struck again. But he is not a murderer. I always heard that Robert was somewhat the more psychotic one out of the two. What lay behind this, I think, was that no one wanted to upset him because they were afraid of what the consequences might be. Robert Thompson and Jon . A lot of the staff thought the people running the unit used Thompsons presence to coerce the Home Office into improving facilities. Robert Thompson was born on August 23, 1982 - the fifth of seven children. In their bid to have Venable's identity disclosed, lawyers for Ralph and Jimmy Bulger argued certain details about the killer and his life are "common knowledge" and easily accessible online. After bringing in Thompson and Jon Venables for questioning, Phil said: As far as Im concerned that day 20 years ago I stared evil in the face. Robert Thompson is an actor, known for L.A. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Hed say things like, I want a drink. If bruised by their parting, Thompson, typically, didnt let it show. Perhaps the emotions that registered across his face as he did so were easy to read. The pictures are thought to feature his alleged new name and identify the jail where he is serving 40 months after this month admitting having 1,000 child porn images. He would get excited at these visits and would keep asking when she was coming. Now 38, It is believed that he is still living in the UK. I shouldnt have let go of his hand, Fergus later said. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. This crime went to court where he either plead guilty or was found guilty and sentenced for life. The pair tortured and murdered James, whose body was found by a railway line.