Torture and murder of toddler James Bulger | 60 Minutes Australia

the dark cloud of one of the worst crimes in British history still hangs over Liverpool like a shroud only now the anger is back as well welcome to the program it's the evening show and of course tonight we are talking about Pentacles there among some money that is being spent on protecting this scumbag who has done what he's doing I think that they should have been named and sold where they are the collective memory of a nation has gone back to that February day 17 years ago the horrifying freeze-frame when two year-old James Bulger was lured to his death a murder made so sickening because the killers were children themselves Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were just 10 and much to the nation's outrage they were free again by the age of 18 it's an awful thing to say that's awful things say on television that had a taste of blood and I believe they will never change in practical terms Thompson and Venables don't exist anymore after eight years of therapy and rehabilitation the authorities gave them new identities the boys were set free with different names different cover stories to allow them to lead normal lives but they're not boys any longer and at 27 Jon Venables is charged with a new and grotesque crime downloading and distributing child pornography it means the controversy over how to child murderers got off so lightly is exploding all over again despite all the work that was done to try and rehabilitate them back into society it obviously failed and it looks as if in some serious failings detective Superintendent Albert Kirby headed the Bulger murder investigation tonight he'll reveal an aspect of the case that was suppressed at the time that shows what a truly evil acted was and makes you wonder if what's happening now was inevitable why didn't they identify the behavioral problems before it came to this are you surprised that he's offended again if I was to be asked prior to all this which boy is going to be inria fend it would not have been Venables I was bitterly disappointed when I found out it was him when you go out in public any time like this do you ever look at people and think I could be him it could be him in the beginning on the 3rd check for not anymore Denis Fergus James bulges mum and her husband Stewart believe this wouldn't be happening if the child killers were punished properly rather than getting just eight years in detention he got no punishment whatsoever they got rewards for Mirza and James that's why I've never let it go and I won't let it go you think they were rewarded of course it was because they never spent no time in a prison they got put into a children's home or from their release in children's only get locks after they get to play snooker tables decent meals in front of them he would get them day trips old taken to football matches you know that that is not punishment and many people including Liverpool talk-show host and Peter Price believe that special treatment is continuing now even with Venables facing child pornography charges they've never been punished in my humble opinion for what they've done they should have gone to prison they shouldn't have been mollycoddled and protected the way they were protected remember a baby was tortured and slaughtered the anger still runs deep because everyone here remembers what a calculated and brutal murder it was instead of going to school Venables and Thompson came here to the Strand shopping center actually looking for a child to kill at around midday they tried to lure another toddler outside into the traffic but that failed then they spotted James Bulger as his mum stood at the butcher shop counter they enticed little Jamie at just the right moment it was just so so quick as I say oh just these Shelf me pay us to pay money over the count's Everman he was there minute turn out you've gone that's how quick it happened so in the time it took to take the money out of your purse you've gone all the shopping precinct is covered by CCTV I think some of the iconic pictures were of Thomson Venables told in James's hand walking away that's available is holding his hand yeah and then they're outside the shopping centre in probably just under two minutes it was that quick they knew exactly where they were going to they were going to commit murder they walked James along a canal and through the back alleys of Liverpool to avoid being spotted in two hours they covered four kilometers a huge journey for a terrified and exhausted two euro finally to a railway line and there they threw rocks and bricks at James beat him with an iron bar interfered with him in a sexual way and left him on the tracks where he was later run over by a train if you could see this severity of what they did to James on the railway line it was grotesque to the extreme and they knew what they were doing to that little boy the sexual nature of James's killing was never publicly revealed but superintendent Kirby believes it should have been given greater consideration in sentencing and rehabilitating Thomson and Venables there was always a very serious concern in my mind over the sexual element over James's murder I I feel that that may not have been treated with the severity as it should have been I think the the bigger impact has been to ensure that they were released within the time frame that had been set by the courts and that has detracted from the real treatment that they should have gone through even now after all this time 17 years there's no doubt in your mind that it wasn't just a prank gone wrong it was evil yes there's no doubt in my mind at all it was complete evil the intent I think that got a hot potato and just didn't know what to do after a while now to get rid of him and and tragically the rest of history they had took him up to the railway given the level of anger Lawrence Lee is a brave man one of the few in Britain who to this day dares defend the boys he was Jon Venables lawyer are you telling me it wasn't premeditated they didn't intend to kill James Bulger I think that they wanted to take this little boy for a laugh as it were and having taken him couldn't give him back and they just didn't know what to do and the logic of it ten-year-olds unfortunately evil ten-year-olds as it turned out dictated that they dealt with him in a in a way totally different than should have been you sound as though you still have some sympathy for Venables I don't have any sympathy whatsoever as a result of what they did I am putting forward purely and simply legal argument talking like a lawyer the 10 year olds faced furious crowds at the Liverpool Court and behind the scenes their lawyer worried they'd never get a fair trial and I looked out the window and I saw this bang model I could see the bricks being thrown he was just unbelievable the rallying cry was locked them up and throw away the key but the judge ruled that rehabilitation while in detention was the sensible sentence both were found equally culpable though police and lawyers agreed Thompson was the ringleader and Venables the nicer of the two throughout the trial he was respectful polite remorseful and he had a bad time in court he really did suffer unlike Thompson who didn't seem to show any remorse he is one of the few kids of that age who for example bought me a birthday present you know I mean that's only a little thing but it you know it shows that he cared because they were babies themselves these callous killers received special privileges there are stories of seaside visits and trips to football matches to prepare for their release safeguarding and rehabilitating them cost the British taxpayer millions of pounds and it's likely Venables will need another new identity after he faces these new charges people are shaking their heads in disbelief because he's had the best of the best to help him and if he hasn't learned from all the mollycoddling and help he's had and professionals that have been looking after him then we have created a monster [Music] James's mum on the other hand has received no help apart from an outpouring of public sympathy this case has always been one sides it's it's always being what about Venables what about Thompson what about me and what about my family what about my kids to add insult to injury it was reported that after his release Venables made return visits to Liverpool to walk the streets of the town he's so horrified Denis has been told he was a heavy drinker prone to violence and was seen boozing and chatting up young girls in local pubs it just wasn't even better think of us isn't one of the parole conditions that he's not allowed to come to Liverpool well that was the agreement Paul doesn't say the allegations that he has been coming to Liverpool and he's certainly not allowed to come near me or my family how do I know he hasn't been to my sister's house with it's all said all you know we put this house with this door sir I just don't know Venables rear rest has British authorities questioning the entire handling of the Bulger case I think the sentence was far too low I think it was too low not only for punishment purposes but also to be assured this they could actually make that integration back into society they should be incarcerated without any shadow of a doubt they never have been what just throw Thompson back in jail - if it is proved the Venables has in fact been found guilty of these hideous crimes it's just touching on something that could be even more sinister and I think they should go back and revisit the case and maybe see if there's any evidence to prove that both of them were involved as something far more sinister [Music] James's mum says she tries not to think about his murder for her family's sake after the tragedy Denise's marriage failed and she remarried to Stewart Fergus they have three young boys but their lives will be forever haunted by two names Jon Venables and Robert Thompson one awaiting trial and now back behind bars the other free to roam the world with a new identity do you know where Thompson is speculations that use in Australia but I'm not sure of that's hundred percent sure Australia but no one's told you for sure no you've done very well to bounce back haven't you I mean I am like a spring she's amazing Stewart isn't she yeah I mean I look for sometimes because likes you so good season but the fighting spirit she's got Anna even amazes mate I wouldn't be able to cope what she's gone through might be small similarly I pick a punch yeah hello I'm Liam Bartlett thanks for watching so keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our Channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusive 60 minutes content

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 1,299,811

Rating: 4.7744908 out of 5

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Charles Wooley, Tara Brown, Liam Bartlett, Allison Langdon, Tom Steinfort, Ellen Fanning, Peter, Overton, Karl Stefanovic, Ray Martin, Peter Stefanovic, Jana Wendt, Jeff McMullen, Jennifer Byrne, Mike Munro, Richard Carleton, Tracey Curro, Paul Barry, Peter Harvey, Michael Usher, Ross Coulthart, George Negus, Ian Leslie, Gerald Stone, James Bulger, Robert Thompson, Jon Venables, child crime, rehabilitation, shocking case

Id: q1ONr4GahC8

Length: 13min 41sec (821 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 21 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/Standard_Nebula]

The parents and the kids would be better off tying a large millstone around their neck and and jumping into the sea. Those people who saw James crying with his head bleeding should serve time in jail.