Jon Venables &

Robert Thompson The murder of Jamie Bulger

By Louis and Rachel

Location and Age Both were born in Walton village, Liverpool.

They were both 10 years old at the time of the murder.

UpbringingThompson and Venables grew

up in circumstances which had both striking similarities and profound differences

Similarities Both boys had parents who had separated, each

had difficulties with attendance and learning and behaviour at school.

They bunked off, they shoplifted, they were violent; all these pieces in a pattern that made up a pair of empty, broken young lives.

Neighbours told of pigeons having their heads shot off with an airgun and of rabbits being tied to railway lines.

There were also incidents of violence at school.

Differences Both victims had very different types of parents. Ann Thomson was a single mother who struggled

with alcohol addiction. Locals say she she was often found in the local pub instead of looking after her children, and neighbours were quick to criticise her for the number of men she brought home.

On the other hand Susan Venables was a very strict parent, her son has spoken of his fear of her.

This is a drawing by one of the boys, drawn shortly before the murder was it a cry for help?

Was the Trial fair?

Throughout the trial, the boys were referred to as ‘Child A’ and ‘Child B’, however, at the end of the trial, the judge ruled their names should be released (because of the nature of the murder and the public reaction).

This was later criticised by the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in 1999 that they had not received a fair trial by being tried in public in an adult court.

Media Outcry The boy’s mothers were put under intense media scrutiny. Interestingly, both fathers were relatively ignored by the media. The treatment of the mothers also varied. Ms Venables (right) was

treated far more nicely by the media because she took far more care on her appearance. However Robert Thompson’s mother was portrayed as a ‘mess’

who was never there for him, her repeated absence from the . News stories reported the demeanour of the defendants. These

aspects were later criticised by the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in 1999 that they had not received a fair trial by being tried in public in an adult court.

This image demonstrates the anger of the public and media frenzy.

After the Release Jon Venables was returned to prison in

2010, following claims of child pornography. This brought the issue back into the

spotlight, people still felt extreme emotions over the case despite it being 17 years on, .

The End