245
See also: The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping 178–85 ■ Lizzie Borden 208–11 ■ The Stratton Brothers 212–15 ■ The Death
of Azaria Chamberlain 238–39MURDER CASES
The biggest clue to James’s
disappearance came from the
CCTV cameras, which showed the
two-year-old leaving the butcher’s
shop. Tracking his movements on
video, the police also spotted him
on the top floor, apparently
following two boys. In the final
sighting on the footage – the last
image of James alive – it was
apparent that one of the boys was
holding James’s hand, as the trio
headed towards the Leeds and
Liverpool Canal. Even with this
information, however, the police
still could not find James.Kidnap becomes murder
Two days later, a young boy rushed
into Walton Lane police station in a
panic. He had found a body, severely
mutilated, on the railway tracks
only a few minutes from the police
station. James Bulger, it seemed,
was no longer a missing child: he
was now a murder victim. After
identifying the body as James,
the police turned their attention to
finding their two prime suspects- the young boys from the video.
They had a lucky break when a local
woman was able to identify them
as troublemakers who often visited
her shop, and named them as Jon
Venables and Robert Thompson.
Thompson and Venables were
taken into custody, but the police
found it hard to believe that they
were capable of killing. The two
boys were only 10 years old, and
James’s injuries were many and
terrible. Nonetheless, the police
questioned the two suspects. In
the course of these interviews, the
boys’ crime was slowly revealed.
Thompson remained eerily calm
during questioning, but slipped up
with a too-detailed description of
what James had been wearing.
Venables, on the other hand,
became hysterical under police
interrogation. On 19 February, he
confessed to the murder of James
Bulger, and on 20 February, both
suspects were arrested for the
abduction and murder. Neither
boy could explain their motive.Children on the stand
The trial of the two young killers
rocked the nation. A small platform
was brought into the courtroom so
that the boys could see out of the
dock. As the country followed the
proceedings with bated breath, a
damning case against Thompson
and Venables emerged.
Bulger’s blood was found on
one of the boy’s shoes, while the
bootprints of the other matched
bruising on Bulger’s face. A witness
came forward to claim that the boys
had tried to abduct her son that
same day, and the court heard how,
in his police interview, Venables
had admitted to thinking about
pushing a child into traffic, so that
the murder seemed accidental.The age of responsibility
In the mid-20th century, the
courts ruled that the age of
responsibility should be based
on a child’s emotional, mental,
and intellectual maturity.
Different countries set their own
ages of responsibility. In the UK,
that age is 10, while in other
European countries it is 15. In
the US, the age of responsibility
varies between states and
ranges from age six to 11.
Lawbreakers under the age
of responsibility are treated
differently. They cannot becharged with committing a
criminal offence, but in some
countries their parents can be
held responsible for their crimes
and the children may then be
taken into care.
The UK considered raising
the age of responsibility in 2014- a move opposed by James
Bulger’s mother. Had he been
murdered a few months earlier,
when Thompson and Venables
were under the age of 10, they
would not have been tried or
punished by the courts.
These are the ugly
manifestations of a society
that is becoming unworthy
of that name.
Tony BlairThe evidence mounted against
them. While their lawyer argued
the boys were too young to be held
legally responsible for their actions,
a child psychiatrist testified that
they knew the difference between
right and wrong. Now age 11,
Thompson and Venables were old
enough to be charged, and on 24
November the two were found
guilty and jailed for eight years.
The sentence was increased
twice, but Thompson and Venables
were released on parole in 2001. ■244-245_James_Bulger.indd 245 02/12/2016 15:04