This article is devoted to the terrible tragedy that occurred many years ago in England. Such a name as Balger James, then sounded not only in all parts of England, but throughout the world. Terrifying events struck everyone with their cruelty and senselessness. The murder of James Bulger was the most resonant judicial case in the last two hundred and fifty years in England. Until now, remembering those events, the blood is getting cold in the veins.
James Bulger: History
In the winter of 1993, no one in England even heard of such a name. It was a simple family, nothing remarkable. James Bulger is a boy from Kirkby, Merseyside, England. The child was born in a prosperous family on March 16, 1990. The boy's father was Ralph Bulger, and his mother was Denis Bulger. Everything was good in the family, but one day on a winter day, a month before James's third birthday, my mother took the child with her to the store, where they went regularly shopping. Like every mother, Denis did not leave the baby unattended for a minute, but it took her a few seconds to distract herself in order to pay for the purchase, as Balger James had evaporated. Mother rushed to look for him, to call, to ask all around, but without success. And Denis rushed to the police department. Police Albert Kirby immediately realized that the two-year-old could not go far, and immediately began to search.
Search actions
James Bulger, the boy we are talking about, was a sociable kid and could go on the persuasion of an outsider who took the child away. So the detective thought. The first thing the detective did was request video from all the surveillance cameras in the store. After watching immediately it became clear what happened. The video clearly showed that the baby was first lost in the crowd of passers-by, but after a few seconds two older boys approached him, took his hands and led him away from the store. Realizing that Balger James was taken away by the children, parents and police officers relaxed a bit, although many were tormented by the question: where did the kid go? Interrogating hundreds of passers-by and buyers, a picture of the incident was drawn up. The boy was taken out of the store by two children and, despite the fact that the kid rested and cried, led him towards the exit from the city.
searching results
The police began combing the entire area, and after a while, Balger James was found. Rather, it was found what was left after the child whose body the train had moved. Passing by the railroad tracks, the police saw something similar to a doll. Coming closer, they were horrified at the find. It was the corpse of a child, mutilated so much that even the strongest of the spirit of the police could not look at it calmly. The body of the baby was cut by the wheels of a passing train, but not only that. There were signs of a brutal beating of the boy before his death. As the examination showed, the boy was beaten with stones and an iron rod, until he died of beatings. Moreover, the child's face showed a clear imprint from a kick, which, perhaps, was the last for the baby.
After a thorough investigation of the video, the police established the identity of the two boys who took James. They were ten-year-old John Vanells and Robart Thompson. No one could believe that such a terrible crime was committed by children. There were suggestions that they took the child out of town and gave it to someone from adults. But the facts have shown different. After the boys were arrested and the investigative examination was carried out, it was established that they had done everything. These two boys committed the murder of James Bulger. And although both criminals denied the fact of the beating, the tracks on their clothes, shoes, DNA analysis and other facts confirmed the terrible truth. Later, juvenile murderers tried to convince everyone that they threw only small stones at James to joke, but no one believed them. One thing was clear: they beat the baby to death, and then threw the body onto the railway track to stage an accident. This terrible event took place on February 12, 1993.
James Bulger: Assassin Thompson and the killer Venables
While the trial was going on, and it lasted 17 days, many asked the question: what kind of animals in the childish guise? The answer to this question was obtained when everyone learned the details of the life of these children.
- Robart Thompson grew up in a large family. The father left his mother when she gave birth to his sixth child, before that he regularly beat her. The scenes of violence were not a rare case in this family. After leaving her husband, her mother found happiness in alcohol. At the same time she often beat all her children, being in a state of intoxication. All the children were left to themselves and engaged in what they liked. One stole, the other was suspected of arson. School classes were strolling, and the family was in bad shape. When something happened, suspicions first fell on members of this family. Robert was the fifth in a row. At school, they spoke of him as a quiet boy, who did not go for trouble, more often just did not come to classes. He preferred to hang around the city with his friend John.
- John Wenables also grew up in a dysfunctional family. Four children were brought up by parents who constantly found out the relationship between themselves. They then converged, then parted, then swore, then reconciled. And this instability and nervous situation strongly influenced all children. Each of them lagged behind in development or had health problems. John did not have any special shortcomings, so parents did not care much about him. To somehow draw attention to himself, he even pretended to be sick sometimes.
Trial
Considering the murder of James Bulger, the reasons that led to him, everyone came to the opinion that, first of all, this is the fault of the parents of juvenile murderers. The boys were left to their own devices, they hung around the city for weeks, looking for something interesting. Moreover, as the trial and testimony of the witnesses showed, they often watched horror films and thrillers with bloody scenes. Classmates said that both boys wanted to organize a kind of "gang" and even planned to kill someone. This was taken for granted, and no one was going to join their "gang". Maybe it was a joke, but as a result, it turned into reality. Planned or spontaneous, but they committed a terrible crime, which resulted in the death of an innocent child.
Sentence
After a full investigation, the study of all factors and the conclusion of psychiatrists, both criminals were sentenced to ten years in prison. In England, it is allowed to judge murderers, beginning with 10 years. Seven years later, the verdict was revised and relaxed, and in 2001 both were released from prison. After the release of the killer, they changed their names and got lost in the country so that the relatives of the murdered child could not find them.