Do you think Robert Thompson is truly rehabilitated?

[Cheffymcchef]

As we all know, James Bulger was a two-year-old boy from the UK whose tragic abduction and murder in 1993 shocked the world. Taken from a shopping center by two ten-year-old boys, John Venables and Robert Thompson, his death became one of the most harrowing and widely known cases in modern British history. To this day, nearly everyone who hears his name knows the heartbreaking story and the profound impact it had on public consciousness and the justice system.
both boys were released after serving 8 years, when they turned eighteen. John Venables returned to prison twice for possessing CSAM. He is currently still in prison.
I personally think Venables is sick and can’t be “cured” of his attraction to kids. He will always reoffend imo, even if his devices etc are taken away. He needs to stay in prison. He’s also allegedly revealed his identity and needed several new identities costing the taxpayer even more. I know you get all this “stop it now” therapy- I just don’t think pedophiles can be cured. It’s like trying to do conversion therapy on a straight person.
I don’t know how I feel about Thompson- he committed a heinous murder, but did his time in custody. He’s never reoffended and now allegedly lives with a partner who knows who he is. Can’t remember if he has children. From studying this case, it always seems like he was deemed the ring leader, yet he is the one who has cleaned himself up and stayed out of trouble.
both boys allegedly came from abusive households.
I know poor James' mum will never get over his death. I cant imagine the mixed feelings she must have, she likely thinks it was wrong for either boy to be released so young.
I can’t say I’d be too thrilled about Thompson moving into my area if that’s the case, but truthfully I think if he’s done his time he needs to be left alone now to live his life . But that’s probably a wildly unpopular opinion- because James will never get to live his life.
what do you think?

posted in crime but moved here for traffic

I have tried to leave out the details on how poor James died that day as I think everyone is well aware. I think it’s important to remember him but talking about how he died physically can sometimes be too much for people here.

I never heard that about aces. Where did you learn about that?

Mumsnet isn’t all fluffy chat!

that’s what I like about it

I feel it is the people who enjoy raking over details and speculating about tragedies are the ones that have more time on their hands than anyone else.

Exactly. Anybody who had genuinely been rehabilitated after doing that wouldn’t want to be alive anymore and would commit suicide from the guilt.

The Unwatch button is right there, ladies.

I don’t think anyone’s revelling in the details of this terrible event. But it is relevant to speak about the prolonged event that it was when the apologists talk about the killers’ lack of impulse control.

There is an unwatch button for this thread if you don’t want to be updated

It was Thompson that came from an abusive home.

Venables was said to be overly attached to his mother (and hyperactive) but his parents weren’t abusive.

Only the press called him Jamie; his parents call him James.

This thread was made clear what it was about by the title, if people do not want to discuss true crime they can avoid clicking on it, or unwatch if they’ve posted

I have replied to four or five people who said this. I understand however I was not able to edit the post in time.

I can’t see that anyone has posted details about what happened that day? This thread is about whether rehabilitation is possible, not raking up details of the horror of that day. If it was about the latter, I’d be out of here.

That’s a really interesting point. If he was truly rehabiliated how would he live with himself? Maybe he struggles every day? Maybe his 10 year old self just feels too far away and like a different person?

It’s fine op
youve explained it already.

I think they both should have received the death penalty as soon as they turned 18. I don’t believe either of them could ever be rehabilitated.

OP, if you like, you can report your OP and ask MNHQ to change it to James. Will stop all the comments about it.

Thankyou I will do that!

Any child he has should be immediately taken into care if the mother won’t take the baby far, far away from him and ensure there is never any contact. How could he ever be allowed PR for a child or to be left alone with them? That would be insane.

I don’t think any of us can possibly know, but I do of course hope so.

i do recall reading commentary years ago that of the two, Thompson was the most concerning and with the worse childhood and that the thinking was Venables had reoffended due to struggling to come to terms with his guilt

I saw that part of their licence restrictions is that they can’t go into Merseyside.

I take it the feeling in Liverpool hasn’t changed much since this all happened.

Peak Mumsnet lefty liberal behaviour from the OP. Why is it so damn fashionable to have a fetish with understanding evil murderers (be they 10 or be they 50). Yet someone gets done for drink driving on here and dares to admit it and they're shamed beyond all redemption.

Those 2 10 year old boys, despite their youth, not only killed a toddler, but they dragged him away with ill intent, TORTURED him in multiple ways, and ultimately murdered him. Leaving his broken body on a train track - then went home.

Not for one moment did one of them stop each other or quit. It escalated horrifically quite clearly.

This isn't two 10yr olds teasing a fellow pupils. This is abduction, torture, cruelty, murder.

I don't give a flying fuck about anything to do with their home lives or own abuse they may or may not have suffered. Some crimes deserve no redemption and this is one of them.

My sympathy lies with that darling innocent who the world showed the cruellest of fates to. And his mother , who will never 'live' again. Her life would have ended that day.

Give your psychology naval gazing from your comfortable living room a miss.

You must be aware we don’t have the death penalty though

Mary Bell has children so presumably Thompson would be allowed to have them too.

Can you explain what you mean here please?

No fetish and I haven’t seen any threads about dui so can’t comment. I have asked mumsnet to add a TW so people know not to click on it if true crime upsets them.