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 wasn't aware he had touched another child, I thought he was jailed for images.

I believe that many people can be rehabilitated and that should be the aim of prison. I don't know enough about Thompson to say if he's rehabilitated (obviously I know what he did to Jamie which was horrific) but if he is, he should have a chance at normal life I think

Venables is a different story with the CSA.

I believe he was jailed twice for indecent images.

having CSAM still counts as being a pedophile.

You don't believe the brain hasn't developed as a child? It's a biological fact.

I'm talking about him murdering or physically harming a child. Continuing to kill people. I understand he was jailed for images of child sexual abuse.

Obviously that’s not what I’m getting at. I’m referring to the claim that people make about this magical age 25 milestone where people can finally be held accountable for their actions.

Many, many 24 year olds (as well as younger people) are mortgaged, travelling, parents, married, professional job holders etc.

Their equivalent peer who’s committing crimes, acting like a clown, getting in trouble etc…that’s entirely on their shoulders, not a supposedly underdeveloped brain.

Young kids committing crimes are different, perhaps.

Yes but RE your original comment, would you not consider him to be a danger to people as he has CSAM?

Nuturing resilience is key to effecting behaviour change. Look at it from the point of view of two neglected abused children. They look at the world in a different way to many people who haven't had negative childhood experiences. They have no one to rely on but their selves, so the rules they live by and the resentment they feel may be very different from the norms in society. Once you become deviant in this way, your past experiences, maybe phyaical violence or torture becomes acceptable because that's what happened at home. However, their motivation may have been different as Venables is a paedophile while Thompson is not (to our knowledge) so their motivation for killing James Bulger may have been very different. Authoritieas who have dealt with them should know by now what the motivation was and will safeguard accordingly.

I was physically and emotionally abused by both parents and also sexually abused by my father. Strangely enough I didn’t go on to abduct a toddler, smash him in the face with bricks, pour paint in his eyes and all over his face and leave his body on a train track to be cut in half. Plenty of children have questionable childhoods but don’t go on to commit these offences.

No idea whether JT is rehabilitated - and not sure how anyone on here could have an opinion on that tbh, but I do agree that Venables repeat offending and interest in Child Sex Abuse images suggests that he is not 'fixable'.

Agree, Venables is the easier one to make a call on here. We don't know much about JT.

I don’t think he’s been caught found to have direct contact with a child but, from Wikipedia,

He pleaded guilty via video link to three charges of making indecent images of children, and one of possessing a "paedophile manual", that included advice for would-be child molesters, including instructions on child grooming and evading detection.

Would anyone be remotely surprised if he has?

I should have said contributing factor, although as the comment I replied to said, I do not use it as an excuse

I hope so too.

Mainly because I think being 10 and being 30 are entirely different.

Even 10 and 18 makes a difference although I’ll admit my surprise they were released so soon. But I believe it was because they didn’t want them in the adult system because that could cause them to be influenced into not being rehabilitated iyswim?

What they did was heinous. No question.

But they were 10yo boys who had been exposed and allowed to be exposed to some really inappropriate things and in many ways were victims themselves.

If he’s truely rehabilitated I have no issue with him living life under a new identity. I’m pretty sure it’ll live with him for a lifetime so he may look and be called something different but he’ll always know who he is.

Venables needs locking up until he die how many “chances” should he get.

Thompson may well have been rehabilitated the same as Mary Bell who has a child and is also under protection. Perhaps they were young enough to be rehabilitated.

I wouldn’t trust them to be near any kids though

I think if it’s not a violent crime then be let out but for those two no I think it should have been incarcerated till they died.

You may be right. What works for one doesn't work for another and yes, I think Thompaons family were more supportive which gives a higher chance of rehabilitation. Without a doubt he's choosen a different path to Venables. That's also where resilience comes into it, to seek support for feelings and situations you find yourself in and to avoid commiting the same mistakes again. Its the ability to know when you're at that point which is key, Thompson is probably capable of doing that but Venables isn't although his actions with pornography may be a way of distracting himself from committing another crime. In his eyes, perhaps its the lesser of two evils.

As far as I'm aware he hasn't been violent since. I would expect him to get into fights in prison for example or attack guards. I'm not saying he's no longer a danger but he doesn't seem to have continued to be violent.

I would love to know now he’s an adult, what he thinks about what he did? Does he have remorse? It’s hard to imagine doing something so terrible as a child

As an aside, do you think their lifelong anonymity should be removed and they can fend for themselves in the world?

As far as I know he hasn't. I was talking about horrendous acts of violence. He tortured and murdered a toddler and hasn't done anything similar since. Whereas you get very dangerous criminals who live a life of violence such as serial killers or gang members.

Not Thompson’s. But I expect everyone is getting sick of every new identity Venables has. If everyone knows who is though- if he’s released- it would probably result in many people going to prison for battering him.

That’s interesting, I heard his family were very abusive.

Replied to wrong post sorry

I don’t think they should see the light of day ever again. Unhinged.
Escalating from hurting animals, punching other children. They planned the abduction. They tortured that two year old over a period of several hours. They physically abused him, causing severe injuries. They then placed his body on a railway track.
Utter filth. All they’ve done is cause hurt and cost money. I know action what I’d recommend, but for the pg rated mn version both should have been chemically castrated and solitary confinement for life.

Edited to answer your question, no I don’t believe you can be that sick that you will ever truly be rehabilitated. His wife is insane.