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 think the whole case was handled appallingly at the time tbh.
These were very young children. All of them.
The victim and the perpetrators.
Their names should never have been revealed and they shouldn't have been paraded through the press for morbid entertainment. Because it was a tragedy. We've failed as a society when primary aged children murder another child.
Trying to write some kind of narrative that there are some inherently evil kids out there is batshit nonsense. All 3 of those kids were let down.
John Venables is now far too fucked up to ever return to society.
I honestly feel sorry for them both and can't understand people who don't.
If course I also feel sorry for Jamie and the horrific death he experienced. Absolutely shocking. I have 3 kids and even thinking of it makes me cry.
But I also look at those boys who did it and see abused children. So ridiculously young. I barely knew reality when I was their age.. I was playing with barbies. Yet those two boys had their faces on newspapers as evil. Tried as adults.
It just isn't right. They weren't adults.

as I said to another poster I don’t have children. So I will answer best I can.

I would find it hard to forgive them for what had happened, but if one had completely stayed out of trouble since being released and cleaned up their act I think I would have to accept that. Saying that, I don’t think I could let go of the fact there must have been a reason for them ending up the way they had done as children and would be wanting their entire family investigated.

RE JV, I would probably feel angrier than I do now if I had kids. I do not know why they keep releasing him into the community, his sentences for CSAM and “therapy” are obviously not working.

I noticed quite a few poster mention the murder of James Bulger but they tortured him before killing him. I would not trust either of them again.

I agree with all of this

She is. I have no idea how she is still here, not just existing but truly living. She has a new husband now who appears to worship her, other kids and a grandchild. They seem to do a lot of work for the James Bulger Foundation too, I suppose you’d need something to keep your focused. Maybe she ploughs her effort into that, since she can’t get true justice for her son.

I think she was pregnant again very soon after James’ murder which maybe gave her a reason to be alive.

It would be weird if they didn’t have PTSD, they would have to be psychopathic if they didn’t.

I know people sometimes blame Denise for not having her son on reins/in a pram, but I truly think if she had hold of James the boys would have murdered another child that day. IMO, it still would’ve happened even if it wasn’t James.

I think he was significantly influenced by Venables. He should be left to live his life if he's shown he has rehabilitated, however he should never be permitted to have children or be around them. I dont think society should trust murderers.

Venables should be kept in the glass box Robert Maudsley had just vacated.

I hate the word rehabilitate as if he's had a nasty illness or something.

I doubt anyone who commits such a horrific crime can be fixed. He will just hide his cravings and hopefully he has competent professionals keeping an eye on him that he never gets the chance to reoffend. I bet if he could he would.

Paedophiles and child murderers don't change.

I would presume he’s allowed to have kids but I’m not sure of the rules around working with children in his shoes.

In her book she says he was never out of the buggy when they went out. Even to go round to her Mum’s, he was in it. And that day, for whatever reason, she didn’t do it.

It wasn’t even just she and him at the shop - she was with another family member and another child. And somehow these two deviants were still able to do what they did. It’s dreadful.

Agree that a child was definitely dying that day, James wasn’t their first attempt in the shopping centre.

Me too.
Tragedy all around.Venables and Thompson were vulnerable and disadvantaged by their toxic upbringing.
Their crime was horrendous.
RIP James

Rehabilitate is a word commonly used for (various types of) offenders.

I really hope their family were thoroughly investigated.

More violent than what they did?

Are you for real?

Kids can just wander off, look at poor Katrice Lee.

I have never heard anyone blame his Mum. Ever. Disgraceful to even think it.

John Venables hasn’t learned a thing from his past, his spent his entire life in and out of prison because he likes abusing and watching children be abused.
Robert Thompson.. I don’t know, it seems he will manage to move on and live a normal life, but like others have said if he has wiped this from his conscious then what does that say about him really, pretty fucked If you can rectify what you did to a baby.
And what do you mean by all three children were let down, where does justice for James come into this for you, do you think that the boys who murdered him served along enough sentence.
I do think we should have looked at the why In this case, John Venables parents along with Robert Thompsons should have been charged with neglect and abuse themselves, this was there doing in part. But John’s life since does suggest it is now just an evil streak, he should be locked up for life.
As for understanding this crime I could list millions of people before my sympathy reached either of these two.

I'm happy to leave it to people who know what they're talking about where he's concerned, and I think you should too, OP.

I thought they believed Robert Thompson was the one who came from a dysfunctional family. Jon Venables came from a stable family so was presumed to be influenced by Robert.

I thought Robert was in a gay marriage with children. Would you feel comfortable if your children went round to his home for dinner? I wouldn’t.

I read her book and she says it was James' first time out without his buggy. Heartbreaking.

Maudsley didn’t deserve solitary. Just read he isn’t happy to have been moved- poor man.

Yes I know, it just seems such an inappropriate word. Is he remorseful is more fitting, has he being deterred from doing it again?
Only because he is being watched is my guess.

People absolutely did blame her in the beginning, it was shameless how the press initially painted Denise and how some people swallowed it up.

In what capacity did you ‘research’ this case op?