C4 now - the James Bulger case **Trigger Warning - Contains Info about the case** (Title edited by MNHQ)

[Hairgician]

Sat watching this now.

I do not accept the view that those 2 boys were treated unfairly. They murdered that poor little boy and they knew what they were doing and that it was wrong.

They should be rotting in jail. Aibu to say justice not served??

the criminal age of responsibility was espically lowered just for this case
No it wasn't, s 50 of the Children and young persons Act 1933 (as amended) set the age of criminal responsibility in E&W at 10. At the time of the trial a child between 10 and 14 was subject to a presumption that he did not know that what he was doing was wrong. The prosecution had to rebut that presumption by proving beyond reasonable doubt that at the time of the offence the child knew that the act was wrong rather than merely naughty.

Bash street

I said;

"Caught /arrested/charged/prosecuted"

It is entirely possible that Thompson has not been, in your words "a respectable member of the community" since his release. A conviction is not the only measure which could judge that and it is ludicrous to suggest that.

It took a while before Venables was caught recently. Of did you not know that?

I am well aware how the probation system works. In real life, even those on life license are not without opportunity to commit crime. They may be caught, but that is by no means guaranteed.

I would safely bet i am better informed than you on this subject. You are really quite naive and idealistic on this subject.

babyccinoo maybe you are but you don't speak for me.

I wondered when I read about the passersby who saw the boys with James in distress. I thought maybe it was the way the community was that primary kids could truant without the parents knowing (apparently) and people could see them out during school hours without questioning why they weren't at school. Let alone hauling a crying and visibly hurt toddler around and accepting the explanation that he was their brother. I don't know how those people lived with knowing what happened and that they could have prevented it.

Capn you need to look up the meaning of 'purient'. You must have a very odd way of thinking if you think can be applied to posts responding to a thread, about a widely known and discussed case, that I didn't start in the first place .

Thierry

From all accounts, when he was in care, Thompson was determined to get good school grades and succeed. In his case, it looks like rehabilitation will work. I doubt he will do anything to jeopardise that.

you do know the criminal age of responsibility was espically lowered just for this case previously it was 12

The Children and Young Persons act 1963 set it at 10.

I can't believe how much this programme has upset me tonight and it just seems to have reinforced that, even now, there is still no clear way this should have been handled. I lived quite near there and remember the sense of shock and mounting horror

To those commenting about the mobs, shouting at the vans and banging on them. Nothing excuses that but remember this was the era before social media, enraged people took to the streets back then where now they sit at home Tweeting or posting abuse on Facebook

babyccinoo, do you think that the quality of care they received in their respective young offenders institutions could have had an effect on their level of rehabilitation?

Me too @IvorHughJarrs it's heart breaking. I rember when it happened, I was a child and I remember seeing his mum on the news saying 'Just bring my baby back' when they took him. I can't put in to words how much thus upsets me.

Denise has a book called I let him go. I can't bring myself to read it. It would be torture for me to read it.

That's interesting, Needsasockamnesty, as I am about to hit 60 so was an adult when it happened, and I'm sure I remember lots of talk on R4 ad tv news and politics shows, about lowering the age for these two so they could be tried as adults. I do believe you, but that memory had to come from the media at the time.

I wondered when I read about the passersby who saw the boys with James in distress. I thought maybe it was the way the community was that primary kids could truant without the parents knowing (apparently) and people could see them out during school hours without questioning why they weren't at school. Let alone hauling a crying and visibly hurt toddler around and accepting the explanation that he was their brother. I don't know how those people lived with knowing what happened and that they could have prevented it.

That's how people comfort themselves. 'It's the way their community was.' It couldn't happen in my community. I would have questioned the boys. I would have prevented it.

His dad still has the fire place with James hand print where he touced it in his attic

@babyccinoo thats how people comfort thrmselve? In what way?

At that time there was the rebutabble presumption of dolo incapax for children aged 10. The prosecution had to demonstrate the child knew they were doing wrong. Which they did in this case. Notwithstanding that, they were 10. Ten. Ten years old, ten short years on this earth. Had they really in that time truly learned right from wrong given that they grew up in very dysfunctional families. We are more compassionate at times to adults who grow up in difficult circumstances. They were little boys. Surely as a society we have to have some hope of rehabilitation for them, some hope we can help them. Of course it may not work, and they may be damaged beyond redemption, but surely we have to try.

Janet no idea I'm afraid. From memory, I think they both went to institutions that had alot of resource and gave them alot of attention.

But I think Venables was the more disturbed. He had alot of nightmares about James and felt his ghost was haunting him.

babyccino you can't possibly say that you would have done that. You just can't.

thats how people comfort thrmselve? In what way?

To comfort oueselves that it couldn't happen to us or our community.

Sorry, doli incapax, not dolo.

you can't possibly say that you would have done that. You just can't.

I can't, I'm giving examples of how people fool themselves.

Surely looking at why they did it and whetehr they should have been released are two different things? We can look at their backgroundss and feel sorry it has gone so wrong, whilst also protecting socity from these evil psychopaths. Ten is old enough to know torturing a toddler is wrong, and to go to jail forever if they are damaged enough not to understand that.

Sorry Baby misunderstood you. I agree it is how people comfort themselves.

babyccinoo I read after this happened about the trauma some of those witnesses suffered afterwards. It was not unusual for children to go out without adults back then in areas like that and, while now we would all intervene without question, back then many wouldn't.

Slightly different topic but I recently saw a young child (primary school age) distressed at the side of a busy road. I stopped but nobody else did so even now people don't always look outside their own lives.

Are they evil psychopaths though at 10 years old ? Really? Is the rehabilitation aspect of punishment entirely removed from those who are young enough to be the ones who who have a real chance of rehabitating?

I can see how the people who saw the three boys together didn’t stop them. Everyone else, given the utter tragedy that followed and could have so easily been prevented, wants to believe that they would have stopped the boys had they seen them.

But most likely wouldn’t. Woukdnt then and very possibly wouldn’t now, if a similar trio walked past them in the street. People going about their daily business, they don’t see pay attention to others, turn blind eyes to questionable things they should see clearly for what they are.

I was a little girl when James was killed, 4 at the time. So I’ve grown up knowing of the murder, it was a part of my childhood - to never go with strangers, adults or children. That isn’t to say that James is in any way to blame, he was a baby, utterly blameless in every way. I was a bit older and suddenly older children were a potential thread to younger ones.

I don’t know how Thomson or Venables could ever be adequately but also humanely punished for their actions.

It's scary to think Thomson is living next door to someone now and they have no idea.

I stopped but nobody else did so even now people don't always look outside their own lives.

I agree with this. I don't blame the passers by that day, I feel sorry for them, it could have been any of us. Stopping to help seems to be the exception rather than the norm.