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??

It's a case that brings out the worst in people. The media coverage was horrendous. This tragedy was used to sell papers and if the media had been more responsible then there wouldn't have been the frothing and anger that followed.
None of this helps the Bulgers - not the TV programmes; not people crying that they would be devastated or enact violent revenge on children.
Other countries do deal with child murderers differently. There is a debate/discussion to be had on the age of criminal responsibility; on the balance between retribution and rehabilitation. But, sadly, our country shows time and time again, that it isn't ready to have those type of debates. As long as we prefer anger and threats to notions of mercy and justice, our prisons are going to remain overcrowded.

I liked what they did in Norway.

Nope. They are not worth rehabilitating. The time and money and heartache that has gone into protecting these two MEN is a joke. Yes they were kids when they committed the crime but they were never ever going to come out of a custodial sentence for the type of crime they committed and ever be ‘good’ citizens. Can’t believe the hand wringing going on in here. They TORTURED and MURDERED a BABY.

I for one wish they’d do the right thing now, so we can forget all about them.

That little boy, must have been in immense pain, from what they inflicted on him, of course they can see the consequences of their actions, tgey are not 4! He was begging for his mum, anyone some morality would have left him somwhere he could be found. They had something wrong deep in their psyche, that caused them to do what they did. No normal 10 year old would do that.

What's the right thing candle?

Why on earth did they allow Kelvin Mackenzie to talk his shit on the programme!

The fact this occurred and children were involved hurts me to the core.

I think you absolutely should "lock children up for life" who have a)killed another child and b) are likely to become dangerous adults who could put others in danger.

How precisely do you know at the age of 10 whether someone will become dangerous adults who will put others in danger? Why assume that several years' worth of careful education and rehabilitation cannot possibly succeed? They obviously did in the cases of Robert Thompson and Mary Bell.

You dont go from killing an innocent child to being a respectable member of the community in a few years regardless or your age.

Robert Thompson and Mary Bell did.

Quite possibly the same psychological traits that Myra Hindly and Ian Brady had, if they were adults they would be treated in a similar fashion.

Your all assuming that they where normal and at the correct development level both mentally and emotionaly.

Abuse and negeclt can traumatised you for life. It re wires your brain and stunts your development.
These boys where failed by their parents a d other agency's.

Yes they needed to be punished and get help. But they where no normal thinking 10 year olds.

how do you know Thompson is a respectable member of the community?

If they were old enough to do a crime like that, they were old enough to do the time. They should have gone into the adult system at 18 and bloody well stayed there. All the do gooders in the world will never make me see these 2 bastards for anything else other than what they are...

@bashstreetkid the posts of mine you keep copying and pasting were in reply to another poster. One who like yourself feels great sympathy for the baby killers as they had a tough life.

Now we both know that I didn't say that the risk of repeat offending should be the only criteria when a judge is passing sentence, so stop stirring.

I would quite happily have left them to rot, whatever made them turn out the way they did, it was too late for any kind of redemption and I feel absolutely zero sympathy for them.

I know 8 and 9 year olds who have very good reasoning about what is right and wrong.

Had those 8 and 9 year olds been abused throughout their lives, Oblomov? Could it be that they had perhaps been brought up to know the difference? Venables and Thompson weren't.

JamieK80, Thompson has not reoffended.

These two boys cannot be really human can they? Showing that child no mercy. I’m a little amazed that someone with little to Iose hasn’t tracked them down. I honestly don’t think I could live it it was my child murderer that way. I’m sorry but I couldn’t live knowing they are out there somewhere living life. James parent are better people than me.

I remember reading that Thomson was sexually abused.

The police/counsellor at the time remember that they asked him about dirt/muck, and he got visibly distressed and talked about it not being 'sex muck/dirt.'

It is possible to feel sorry for the abuse he suffered as a child too. That doesn't diminish any feeling for James.

Venables has reoffend numerous times hasn’t he? I mean, fuck that.

I don’t think that this programme should have been made at all. What is the point of it? To stir people up about a terrible crime? To give that arse from the sun a voice? The same man who vilified Liverpool and Liverpool fans about Hillsborough? I don’t see any thing can be gained by programmes like this.

I can't even bear to think about James for too long. I was 13 when it happened, so old enough to remember the news and the headlines. I was disturbed by it for a long time.
Having a little boy now not much older than James was strengthens my belief they should have served much longer, and been sent to a category A prison when they turned 18.

I have no idea what the right thing would have been however they should have been properly rehabilitated before being considered for release, according to reports this is not the case, they were treated very differently and allegedly guards trod on eggshells to ensure they were not uset/provoked, this does not encourage rehabilitation surely? I truly believe the only reason they were released was because it was clear that if they were in adult prison they would be murdered within days.

Venables did not adhere to the terms of his release before the new charges that took him back to prison but nothing was done. He was released on bail after the next lot of offences also, how on earth is that ok?

I totally get the lack of impulse control but surely at 10 this would be more pushing someone and them being badly injured/killed as a result (therefore an accident due to lack of control). This case was an horrific attack, of a sexual nature also and extremely violent, if you read about the full details of what they did I really don't think I have heard anything worse, even with the well known prolific serial killers. They could have stopped at any time. What they did when they left him there was horrendous.

One thing I cannot get out of my head is that Robert Thompson is potentially someones husband, dad etc. How on earth is it right that those people do not know who they are living with.

Thing is, whatever is said about their background, maturity and so on, the age of criminal responsibility is the same for everyone. That's how the law works. It's not that we can say 'oh well, they're 10 but they've had a really poor family life so we should treat them as if they were really 7 year olds'. Only when it gets to sentencing can any of that be considered.

As for the Peter Connolly comparison, if he had lived and gone on to abuse children himself, his early life would explain that, but wouldn't excuse it.

The killing was horrific and my sympathy is with James himself and his parents.

Looking at the footage of crowds of (unrelated? ) adults chasing and banging on the vans and wanting to deal with them themselves is extremely unsettling... would they have behaved the same if it had been an adult that had commuted the crime? Perhaps. But their age seemed to make the crime worse despite them not having an adult perspective and indeed, having the perspective of a typically developed child..

I hear v mixed reports on their backgrounds which is strange.