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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

999 replies

Hairgician · 05/02/2018 21:36

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??

OP posts:
SquashedInTight · 05/02/2018 23:11

I was a child when it happened, a little older than they were. I, and my friends, were horrified beyond belief. I will never forget it.

The right sentence would ensure they never hurt anyone again. I hope they never do.

SuperBeagle · 05/02/2018 23:11

Actually, not just Mary Bell, but Danny and Ricky Preddie?

Seemingly no shits given about their release.

BashStreetKid · 05/02/2018 23:12

in Ralph Bulger's book it does state that the family were told the boys had not had the awful childhoods some papers chose to report. I would imagine his information was more accurate than the headlines?

I think that depends on who told him, and what sources of information they had. Did he say?

ZanyMobster · 05/02/2018 23:12

Evenbetter - apparently the press decided to call him Jamie, the parents believe it was to sell more papers. Not sure why.

DiegoMadonna · 05/02/2018 23:12

Do people really believe in good and evil? Like, a baby can be born evil and then by 10 years old they are mini-demons?

Enidthecat · 05/02/2018 23:12

How did their parents react to this? (Am not watching program)

ReggaetonLente · 05/02/2018 23:13

People can be victims and perpetrators at the same time. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.

I’ve looked after children who have sexually abused animals, tried to harm and kill younger children, stabbed adults and pushed them down the stairs. All were products of horrendous abuse and neglect, the kind which damages the brain and hinders and distorts development. A PP said that it’s easy to have compassion for the killers when your own kids are tucked up in bed. I would counter that it’s easy to write them off as evil when you haven’t seen children like this up close, and seen the circumstances that made them that way.

Innate evil doesn’t exist. Children are products of their upbringings, or lack of them. If that’s not the case, and it’s just something some people are born with, then your kids could just as easily end up murdering a toddler. Or mine. But I don’t think that’s something anyone would ever suggest was possible.

ineedamoreadultieradult · 05/02/2018 23:13

When Venebles was arrested after he was released why wasn't he arrested and charged and tried under his new identity?

Thierryhenryneedisaymore · 05/02/2018 23:13

Cronuts
Agree with this completely.

Bash street,
You have stated more than once that they had abusive childhoods. Where us the evidence of this?
We have heard about Thompson. But i understood from various sources that wasn't the case for Venables.

ZanyMobster · 05/02/2018 23:13

Bashstreet - I can't remember but I still have the book so was going to try to find that bit.

MrsMaxwell · 05/02/2018 23:13

Maxine Carr - she was an adult who was given a new identity who was also involved in a horrific double murder.

She doesn’t get mentioned that much either - I know she didn’t kill anyone but she knew he was up to something.

Enidthecat · 05/02/2018 23:14

Babies are not born evil. Circumstance or mental health issues can make you act as though you are "evil" imo. Doesn't make killing a toddler any more acceptable.

mikado1 · 05/02/2018 23:15

Like a pp I too wonder if they ever wrote/will write to James' parents.. some remorse or insight might mean something. I have a 2.5yo asleep in his cot and I just can't imagine it.

MrsFring · 05/02/2018 23:15

To those who sought out the police reports giving the details of the murder, the psychological profiles of the perpetrators and all the graphic details still available online and in book form; why? Why would you want to dwell on this? It can hardly prevent it happening again, so what do you get out of it?

ZanyMobster · 05/02/2018 23:16

Mikado - according to James' parents they did not write to them or show remorse. Some of the prison workers said the same.

WannaBeWonderWoman · 05/02/2018 23:18

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BakedBeans47 · 05/02/2018 23:18

My understanding also is that to be able to have obtained the conviction given their ages the crown did have to demonstrate that the boys did know right from wrong.

IIRC (I haven’t seen the programme) there were also issues with how they were tried that ended up in the court of human rights.

At the end of the day no matter what crime anyone is accused of they all have the fundamental right to a fair trial.

BashStreetKid · 05/02/2018 23:19

Thierry, I'm not embarrassing myself in the least, but you should have a look at your own posts in that light. Do you seriously believe we would not have heard if Thompson had been convicted of any further offences? You do realise, don't you, that the police keep a very close eye on people like him? He simply isn't comparable to others living in society who do not have his history.

It is utterly astonishing that you accuse others of lazy thinking, when resorting to abuse in preference to producing arguments that you have actually thought through is the very epitome of lazy thinking.

JediJim · 05/02/2018 23:19

The point of the programme for the poster that asked, was to show the opinions of those involved in the case. For some of them, it was the first time that they had spoken publicly. I thought that Venables solicitor came across well, I understand that the case really got to him too.

Lilacblue99 · 05/02/2018 23:19

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mikado1 · 05/02/2018 23:19

Ok thanks Zany.

I suppose only their psychologists know.

How did those 6yos in Norway ever come back from that- in their heads or their community? Another horrific situation.

JanetStWalker · 05/02/2018 23:19

Do people really believe in good and evil? Like, a baby can be born evil and then by 10 years old they are mini-demons?

I strongly believe that people can be born with brains wired in a certain way which enables them to act in ways we describe as 'evil'. There's been lots of studies of jailed psychopaths' brains and they show marked differences in structure.

Thierryhenryneedisaymore · 05/02/2018 23:20

Wannabewonderwoman

Well said.

Some people on this thread are revolting.

DiegoMadonna · 05/02/2018 23:21

I strongly believe that people can be born with brains wired in a certain way which enables them to act in ways we describe as 'evil'. There's been lots of studies of jailed psychopaths' brains and they show marked differences in structure.

That's called having a mental illness, not being evil.

BashStreetKid · 05/02/2018 23:21

LilacBlue, that's the second time you have resorted to personal abuse without actually managing to come up with a reasoned argument. Now, that actually is something you should find embarrassing.

Try reading MN's posting rules, at the very least.

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