Who is responsible for the death of Jamie Bulger?

James Noonan

On the 12th February 1993 a surveillance camera in the Bootle Strand shopping centre filmed Robert Thompson and Jon Venables both aged 10, taking James Bulger aged 2 by the hand from outside a butchers. They left with James and walked him two and a half miles to a railway line where they killed James and left his body. In November 1993 the two were trialed and sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice Morland, recommending that they serve a minimum of eight years, this was then increased to ten years by the lord chief justice and then to fifteen years by the then home secretary Michael Howard. The case has since then never really been closed with recent outrage that the two hadn’t received a fair trial.

Other than Venables and Thompson, who is responsible for this disgraceful crime? There are many people who are answerable one way or another these are:

The parents of Venables and Thompson,
The police/security
Liverpool 38,
The school of Venables and Thompson.

Venables and Thompson’s parents should have made sure their children were in school. At the age of 10 not many children are permitted to go to school on their own and if Venables and Thompson’s parents did take their children to school they ought to have made sure they went in and stayed in school. At home their children must have caused some conflict amongst those around them. When a child is that age you should generally be able to see what type of a person they are turning into. If a person can commit this vile a crime then something must show in or around the home. Venables and Thompson’s parents should have been aware of their children’s activities at all times. If children are left to their own devices then you have cannot expect to have any control over them. Parents have a responsibility to bring their children up with respect for others and to know when they are likely to commit any wrongdoing unto others. Children at the age of 10 should not be permitted to come and go as they please and parents should know where they are going, whom they are with and what they are likely to be doing. In fact if they cannot be with them outside the home they should ensure that a responsible adult is present. Children need discipline and it is usually the parents that they seek this guidance. The parents of Venables and Thompson cannot have shown much interest in their children’s lifestyles.

Perhaps if the police had made their presence felt in the shopping centre Venables and Thompson may have been more wary of committing this crime. It is reported that the police whom actually spotted Jamie Bulger with Venables and Thompson via CCTV did not act in any way; had they of done so they could possibly have prevented this horrific crime. A few questions to Venables and Thompson or even approaching them could have been enough to scare them off. Maybe if security were placed in key areas Venables and Thompson would have thought twice about carrying on with ...

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The Liverpool 38 consists of no less than 38 men and women who spotted Venables and Thompson with Jamie Bulger. They were seen striking him as they walked through the shopping mall to the exit. These people could see that a child was being harmed and was in distress and yet did nothing to intervene.

The school is certainly to blame. They knew that Venables and Thompson were not present at school yet did nothing. This was not the first time they had been truant from classes and it was up to the school to support the parents in ensuring that they attended. There must have been signs of bullying within the classroom or playground and wonder how or if this was dealt with. The school should have liased with the parents at all times concerning their behavioural problems and if necessary should have involved the education authorities.

There seems to be several aspects of blame. The parents of Venables and Thompson let their children run wild, did not take notice of their activities or whereabouts and did not seem to take any responsibility for their discipline or upbringing. The police made mistakes by ignoring the CCTV and need to make their authority felt and their presence known. They are an authority figure and should be seen as such. Security needs to be looked at as having CCTV without somebody constantly watching until after the event is almost pointless and not preventative. The Liverpool 38 should not have ignored what they could see, it is not alright to turn a blind eye and not get involved when a child is being harmed and obviously at risk. The school were slow in acting upon Venables and Thompson’s truancy and did not implement any discipline that was effective. They should have been more involved in their discrepancies and kept in regular contact with their parents.

However despite the above Venables and Thompson are to blame for this tragic incident and it cannot be overlooked that they most probably planned this. They enticed Jamie Bulger away from his mother as her attention moved away from him for just a moment. They went to the mall in all awareness and looked for a young child that they could easily lure away with some chocolate. They immediately made their way out of the shopping area and away from the public’s eye. At no time did they show any sympathy or friendliness to Jamie Bulger and continuously hit him as he was led away. They were not too young or naïve to know that what they were about to commit was hideous and against the law and there will never be an excuse to this effect. Although mistakes were made by those around them they should not be allowed to forget the enormity of this crime.

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