It's been eight years now since James Bulger, the innocent little boy murdered by Thompson and Venables, was killed. The murderers who killed him were only ten years old when they murdered him in cold blood. Had they not killed him on that fateful day, Jamie would now also be ten years old - a priviledge cruelly denied him by two children who stole his childhood. By killing him.
The people of Bootle are angry - angry that this could have happened practically on their own doorstep (although in fact it was on a nearby railway track), angry that they couldn't save Little Jamie from the evil murder of Jamie Bulger, and angry because the Home Office still adamantly refuses to grant them the legal power to personally string Thompson and Venables up by their necks until you can hear that lovely cracking noise.
But how could this happen? How could two innocent children murder an innocent child? We need only examine the backgrounds of the evil pair to speculate wildly.
Thompson and Venables both came from broken homes. Both suffered the indignity of being working class. Thompson's parents were divorced before they were even married. John Venables was not even afforded a choice of cheese (say, perhaps brie and Red Leicester) that most middle class families take for granted. Venables habitually forgot his PE kit. The records show that Thompson was twice reported for not cleaning his viola in a manner befitting big school. Both boys habitually got their sums wrong, both boys had Gameboys and both boys were unemployed and claiming state benefit.
"In hindsight all the signs were there", says Prof. David Duks, author of 'Innocent Boys Of Evil - An Investigation Into The Death Of Little Jamie Bulger' (Batsford Press 1997). "Bootle seems to be the sort of working class town where people shout at you all the time It can't have been easy for either of them. Not that I'm saying this is any kind of excuse, you understand. Please don't make it look like I'm saying that."
But is it now safe to release these two evil murderers so they can continue their crazed killing spree, murdering YOUR children? Is society really ready for them to walk amongst us once again, like the tainted souls of the damned, for all eternity? The people of Bootle at least don't think so.
"It makes me really really angry, frankly", says local shock-jock Chris Scouse for perhaps the third time since I switched on the tape recorder, "that due to the... Draconian laws of our society, these two...monsters will be allowed out to kill again. It just makes me really really angry, frankly". Chris is one of maybe a dozen campaigners in Bootle who doesn't actually know what the word 'Draconian' means. Luckily it does sound a bit like 'Dracula' so it fits in with the evil nature of the crime which Thompson and Venables are guilty.
Chris' weekly phone-in show, 'There, That's My Opinion' gives over every Thursday night to the Bulger case. It's an emotive subject which fulfills a basic human need by giving uneducated and idiotic people a chance to say extremely stupid things about a subject they know very little about without fear of contradiction. "I fill a gap in the middle of the day", says Chris earnestly, "Where else could you call for the public hanging of two ten year olds in the same breath as squawking about saving the children".
But could all this painful public airing of such a distressing subject actually bring Little Jamie back to life? Even Chris admits that this is an unlikely scenario. "I doubt that would happen, at least not in my lifetime." Just one more callous truth to haunt the killers of Little Jamie Bulger.
But these two sick pre-pubescant murderers are not without their defenders. Startlingly they were even allowed a defence council in the subsequent court case allowing them a full and fair trial for their crimes - "Draconian!", says Chris Scouse again, this time while looking out the window at something - and, speaking to Venables' suspiciously erudite and articulate psychiatrist you could be forgiven for thinking that they could do no wrong.
"It's not my job to be judgemental", he told us between contrived nodding shots, "quite simply it's my job to evaluate the mental stability of those I'm treating and then practise talking about it in front of the mirror in easily editable sentences" Cold comfort perhaps for the poor wretched mothers of murdered Jamie Bulgers everywhere. Asked whether he could allow us to include a full transcript of his interview in the package we'll shortly be selling to American TV, he amazingly asked if he could run it by his legal people first! Would that poor Little Jamie Bulger had been afforded the same luxury.
Last Thursday brought together a rally organised by the 'Justice For Little Jamey' campaign - an organisation devoted to keeping Thompson and Venables out of Bootle for good. This gathering sealed the mood of the nation. "I think murdering two-year-old boys is wrong and oughtn't be allowed," said one scowling woman with a pushchair. "There - that's MY opinion.". When asked whether the process of rehabilitation and basic maturity might mean that Thompson and Venables aren't actually the same people who committed the murder and that perhaps she was just using this terrible event as an outlet for her general fears and doubts about the world in general, her answer was simple: "Worrabout Jamie Bulger's peeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaarants, eh? Worra they gunna do in the meantime?". And all of Bootle and the surrounding areas erupted in rapturous nodding applause.
In any event would the two monsters want to return to Bootle? Jamie's father has publically stated that, if released, Thompson and Venables will be hunted down and given a taste of their own medicine. A recent photo of Thompson's left foot was recently posted to all subscribers of Popbitch and some members of the campaign have found that if you slow down the police interview tapes by 23% then this gives a vague idea of what they might sound like as adults. Cassettes of this experiment are regularly played on Chris Scouse's radio show, often accompanied by some scary ambient music to set the mood. "It's very effective", says Chris. I get letters from listeners saying it's one of the most mind-blowing and crazy things they've ever heard. Luckily I managed to get rid of most of the tape hiss digitally". An edit of these unique experiments in sound is soon to be released by Warp Records (B/W 'I Didnt Kill The Baby (Dub)' WA8749 BN).
Our investigation has uncovered some deeply worrying facts about the murderers' detention - facts which the home office would rather you not hear about. Both boys had unlimited access to colour television sets. Both were allowed to sleep in beds. Both got regular meals and were even allowed visits to the toilet for a poo. And who was actually paying for all of this? You were. Do you feel angry yet?
How about now?
Through a process of integrating themselves with society, Jon Venables was even allowed out of his secure unit several times to breath air paid for by the humble taxpayer. Kevin Greenham, founder of the limited company 'Let's Kill Thompson And Venables Immediately' is outraged that the Home Office should let them wander about without first telling him where they were. "They could have been anywhere", he told us. "I've got two young children at Loughborough University. I just don't feel safe for them anymore."
Indeed, it would appear that Venables had been getting out several times towards the end of his stay. Unfortunately, due to Draconian publishing restrictions we can't print the photos of him meeting the Pope and breaking the world record for sailing around the world non-stop, but it happened. Right under your noses. Ha ha ha! Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?
Jamie's mother, Denise has little to look forward to now. She's slowly trying to rebuild her life by appearing in ads for Channel 5 documentaries about murdered children. She keeps a framed photo of Jamie on the mantlepiece next to the camera and lighting equipment. "It's Jamie's Special Place", she told us.
We tried to get an interview with Thompson and Venables so that they could perhaps explain why they decided to kill Ickle Jamie Wamie Bulgerkins. Unfortunately, having taken all those GCSEs and A-levels, they're now too intelligent to actually speak to us. Thompson is said to be writing his autobiography and is currenly working in his home studio. Venables is studying law at Cambridge, is a member of Footlights and has already been snapped up as a writer for Radio 4's 'Dead Ringers' under the name 'Nev Fountain'.
So how could it happen? Really. How could two seemingly innocent ten-year-old children murder an genuinely innocent child? It seems the truth is we don't actually know. And maybe we never will.
NEXT WEEK:
The World Trade Center Attacks - The Unheard Story. "I saw the first plane go in and I couldn't believe it..."
THE WEEK AFTER THAT:
The truth about Sarah Payne. We discover she's definitely dead and buy her mother a new hat.
AND AFTER THAT:
A special Dispatches investigation into the price of fish these days...
© 2000 - 2002 some of the corpses are amusing
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