(15 Feb 2015, 6:40 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote I was set an RE homework over the holidays, and atm we're doing crime and punishment; I've found it to be a very interesting topic.Don't really remember that much about it, I was the same age as Venables and Thompson, maybe I was being shielded from the horror of it, I do remember saying prayers for James Bulger in school assembly though.
We all had to pick a criminal, and I've already chose mine, but our task was to find out as much as possible about the killing of James Bulger. I was wondering, assuming it's appropriate, could any of our older members give me their view on Jon Venables and Robert Thompson?
I've already gathered plenty of information on the topic to know what happened, etc, I watched a few documentaries - and I've decided for my homework to do a survey, to ask 5 people. I've already asked my mam and my grandma, who both said they were absolutely gobsmacked two 10 year olds could kill a 2 year old boy like that. In fact, they instantly remembered the names, following my question 'do you remember those 2 kids who killed that little boy back in 1993?'.
So, can any of the elders give me their help?
I think what stuck out for me, was the fact 2 children, the same age as me, could do something so horrible, I remember the press it recieved, as has been pointed out, it recieved headline press the world over, although we had no social media at the time, I think the amount of coverage was unprecedented.
When I think about it now, how they were treated by the justice system, was it right to name them straight away, I am not sure because of the public interest in the case, but they were tried in an adult court, as has been pointed should have recieved a big boy sentence for the offence.
I remember when I was in care and it was always a topic of conversation that one of them was detained at Aycliffe Young Peoples Centre, which I later found out to be untrue.
What Venables and Thompson did was not really unprecendented, our older relatives will no doubt remember Mary Bell who killed a couple of kids in Newcastle in the late 60's and the reaction then...
Also take a look at
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edlington_attacks
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_bell
And a case from America
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Smith_(murderer)
I think Venables and Thompson should have got longer sentences, after there time in youth custody, they should have went onto Adult Prison for an undetermined number of years, as we know Venables became a serial offender under his new identity, problems with drink and drugs and ultimately going back to jail for paedophilia after indecent images of children were found on his computer...
Just my thoughts...Hope it helps Marcus, it probably wont though
