The Brutal Crime Of The Youngest Murderers In British History Shocked The Nation

The murder of a small child is perhaps the most heart-wrenching of all crimes. Who could take the life of someone so innocent, trusting, and defenseless? But when the murder is perpetrated by another child, it can muddy the waters about how justice is best served. The prosecution of juvenile offenders, particularly those who aren't even in their teens yet, brings up interesting questions. Should they be tried as adults? Are they able to be reformed? Can an offender so young truly be responsible for their actions? 

While these questions will bring out impassioned responses from many people, it should be known that even experts in the law and psychiatry have varied answers. With so few cases involving young children committing murder, it can make it difficult to craft a hard and fast rule on these extremely rare types of offenders. Though an aberration among even the most troublesome of juvenile offenders, when monstrous behavior is carried out from the body of a child, it's bound to make people wonder exactly what went wrong.

In what could be described as one of the most disturbing juvenile crimes of the 20th century, two 10-year-old boys from Liverpool, England viciously murdered a 2-year-old child (via Liverpool Echo). Their arrest, trial, and incarceration still spark heated debate on the criminal justice system's handling of youth offenders.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

The 2.5-mile journey from the Strand shopping center to the murder site was done on foot. During that long walk, the boys were seen by dozens of witnesses, many of whom came forward later and said that something didn't feel right about the situation. The Guardian reports that many of these eyewitnesses would later testify in court against Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. One witness, Kathleen Richardson, saw the two older boys appearing to treat James Bulger roughly. She was riding on a bus at the time, which had slowed down at a roundabout where the boys were crossing. 

Another witness was a delivery driver who saw Thompson and Venables dragging Bulger by his arms, the toddler's legs trying to "dig in" to the earth to avoid being moved. Mark Pimblett told the court that as he passed by, he looked back and saw one of the older boys appear to kick the toddler just below one of his arms in what looked like an attempt to get him to move along. Elsewhere, Lorna Brown broke down in tears during her testimony. She recalled seeing the three boys that afternoon and was troubled when she saw that Bulger had a slight injury to his forehead. Witness Malcolm Walton testified that he saw Bulger "crying his eyes out" not far from the Strand while he was being led away. This coincides with the recollection of Pauline Murphy, who said she noticed Bulger trying to run away from Thompson and Venables, only to have his arm grabbed and secured by one of the boys. 

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Neither Robert Thompson nor Jon Venables testified at the November 1993 trial. The prosecution played hours of conversations between each suspect and the police, showed close circuit camera footage of them leading James Bulger out of the shopping mall, and heard from almost 40 eyewitnesses who recalled seeing Bulger walking along the route between the Strand and the railroad tracks where his body was found (via Crime + Investigation). These bits of evidence, combined with DNA matches and Venables' admission to the police, should have been more than enough to secure a guilty verdict from the jury.

But police and prosecutors knew that for the jury to come back with anything more than a manslaughter verdict, the case would have to be made that both Thompson and Venables knew right from wrong so that they could be considered culpable. Ultimately, the jury concluded that there was evidence to prove that Thompson and Venables abducted and killed James Bulger. They further decided that both boys were guilty of murder. Due to their ages, they faced only a minimum of eight years behind bars in juvenile facilities. CNN reports that various judges over the next several years increased the minimum time from eight years to 10, and finally 15 before a final ruling returned it to eight. While incarcerated, both Thompson and Venables excelled in their academics, learned various trades, and accepted responsibility for their horrific crimes (via CNN). 

Both offenders were released in 2001 after they turned 18 and were given new identities. As time went on, one of them continued to make the news.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.