- Denise Fergus , 55, will appear on James Bulger: The Trial, on Channel 5
- READ MORE: Jamie Bulger’s killer Jon Venables is granted a new parole hearing and could be released from prison within weeks
The mother of murdered toddler James Bulger insists his killer Jon Venables will attack another child if released from prison.
Denise Fergus, 55, will appear on James Bulger: The Trial, which airs on Channel 5 tomorrow.
The documentary tells the story of the trial of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, and features both killers’ defence lawyers as well as jurors, the judge and journalists and court staff who attended the 1993 trial.
It will also chillingly recreate scenes from the trial, with child actors playing Venables and Thompson and Henry Globe, the prosecution barrister from the trial, who will read out the real transcripts from Preston Sessions Court.
Denise, who has spent the last 30 years campaigning for justice for her son, didn’t attend the trial – but gave a statement to the court, which she reads over for the first time since 1993.
It will also chillingly recreate scenes from the trial, with child actors playing Venables and Thompson and Henry Globe, the prosecution barrister in the trial, reading out court transcripts (actors are pictured)
Denise Fergus , 55, will appear on James Bulger: The Trial, which airs on Channel 5 tomorrow
Venables, 40, and Thompson , 39, were both aged just ten when they kidnapped, tortured and killed the innocent two-year-old boy before leaving his mutilated body by a railway line in Liverpool 30 years ago. Venables is pictured in police custody
‘It’s not that I chose not to attend [the trial],’ Denise, who was pregnant with her second child at the time, said.
‘It’s that I was told not to attend because the pressure would have gone to the baby, I’ve got to think about the baby I was carrying too. It’s not only that I was grieving one but I was carrying another. I don’t want to be going through this.
‘I didn’t think I’d be able to read [the statement in court].
‘At the time it had come from my heart, it’s been 30 years since I’ve last seen this and I can’t read it, I’ve described James in it, and I can’t do it.
‘I don’t want to go back there, I know for a fact it’s played back in my mind, [if] I read that I’m back to day one.’
Child actors play the Jon and Robert, pictured sitting in the dock, in the new documentary
Laurence Lee, defence solicitor for Jon Venables, said that he was shocked when he discovered his client had reoffended, saying that he thought it was inevitable for Robert Thompson (played by a child actor, pictured left). Robert Thompson (pictured right) was also jailed as a ten-year-old boy but he was released in 2001 and has not reoffended since
The documentary also explores how both killers argued a ‘cut-throat’ defence, which meant blaming the other for the crime, while the defence lawyers also argued for ‘doli incapax’ – a legal term that means a child is incapable of forming the criminal intent to commit an offence (child actors are pictured)
Venables, 40, and Thompson, 39, were both aged just ten when they kidnapped, tortured and killed the innocent two-year-old boy before leaving his mutilated body by a railway line in Liverpool 30 years ago.
The toddler was snatched from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside.
While they were both found guilty of murder, both men were only sentenced to eight years behind bars because of their young age when they committed the crime.
They were released in 2001 with new identities and put on licence for life, but Venables has been recalled to prison twice, in 2010 and 2017, having been found to be in possession of indecent images of children.
James Bulger (pictured) was tragically killed by Venables and Robert Thompson. They kidnapped, tortured and killed the two-year-old
The child murderer has been told that his case will be heard in the coming weeks despite his fears that a law change would prevent him being freed.
Denise and father Ralph Bulger, 56, are understood to have written statements in a bid to prevent Venables being released. It’s believed Justice Secretary Alex Chalk is in agreement with the parents.
In the new documentary, Denise also explains how she thought she finally had justice when Venables and Thompson were found guilty, only to be heartbroken with their sentencing.
‘Apart from losing James that was the hardest day of my life,’ she says.
‘I was sitting far from them, but I remember if I was closer I’d have been able to grab one of them, but I wasn’t there for that.
A surveillance camera shows the abduction of two-year-old James Bulger from the Bootle Strand shopping mall on February 12, 1993
‘What was I gonna achieve? It would have me locked up.
‘The judge said ‘”you’re going to share very many years in prison” and i thought “we got justice at last”.
‘The “very many years” turned out to be less than eight years.
‘James’ life was worth so much more than less than eight years.
‘What they did was an adult crime and they should have been tried as adults – if that had been one of their children they wouldn’t have seen the light of day. I was disgusted.
‘My sister did say, “if you’re gonna take this on, you’re on for a long, hard battle” and I said “bring it on”.
‘I’m still fighting justice, I strongly believe [Jon] is going to go on and do another murder.
‘No matter what I’m not going to get James back, I’m fighting for other families, I don’t want them to go through what I went through, thirty years of fighting.’
The documentary also explores how both killers argued a ‘cut-throat’ defence, which meant blaming the other for the crime, while the defence lawyers also argued for ‘doli incapax’ – a legal term that means a child is incapable of forming the criminal intent to commit an offence.
However, as the age of criminal responsibility in the UK is ten, both boys were tried as adults.
‘When my lads were growing they would have known the difference from right and wrong from a very early age,’ Denise said.
‘Are they that dumb at ten? An animal killing an animal, a child killing a child, age doesn’t matter,’ she added.
The documentary features contributions from the prosecution and defence teams, as well as journalists Blake Morrison and David James Smith, who attended the entire trial.
Court artist, Priscilla Coleman said that she remembered the trial well because the boys seemed so young.
‘I remember Venables a lot because he had a really pretty little face, he looked like he was really going to cry a lot, all the time, he was a big baby, but he looked so sweet,’ she said.
‘The other boy in contrast, had this really burr haircut, looked like he was going into prison, made him look like tough little boy, he acted like a tough little boy too, you could see he thought “oh I’m bored!”‘
Laurence Lee, defence solicitor for Venables, said that he was shocked when he discovered his client had reoffended, saying that he thought it was inevitable for Thompson.
He also explained how Venables was curious about his title of ‘QC’.
‘When the jury was out, we wanted to leave the family alone, but we thought it was only fair we spoke to them.
‘Jon was intrigued about everything to do with a QC.
‘He said: “What does QC stand for” and I said “Queen’s council” he said “have you ever met the Queen?” and I said “yes, as a matter of fact I have at the Queen’s garden party.”
‘He then asked if she was there and I said “yes”.
‘He then told me “I would have love to have been there in a tree with a fishing rod, I could have taken her crown.”
‘I said “young man you have enough problems already without being charged with stealing the crown jewels”.’
He added that the whole trial was ‘surreal’ and that the dock had to be raised 18 inches so the children could see over it.
Mr Lee also revealed how he still thinks about the trial today and recently visited the court for another trial which left him ‘bursting into tears’.
Alan Barry, the foreman of the jury, added that the jurors were surprised the ‘kids were well dressed and clean’.
‘It shocked everyone, they were expecting some scruffy kid on the street,’ he explained.
He added that after delivering the verdict there were ‘gasps’.
‘I turned to the side and Thompson looked at me as if to say “you don’t know what you’re doing”.’
Blake Morrison, a journalist at the trial, added: ‘There had been so much about them in the media, they were monsters, but probably they were kids.
‘But they weren’t even adolescents. I pictured them as much bigger, they were primary school kids, they were small’.
The Trial of James Bulger Wednesday 6th September – 9pm, Channel 5
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