James Bulger

I understand that, is the book about the murders or her life leading to and after

It was so sickening to watch that little boy walk off with those 2 damaged kids. I always wondered what sort of parents they had and thought the parents needed treatment as much as the two murderers. I seem to remember one was much worse than the other one.

This case hit me hard. I had a cheeky 2 year old at the time, very prone to running off when out shopping. We all held on extra tightly as this story progressed.
And of course it has never ended for all those directly involved

Anniebach

I understand that, is the book about the murders or her life leading to and after

From the reviews it seems to be about her life and why she murdered, the book is a supposedly a useful investigation into why she murdered. It's called "Cries Unheard" of you want to look it up. It's reviewed 3.88 out of 5 on Goodreads if you use that.

Thank you OldFrill

Allira

These people were upset and angry. What they did was wrong and I did not say otherwise and yes, it was a poor example to set for their children.

But it was not as bad as deliberately torturing and murdering a tiny child.

Wrong -v- evil.

Yes Aalira, I agree. I met someone on the jury .. those boys carried out unspeakable & unimaginable acts to that poor baby James that were never reported. My heart goes out to his mother/family. I also hope the perpetrators get healing .

Perhaps the boys were upset and acted in anger

Barleyfields

Yes. Heart-stopping. M&S in my case. He was just behind a rail of clothes but I will never forget.

I had exactly that experience when for about thirty seconds my three year old had gone. I let go of his hand to put a dress back on the rail and he was no longer there - he too had walked behind the clothes. The jolting, sickening fright comes back to me still. -

The boys who tortured and killed James had the kind of background that causes huge damage

Yes I was a young mum then too..Still upsets me to this day. I had a 2yr old and a 4yr old it was horrendous...

Plenty of children have terrible childhoods, some even worse than Thompson & Venebles, they don’t all go out and murder 2 year olds.

I recall school boys who were cruel to animals, I went to the same school as them, tied things to cats tails, opened garden gates to let dogs out, bonfire night was awful, fireworks thrown
at animals, they started bullying tinies in the tinies playground ,both those boys were taken away from their homes, never saw them again, learned many years later they only knew
cruelty

What those boys did was beyond terrible as others have said. And as others have also said, the killers were children who had had terrible damaging childhoods.

Allira

We'll never forget that sweet little boy.
Thinking of Denise Bulger today.

Yes, we have all probably experienced the panic of realising our child is not right there next to us however careful we are.

I believe Denise Bolger has passed away. Is that correct? Poor woman. She must have gone to hell and back. He was a cute little boy and unfortunately not the only one to have been removed from family in this way.
My heart goes out to anyone who is in that position. ❤️

LovesBach

Barleyfields

Yes. Heart-stopping. M&S in my case. He was just behind a rail of clothes but I will never forget.

I had exactly that experience when for about thirty seconds my three year old had gone. I let go of his hand to put a dress back on the rail and he was no longer there - he too had walked behind the clothes. The jolting, sickening fright comes back to me still. -

I think probably most mums (and don’t forget the dads) have been there. The shock, horror and panic can’t be described. And it doesn’t matter how careful you are. Years ago, when our grandson was three, we went to a farm where you could pretend to look after the animals. There were life size animal models and you could ‘milk’ the cow, and have other hands-on experiences. It was beautifully done. We were there with our grandson’s parents (our daughter and her husband) and we were all very careful for his safety.( If one couple wanted to stop to look at something, or join in something, the other couple took charge of the little one and it worked well. In the evenings, one couple would babysit while the other couple went out, then we would swap the next time). At one point, the four of us suddenly realised our grandson wasn’t with us. Horrified, we realised that each couple had thought he was with the other couple. Not unreasonable as he loved being with us so it was quite common for his parents to relax knowing he was safe. We tore back to the milking shed where, thankfully, he was still happily milking his cow. It was horrifying and shaming to realise what could have happened. It only takes a second! But it is SO easily done, even by the most caring and attentive parents.

Reading these threads has made me think about the parents and family members who birthed these two boys . I can't say cared for so I say birthed . Wondering what their lifes were like , were they ever shown care / love / tenderness . My mind is imagining an awful home life possibly violence and more . These parents / family members who were they and how could they . The boys were ferrell . I can't imagine the home life . I'm wondering if harsh/ unkind / cruelty is all you know you lack any feelings of knowing love .
I guess I'm trying somehow to see the upbringing of a child and how it shapes their future . I'm probably wrong and will never know . But those parents surely are responsible too ?

Violence begets violence ,

They put the two boys in two different secure units. One never offended again and is living a useful life apparently. The other is now a repeat sex offender. I often find myself whether this difference was already in them, or whether the experiences they had in their respective units shaped them in different ways. It's actually pretty tragic all round. If only that day hadn't happened.

Good to see people on here using his real name. The family never called him Jamie.
Sad for all the children.

Crossstitchfan, Denise Bulger is still alive.

I remember this little boy so vividly. How can you not? While in a large shop recently I noticed a little girl wandering about. I kept watch to see if a parent came looking. After a few minutes I spoke loudly around asking if anyone had lost a child. A young women appeared from quite a distance away and claimed her. She said to me, 'I don't worry because anyone that takes her will soon give her back. She is a monster.' Unbelievable!

Kandinsky

Plenty of children have terrible childhoods, some even worse than Thompson & Venebles, they don’t all go out and murder 2 year olds.

No one here is suggesting they disagree with you Kadinsky. My work meant I met many incredible people who despite frankly horrific abuse in childhood, went on to live decent/good lives

Expressing compassion for the two ten year old murderers does not mean being blind to the horror of their crime.mmit does mean acknowledging the horror of their lives leading to the murder

Iam64
Agree.

Kandinsky 👍
It’s such a difficult subject to discuss and too easy to be polarised

OldFrill

Anniebach

I understand that, is the book about the murders or her life leading to and after

From the reviews it seems to be about her life and why she murdered, the book is a supposedly a useful investigation into why she murdered. It's called "Cries Unheard" of you want to look it up. It's reviewed 3.88 out of 5 on Goodreads if you use that.

Cries Unheard was not written by Mary Bell. It was written by Gitta Sereny, who has written widely about murderers and victims, including in the Third Reich. It's a disturbing but interesting read, and came out decades ago. My copy includes an essay about the Bulger case, which is also very interesting, and outlines the upbringing of the killers and both their behaviour and that of their parents in court.

I'm not sure that Bell benefited from the book, but to be fair it's many years since I read it.