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Some children are simply evil, says Bulger policeman
THE detective who led the probe into the murder of James Bulger in Liverpool in 1993 said the Edlington attack bore chilling similarities to the tragic 1993 case which left the three-year-old dead.
Edlington attacks: Full coverage
Albert Kirby was given the unenviable task of investigating what happened when Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10, snatched little James and left his dead body beside a railway line.
Mr Kirby, a retired detective superintendent, even visited the Yorkshire scene shortly after the crime took place.
He said: "I stood at the top of the field where the 11-year-old boy was found and I saw how deep the drop was into the ditch and just thought how lucky it was he was found quickly. If he hadn't been found he could easily have died down there."
The former detective added that during his time at Preston Crown Court, where the James Bulger murder trial took place, he spent many hours wondering what trigger had caused the boys to attack.
He said: "If something like this happens in life, most people look to say 'Oh, that happened because of such and such' and try and put it into the relevant pigeon hole. That's natural.
"You may say that it is because the defendants lived in unsatisfactory domestic arrangements, or look to other factors to try and find a reason as to why they may have done it. However, after all my experience I believe that sometimes in life you still meet up with people who are evil per se."
Mr Kirby said the fact that two boys were involved in both crimes was also significant.
He said: "When you get two together it is a very important issue. I don't believe that either Thompson or Venables would have carried out their attacks on James without the other being there. In this case, in all probability one will have led the other."
The former detective also said that all four boys will be affected for the rest of their lives.
He added: "I have been into secure units for young people. The children live and work in such a strict environment and often have one to one supervision. But that doesn't mean they are mollycoddled or get better treatment than they would outside.
"They are locked in the cells which are designed to make it completely safe for them and staff, no sharp edges, all plastic mouldings. These children need people to control them for a long time. For the families of the victims, there will be a lot of guilt."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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