‘Evil’ killer Robert Thompson cried but shed ‘no tears’ after murdering toddler James Bulger, cop reveals
ROBERT Thompson cried “but there were no tears” after murdering James Bulger, a cop who questioned him has revealed.
In a new documentary, former detective Laurie Dalton described "evil" Thompson as “calculating” and said he tried to blame fellow killer Jon Venables.
Two-year-old James was led to his death by the depraved pair who tortured and sexually abused the tot before leaving his body on a railway track in Liverpool.
Thompson and Venables, who were both aged 10, were convicted of the 1993 murder, which shocked the nation.
Dalton, who was a Merseyside Police Detective Constable at the time of the investigation into the killing, told the 60 Minutes documentary Thompson tried to manipulate police.
“When he was in trouble, he cried but there were no tears,” he told the programme, which is being aired in Australia.
“We have him a Mars bar and a can of coke. He kept asking when he could go home.”
Dalton also remembers Venables never showed any remorse for his role in the heinous crime.
“In all the time I spoke to Venables he never showed any fear,” Dalton said.
Fellow cop Phil Roberts told the programme the most sickening response from Thompson came when he asked the boy what James' final words were.
"I want my mu-um," he killer responded by mimicking the toddler's voice.
He described Thompson as “streetwise” who “couldn’t recognise that what he’d done was that bad”.
When he was in trouble, he cried but there were no tears
Former detective Laurie Dalton
The former Detective Sergeant said he found it hard to believe that two children could actually have been capable of such brutality.
"There's no way I could relate to a child actually committing a murder," he said.
“I’ve experienced most things in life but this was different. You can’t put a finger on why and why so many injuries.
"There was no way I could relate to a child committing a murder.”
But he added: “They had one intention and that was to kill James; they are pure evil.”
James's mum Denise Fergus spoke to the documentary about her regrets over the moment she let go of James' hand as she took out her purse to pay for her shopping on February 12, 1993.
"That was the biggest mistake of my life. I shouldn't have let go," she said.
Thompson was sent to Barton Moss secure children’s home where Amanda Knowles, who was children’s resource centre manager, encountered him daily.
In the chilling extract from the 60 Minutes documentary, due to air in Australia this Sunday, Venables is asked by an officer about what James had said to him.
“I don’t hold the view that children are born evil,” she said.
“Some staff had real difficulties with that at the beginning but with the help of psychologists, Robert was successfully rehabilitated and returned to society.”
Knowles noticed an alarming difference to Thompson’s personality from that of his fellow murderer.
“I spent a bit of time and came into contact with Jon. I saw a boy more disturbed than Robert.”
David James Smith, an author and researcher, regarded Thompson as “an urban feral child, who was out of control,” but Venables was even more sinister.
“I joked to Jon that he couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding. He replied 'Oh yeah, bring your baby here and I’ll batter it.'"
At 18 years old, Venables and Thompson were both released from a young offenders’ institution under licence in June 2001.
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After intensive rehabilitation, the pair were handed new identities.
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Venables' new identity has been changed twice after he told friends he was a convicted murderer.
Both of their identities are protected by a worldwide injunction.