Bulger Murderer Blames Mum?

[jd_1984]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/boozed-up-james-bulger-murderer-jon-5075352

Not to condone what so ever the despicable and grotesque acts carried out by the murderers, I have always wondered why the mother left a toddler on his own outside the shop?
I realise that she will ask herself that question every day and it must haunt her. Of course she isn't responsible but would you leave a toddler?

[Tilly2]

Jd, no one is going to say, 'Yes, I would.'

[Sqad]

It's not a matter of "leaving " a toddler on his own, it is the pragmatic aspect of knowing where your "toddler" is 24/7.

This is not possible and there will be times when EVERY parent loses contact with their "toddler" and that is where luck plays it's part.

[Prudie]

I don't believe she did either, a wicked thing to say. Unless you keep toddlers on reins (which is a good idea) this must happen to all parents for a few seconds.

[cupid04]

So you're taking the word of one of his killers that she left him alone...

[jd_1984]

I am interested to know if perhaps at the time some parents would leave children for a brief moment. These days with the Bulger murder/Madeline Mcann it seems unthinkable but I remember when we lived abroad (1990) and my parents leaving me (6) and brother (4) a few times to meet friends next door/over the road for drinks.

[jd_1984]

She admitted leaving him though didn't she? "Breifly turned round, 30 seconds" The CCTV of the incident shows the boys approach an unattended toddler and walk off with him, not run away.

[pastafreak]

I've seen mums walking along the road,toddler trailing behind at some distance. The worst was a mum that got off a bus I was on. She strided ahead until there was a good 30+ feet between them in a very busy city centre.
I think parents *may* have been a bit more trusting then,and their own parents may have left baby in carriage outside a shop or home...never thinking anything bad could happen.

[pixie373]

I agree with sqad. She will blame herself, but probably was distracted for a moment.

[Sycamore3House]

My son was born the same year as James Bulger. I was shopping with a baby, husband & 2 year old. I clearly remember to this day how my son was lost for about 3 mins in Asda. It was in the days between the killing and the murderers being arrested. I was convinced the same had happened to my son despite living 200 miles away. I ran around Asda like a lunatic trying to find him & along with staff & customers. He was found sat on a shelf eating a cadburys cream egg & hiding. No matter how hard you try when there is a distraction it is possible to lose contact.

[cupid04]

I wish they helped the victims of crime as much as they seem to help the perpetrators.

[jd_1984]

Must have been scary Sycamore.
I totally appreciate what you and others say about the impossibility of monitoring a child 24/7. I can only imagine that James's mum thought it would be easier to "nip" into the shop for 30 seconds than take James in, and that's her decision as a parent to make, how could any of us predicted what came next.
In hindsight these day, we wouldn't dream of doing it. My point was pre Bulger, pre Mcann it wasn't out of the realms of possibility for a parent to leave a child briefly if they assessed the risk and thought there wasn't any.

[jd_1984]

True, Cupid - a separate issue that we could discuss all day.
The age of the murderers was such a unique factor, in my part of the world the plan of rehabilitation into the world with an education and new identities was never going to be received well.

[anneasquith]

ridiculous to compare this tragedy with the mc.cann incident.

[Maydup]

Rather than question the actions of the mother, reading that story makesme wonder why the kiler deserves a fourth new identity.

[jd_1984]

I don't think I made a direct comparison really? But with these high profile cases in mind, it seems unthinkable to purposely leave a child unattended. I was asking has this always been the case? Pre Mcann and Pre Bulger?

[jd_1984]

Yes Maydup I agree and like I said that can (and has) been argued at length I am sure.

[mushroom25]

years ago when I was a lad, I was walking through York with an old timer from work and we happened on a toddler in a pushchair outside a small baker's shop. no sign of mum and noticing how the littl'un was coveting the shop's wares, the old timer went in, bought the gooiest cake he could see and presented it to the kid. he then urged that we retreat across the road.

mum returned a few minutes later (all the shops were small and taking an old-fashioned pushchair in would have been awkward), by which time the kid was blathered in cream, and mum was unhappy to say the least.

couldn't happen today, we'd have been arrested.

[pixie373]

Yes...the kid would have had a dairy intolerance or something...:-)

[atalanta]

I insisted on keeping all my children in leading reins until they acquired a little sense. But everyone told me how undignified and old-fashioned it was for a toddler to be kept in leading reins.
They stopped telling me that when Jamie Bulger died.

[Butterbun]

I agree with maydup re the new identity. Seems every time he gets one, he blows his cover.