I was reading about the James Bulger murder

[closeupready]

and what has happened to the two males who raped and murdered him, and here is an essay written by his mother about the murder and how she has coped.

>>People often say I've got a lovely home. They comment on the cream swag curtains, or the thick carpet. It should be, given the time I spend in it. These days I'm virtually a prisoner here. The only time I venture out is on our weekly trip to Asda, and even then, my husband, Stuart, 31, has to come with me.

Our sons, Michael, 13, Thomas, 8, and Leon, 7, have learnt not to ask to play out the front any more because the answer's always no. You're probably thinking that I'm over-protective.
But when you read what I've been through, you'll understand.

Back in February 1993, my son, James Bulger, was just 2 when he was brutally murdered by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. They became the youngest people in Britain to be convicted of murder in 250 years. The worldwide headlines were endless: Boys aged 11 stoned toddler to death. Police released CCTV footage of James being led away by his killers.<<

http://www.pickmeupmagazine.co.uk/real_lives/Whatever_happened_to_James_Bulgers_mum_article_123823.html

It's a moving story, and I'm glad she was able to move on with her life, even as (so she writes) there is a part of her that will always be mourning. It would have been doubly sad if these monsters had not only killed James but destroyed his immediate family, as well.