In 1993, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson abducted and murdered two-year-old James Bulger in a disgusting crime that sickened the nation – but where are James Bulger’s killers now?
And did they ever admit their guilt?
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of C5 documentary Lost Boy: The Killing of James Bulger.
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What happened to James Bulger?
Toddler James Bulger disappeared on February 12 1993.
Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both 10, murdered him in cold blood.
Grainy CCTV footage shows them walking James away from the Strand shopping centre in Liverpool.
The nation was horrified that two children had killed another innocent child.
Jon and Robert tortured and killed two-year-old James in one of the worst crimes in history.
Police found James’ mutilated body on a railway track on Valentine’s Day.
James Bulger’s killers: Who are they?
Jon Venables and Robert Thompson murdered James Bulger.
The manner of his death is far too upsetting to describe here.
First of all, the friends skipped school and snatched James when his mum was paying in a shop.
Eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage later led the police to the killers.
A jury found them guilty on November 24 1993.
Judge, Mr Justice Morland, recommended a minimum term of eight years in jail.
Finally, they walked free in 2001, with new identities and lifelong anonymity.
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Where is James Bulger killer Jon Venables now? How old is he?
Jon Venables, now 39, is protected by lifelong anonymity.
He served eight years in juvenile detention for the murder of James Bulger and was freed on licence in 2001.
Police arrested him in September 2008 on suspicion of affray after a drunken fight and gave him a formal warning.
Police officers cautioned him for possession of cocaine later the same year.
Jon Venables returned to prison in February 2010 after breaching the terms of his release.
Police charged him with downloading and distributing sick child abuse images.
A judge sentenced him to two years in prison in July 2010 for downloading and distributing indecent images of children.
He walked free on parole again in August 2013.
In November 2017, he returned to prison for possessing more than 1,000 indecent images of children.
A judge jailed Jon for 40 months in February 2018 for possessing more than 1,000 indecent images of children.
He subsequently remains in jail where he is serving a three years and four months sentence.
His September 2020 parole attempt was denied and he cannot apply again for two years.
Inmates discovered Jon’s identity and attacked him in prison, according to reports.
He has allegedly begged for cosmetic surgery to change his appearance.
Where is James Bulger killer Robert Thompson now? How old is he?
Robert, 18 at the time, walked free from a young offenders’ institution under licence in 2001.
He has not re-offended since.
A worldwide injunction protects his identity.
In 2006, reports claimed Robert Thompson was in a stable relationship and had settled well into his local community in the North West.
It is believed he remains in a long-term relationship with a man who knows his real identity.
Robert, now 38, is said to have turned his life around at Barton Moss secure unit, in Eccles, Lancs.
He passed five GCSEs and took A-levels.
Did James Bulger’s killers ever admit their guilt?
Jon Venables and Robert Thompson denied the charges of murder, abduction and attempted abduction of another boy earlier the same day.
The boys did not speak during the trial.
The case against them was based on tape-recorded police interviews with the boys.
DNA and forensic evidence linked them to the murder, as well as eyewitness testimony.
Robert Thompson is said to have asked police whether the two-year-old had been taken to hospital to “get him alive again”.
Will James Bulger’s killers ever be identified?
A lifelong anonymity protects Jon Venables and Robert Thompson.
James Bulger’s dad Ralph previously launched High Court proceedings against the order.
Ralph’s lawyer told a court on May 2 2018 that the original injunction granted to Jon Venables was on the basis that he was rehabilitated and did not re-offend.
Denise Fergus, James’ mum, does not support the proceedings.
She believes her son’s killer should keep his anonymity to avoid vigilante justice.
A judge consequently ruled his anonymity would protect him from “serious violence” on March 4 2019.
Lost Boy: The Killing of James Bulger on Channel 5
This two-part documentary, which concludes tomorrow, tells James’ story from the people who knew him.
His mum Denise Bulger, and brothers Michael, Tom and Leon, all discuss his disappearance as they remember it and how they came to terms with his death.
Other contributors include police officers involved in the case, and reporters who covered it.
Viewers will hear a definitive story of the case, examining in forensic detail what happened on that tragic day.
Lost Boy: The Killing of James Bulger starts on Wednesday March 10 at 9pm on Channel 5 and concludes the next day.
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