James Bulger killer Robert Thompson's life now with 'boyfriend who knows past'

12 February 2024 , 10:19

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Robert Thompson was 10 years old when he was arrested for abducting and murdering toddler James Bulger (Image: Enterprise News and Pictures)

It's been 31 years since tot James Bulger was brutally tortured and murdered by two schoolboys.

Child killers Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were both 10 years old when they kidnapped two-year-old James from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12, 1993, and killed him.

The pair were convicted of the murder and served eight years in a young offenders institute before being freed in 2001. Upon their release, the teens were given new identities under the protection of a worldwide injunction.

Venables was sent back to jail in 2010 and 2017 for possessing child sex abuse images. He remains behind bars after his parole bid was rejected last month, and will serve at least two more years in jail.

Thompson has since kept under the radar and lives in an unknown location with a new identity. On the anniversary of the chilling death, the Mirror takes a look at everything we know about the 41-year-old's life now...

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Venables and Thompson spent eight years in a young offenders institute before being released in 2001 with new identities (ITV)

Thompson, born on August 23, 1982, was one of seven children. His mother, Ann, fell into depression and turned to drinking when his father abandoned their family five years before James' murder. Following her son's conviction, she said she was "effectively in hiding" and feared "revenge attacks." Ann frequently changed her name and moved house but stayed close to where her son was held in the unit.

During the trial in November 1993, Thompson was painted out to be the ringleader and it was claimed that he had been leading Venables. Talking in ITV's 2018 documentary James Bulger: A Mother's Story, Detective Phil Roberts reflected on the time he interviewed the 10 year olds.

He previously said: "As far as I'm concerned that day - 20 years ago - I stared evil in the face. I think Thompson was in charge, but they both attacked James. They were a match made in hell. A freak of nature. They went out that day to kill - I truly believe that. And if they hadn't been caught I fear they would have struck again."

Thompson, now 41, was released on licence in June 2001 when he was 18 years old - following intense rehabilitation and a six-month review - where he and Venables were deemed as no longer a threat to public safety. Unlike Venables, Thompson is not known to have reoffended since.

According to the Echo, their new identities cost £1.5million, in order to protect them from fatal attacks. They were also barred from entering Liverpool. He reportedly passed five GCSEs, had taken A-Levels and had shown a growing interest in art when he was released.

Back in 2006, it was reported that Thompson was settled down and in a long-term relationship with a man - and it is believed that his partner knows his true identity. In 2018, Thompson's statement to the parole board for his 2001 release was revealed for the first time in a Channel 5 documentary,.

James was just two years old when he was brutally murdered by the twisted schoolboys (ENTERPRISE NEWS AND PICTURES)

James' mother, Denise Bulger, campaigned to keep both her son's killers locked up for life (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

At the time, Thompson claimed he was a "better person" as a result of his eight years in detention for the horrific crime. He apologised for murdering two-year-old James as he tried to win his freedom. In his statement, he said: "At that time of my life, I was completely out of control and spending time with a group of friends whose main occupation was committing crime and causing trouble. I was out of control because my life on the streets was better for me than my life at home – there was nothing for me at home."

He continued: "I do feel aware that I am now a better person and have had a better life and a better education than if I had not committed the murder. There is obviously an irony to this, but it is part of my remorseful feelings as well. I, personally, wish Mr and Mrs Bulger and their families to know that I am desperately sorry for what I did, and aware of the enormity of what I did.

"Mr and Mrs Bulger have made statements in the press indicating that they would view any statement of remorse by me as a cynical manoeuvre to secure my release. It is difficult, given that, to see how I could ever communicate my remorse in an effective way." Thompson also told the parole board: "I am deeply ashamed of what I did, and of having played a part in this horrible murder." However, James' dad Ralph said these were "false words", adding: "I'll never accept that either of these two is sorry for what they done."

Thompson previously said when he and Venables left the Strand shopping centre, he "became aware Jon Venables had a little boy with him". Of CCTV images showing James being led off, Thompson said: "I very much regret that I did nothing to stop it at this time and the sight of those photographs fills me with shame and revulsion." He denied they sexually assaulted James before killing him. He added: "Jon Venables and I did not speak to each other at all, as I remember, during the attack. And we didn't speak about it after we left James Bulger on the railway line."

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Thompson admitted that he did not own up to the crime at the time as he was scared of reprisals. Writing of when he and Venables first appeared in court, he said: "I could hear people shouting and chanting, 'Hang the bastards' and screaming at the policemen to 'Hand them over'."

Nia Dalton