Murder of James Bulger

This article is about the 1993 murder in England. For the 2018 killing in the United States, see Whitey Bulger § Death.

Murder of James Bulger
James Bulger
LocationWalton, Liverpool, England
Date12 February 1993 (1993-02-12)
Attack type
Child-on-child murder by bludgeoning, torture murder, kidnapping, mutilation, dismemberment
WeaponsBricks, stones, fishplate, others
VictimJames Bulger
Perpetrators
  • Robert Thompson
  • Jon Venables
MotiveInconclusive
VerdictGuilty
ConvictionsMurder, abduction
SentenceIndefinite sentence in juvenile detention (paroled after 8 years)

On 12 February 1993 in Merseyside, England, two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, abducted, tortured, and murdered a two-year-old boy, James Patrick Bulger (16 March 1990 – 12 February 1993). Thompson and Venables led Bulger away from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, where Bulger was visiting shops with his mother. His mutilated body was found on a railway line 2+1⁄2 miles (4 kilometres) away in Walton, Liverpool, two days later.

Thompson and Venables were found guilty of abduction and murder on 24 November, making them the youngest convicted murderers in modern British history. They were sentenced to indefinite detention at Her Majesty's pleasure, and remained in custody until a Parole Board decision in June 2001 recommended their release on a life licence at age 18. Venables was sent to prison in 2010 for possessing child pornography images on his computer, was released on parole again in 2013, and in November 2017 was again sent to prison for again possessing child pornography images on his computer. His 2023 appeals for parole were rejected.

The Bulger case has prompted widespread debate about how to handle young offenders when they are sentenced or released from custody.

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