The killers of James Bulger, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, were both 10 years old when they abducted, tortured, and murdered the two-year-old in 1993. They were convicted and sentenced to indefinite detention at Her Majesty's pleasure but were released on lifelong licenses in 2001 with new identities under court orders to protect their anonymity

. Since their release:

• Robert Thompson has not reoffended publicly and has remained out of the spotlight

• Jon Venables has had multiple legal issues: he was returned to prison in 2010 for possessing indecent images of children, released again in 2013, and recalled to prison in 2017 for similar offenses. As of late 2023 and early 2024, Venables remains in prison after parole board decisions concluded he still poses a risk to children and the public. His parole bids have been denied, with authorities citing concerns about his honesty and ongoing risk

Venables is expected to be eligible for another parole review soon, but James Bulger's mother, Denise Fergus, continues to campaign against his release, advocating for legal changes to keep reoffenders incarcerated

. In summary:

• Robert Thompson lives under a new identity with no known further offenses.
• Jon Venables remains imprisoned as of 2025 due to repeated breaches of parole conditions and ongoing risk assessments