Australian federal agencies have refused to confirm or deny media reports that Robert Thompson, one of two 10-year-old boys convicted of murdering toddler James Bulger in 1993, is living in Australia and has worked in childcare, prompting fresh calls for public clarity from child safety advocates.
Requests for comment to the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Education, the Australian Federal Police and the office of Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were met with no substantive answers. The Department of Education said it would need a new name or the location of a specific childcare centre to make further inquiries. An AFP spokeswoman said the agency had "no comment." A spokesman for the Parole Board of England and Wales said the board does not comment on the whereabouts of people once they are released from custody.
The claim that Thompson may be living in Australia and working in the early childhood sector was reported by Australian outlets and attributed to a relative who told a private investigator she believed Thompson had moved to Australia, had a male partner and may have transitioned to a woman. The account was relayed to the investigator, Bill Edgar, who has provided paid services to clients seeking to reveal secrets after their deaths. The reporting did not present documentary proof of those assertions, and outlets noted the absence of verified evidence.
Child protection campaigners said the silence from authorities is worrying and urged clear denials if the claims are unfounded. Hetty Johnston, founder of Bravehearts and Safeguarding Children Australia, said it should be straightforward for agencies to say publicly whether the person named in reports was employed in childcare. "It should be easily answered with a no," she said. "The fact that it hasn't been answered is concerning." Johnston said where privacy and the best interests of children collide, the best interests of children must prevail.
Thompson and Jon Venables were convicted in November 1993 for the abduction, torture and murder of two-year-old James Bulger in Bootle, England. The boys, who were 10 at the time, led the toddler from New Strand Shopping Centre on Feb. 12, 1993; James's body was found two days later on a railway line in Walton, Liverpool. The case drew intense international attention and lasting public revulsion.
Both boys were detained indefinitely and later released with new identities when they reached adulthood in 2001. The new identities and whereabouts of the two men have been protected by court order. Thompson has not been publicly known to have offended since his release; Venables was twice returned to custody after being found in possession of child abuse images, and in December 2023 the Parole Board of England and Wales refused his release, finding he remained a risk to the public.
There are precedents for ministers intervening on public speculation about the pair's whereabouts. Ahead of their release, then-prime minister John Howard and then-immigration minister Philip Ruddock said the men would not be resettled in Australia. In 2006, at the height of fresh rumours, a federal minister said reports that one or both were living in Australia were "categorically false."
Australian authorities face heightened sensitivity over the issue amid recent high-profile prosecutions and allegations involving childcare workers. In Victoria, a man charged with multiple offences allegedly involving children was reported to have worked across numerous centres. In New South Wales, another man has been accused of filming and photographing boys while working at out-of-school-hours centres. A Queensland childcare worker was jailed after pleading guilty to hundreds of offences. Several reviews and inquiries have highlighted gaps in regulation and record-keeping, and a recent Victorian government review recommended creating a national early childhood worker register and an early childhood reform commission.
Government officials have cited legal and privacy constraints when asked to respond to speculation about people granted new identities under court orders. The Department of Education told inquiries that it required a name or a specific workplace to check employment history or registrations. The Australian Federal Police declined to comment on the matter. The British Home Office said it could provide no assistance, and the British High Commission in Canberra did not respond to a request for comment.
Reporting that has linked Thompson to childcare employment relied on testimony from a relative and the private investigator, and did not produce government records or naming evidence. Media outlets that published the claims noted no independent verification of the alleged employment or identity had been established.
Advocates for child safety said the issue underlines tensions between court-ordered privacy protections and public safety interests. While courts have at times restricted information to protect people who were juveniles at the time of their convictions, advocates argue transparency is necessary where there are potential risks to children in institutional settings. Government officials have in the past publicly denied rumours about the pair's presence in Australia; current inquiries remain unanswered, leaving the claims unverified and the public seeking clarity.