James Bulger’s Stolen Grave Items Recovered

The family of two-year-old James Bulger, who was murdered in 1993, has located stolen items from his vandalized grave. The toddler was abducted from a Bootle shopping center, later tortured and killed by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, then both aged 10. This crime shocked the nation.

Earlier this year, cherub statues adjacent to James’s grave at Kirkdale Cemetery were damaged twice within six weeks. The first incident occurred in February, followed by another in the current month. A fundraising campaign raised over £23,000 to repair the headstone.

A 78-year-old man from Kirkby was recently arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage. Through a tip-off, the family shared on the James Bulger Memorial Trust’s Facebook page that they had “found the 2 vandalized cherub heads” and also identified the original sleeping cherub along with other stolen items from James’s resting place. Police confirmed they would return the seized items to affected families.

“We have also now found the original sleeping cherub and a couple of other items stolen from James’s resting place.” – Family statement

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