James Bulger's Family Recover Items From Vandalised Kirkdale Cemetery Grave

The family of James Bulger, the toddler abducted and murdered in 1993, has announced the recovery of items stolen from his grave following recent acts of vandalism.

The two-year-old was tortured and killed by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both ten years old at the time, after being taken from a Bootle shopping centre. The crime remains a harrowing chapter in British legal history.

Earlier this year, two cherub statues positioned beside James's grave in Kirkdale Cemetery were damaged on two separate occasions within six weeks. A public fundraiser to facilitate repairs to the headstone subsequently garnered over GBP#23,000.

A 78-year-old man from Kirkby was arrested this month in connection with the theft and criminal damage. The Bulger family, via the James Bulger Memorial Trust, confirmed they had "found the 2 vandalised cherub heads" after receiving a tip-off. They also stated the recovery of "the original sleeping cherub and a couple of other items stolen from James's resting place."

The family further indicated that additional items, reportedly taken from other graves, had been seized and would be returned to their rightful families by police.