FACT CHECK: James Bulger's killer did not transition, move to Australia to work in Childcare

Coming to terms with the fact that we have a childcare scandal where many cisgender men have been caught abusing children in the industry is a hard thing to do for some people.

A massive Four Corners investigation recently uncovered incredible and horrifying abuses in Australia's childcare industry. Systemic failures, abuse, and significant gaps in regulation and enforcement. Shortly after that, in July 2025, it was revealed that a cisgender man, Joshua Brown, sexually abused children while working across 23 centres. Further instances of abuse by other men and women have been prosecuted since.

But why reckon with the horrors perpetuated by mostly white cisgender men when you can blame trans women? And what better way than to revive an old rumour?

What's the rumor?

A rumour was started recently by Bill Edgar, a man who gatecrashes events for a living, suggesting that one of James Bulger's killers, Robert Thompson, had moved to Australia, transitioned to female and had begun working in childcare.

The rumour has had coverage on news.com.au, dailymail and 10 News+.

It really is the trifecta of conservative fears: a murderous trans woman near kids. That's the first clue that this is a lie.

Origins

James Bulger, a two-year-old toddler, was murdered by two 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, in 1993 in Merseyside, England. They were the youngest convicted murderers in UK history. Thompson was ultimately released at 18, and assumed a new identity – only known to British officials.

Because of the new identities and a legal bar on identifying them that applies in the UK but does not necessarily apply internationally, rumours swirled via chain emails that they had been relocated to Australia, Canada or the United States.

It was picked up in 2006 by the media, who received a categorical denial by Justice Minister Chris Ellison, stating, "We have not and would not allow either Jon Venables or Robert Thompson into Australia".

In 2009, the rumors were fanned by Channel 7's Sunrise program, who put it to the immigration department. "The Australian Government has not been approached to resettle either of the individuals concerned.". (Channel Seven, Sunrise, 25th August, 2009)

Sunrise, however, had used the rumour and promoted it for several days on their promotions for Sunrise as a tie-in for an episode of City Homocide, according to Media Watch.

Melissa Doyle: Are his killers now living in Australia?

David Koch: We'll separate fact from fiction

— Channel Seven, Sunrise promo, 24th August, 2009

These rumours have continued to live on, and now a so-called private investigator named Bill Edgar, better known for his gatecrasher-for-hire service, is perpetuating these rumours to anyone who will publish them and adding this transphobic bent.

Shame on him and others involved.