Robert Thompson was born on August 23, 1982 - the fifth of seven children.
His dad abandoned the family five years before Bulger's murder - leaving mum Ann devastated.
She turned to drink and fell into depression, as well as allegedly trying to take her own life with an overdose.
The youngster had no record of violence before he was found guilty of killing two-year-old
James Bulger.
The 35-year-old has not re-offended since being released on licence when he was 18 years old.
n 2006, reports claimed Thompson was in a stable gay relationship and had settled well into his local community in the North West.
It is believed Thompson remains in a long-term relationship with a man who knows his real identity.
At trial in 1993, Thompson was painted as the ringleader, leading Venables on at every turn. And even by 2000, top child psychiatrist Sir Michael Rutter claimed the risk posed by Venables on his release was "trivial".
But when Venables was recalled to jail in 2010, it emerged Thompson had done well at Barton Moss secure unit, in Eccles, Lancs, showing a growing interest and talent in art.
He had passed five GCSEs, taken A-levels and enjoyed trips to the Lake District and even to the theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.