James Bulger killer Jon Venables sent back to jail

The convicted murderer, who was controversially freed under a new identity in 2001, was just 10 when he and Robert Thompson abducted and battered the two-year-old to death in a crime which shocked the world.

Precise details of the nature of Venables' breach were not released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), but the detective who led the Bulger investigation said it would have caused "a whole load of anxiety" for James' mother, Denise Fergus.

An MoJ spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that Jon Venables has been recalled to custody following a breach of licence conditions.

"Offenders on licence are subject to strict conditions; if they breach those conditions they are subject to immediate recall.

"There is a worldwide injunction in place that prohibits any reporting, including reporting on the internet, that could identify him or his location."

Venables and Thompson snatched James from a shopping centre and killed him on a railway line in February 1993.

The toddler's battered body was found by children playing on a freight railway line 200 yards from Walton Lane police station, Liverpool, and more than two miles from the Strand shopping centre.

Both Venables and Thompson were given compulsory life sentences for the murder and remain on licence for the rest of their lives.

Albert Kirby, who headed the Bulger investigation, said he had spoken to James' mother about the revelation.

He told BBC News: "There's always been a lot of anxiety as to where both boys are and to hear something like that this evening it brings back to her a lot of the concerns, quite understandably, that she and any other parents in these sorts of circumstances would have."

At the home of Mrs Fergus in Kirkby, outside Liverpool, a family member said she and the family would not be making any comment on the development.

He added: "She will not be saying anything. We only found out from the police about four hours before it came on the news."

He said the family had not been told how Venables had breached the conditions of his release or why he was back in jail.

Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of Napo, the probation union, said he suspected details of the recall were made public by the Government after officials became aware that they had leaked to a newspaper or other media outlet.

"The fact that the statement has been put out...does not mean he has been recalled within the last 24 hours," he said.

"It's more likely that information about his whereabouts has leaked and the Ministry of Justice has taken a pro-active step to limit the damage.

"He will now be in an adult prison somewhere in England and Wales."

Venables will appear before a hearing of the Parole Board within 28 days of being recalled where the details of the breach will be examined, he added.

Barrister and criminal law expert Michael Wolkind QC said he thought there was a "significant chance" the breach had been serious.

He said: "Licence is a means of controlling people once they are released.

"Now this has been publicised, I think there must be a possibility of his new identity being exposed in prison and the inference must be it was a serious breach.

"To go to all the trouble of building him a new identity and a new life, there must be a significant chance it was serious."

Infamous CCTV images released at the time of the crime showed James being led away by the hand.

Venables and Thompson, who were truanting from school, walked James around the streets of Liverpool for more than two miles, stopping occasionally to kick and punch him.

They told adults who intervened that he was their brother.

The pair eventually left his body on the tracks in the hope it would be destroyed by a train.

James had been splattered with blue paint and his battered head lay surrounded by a pile of bricks.

Venables and Thompson became the youngest suspects to be charged with murder in the 20th century after the attack.

They were convicted following a 17-day trial at Preston Crown Court and ordered to be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, the normal substitute sentence for life imprisonment when the offender is a juvenile.

Trial judge Mr Justice Morland told the pair they had committed a crime of "unparalleled evil and barbarity".

But in 2001, the two killers won an unprecedented court order from High Court judge Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss to grant them anonymity for the rest of their lives.

Laurence Lee, who was Venables' solicitor at the time of the crime, said he was "shocked" by the news.

He told BBC News: "If I were a betting man and someone said to me, 'One of the two killers of Jamie Bulger had been arrested and returned to prison', I would have put a lot of money on it not being Jon because he was by unanimous agreement the lesser evil of the two."

David Blunkett was Home Secretary when he informed MPs of the Parole Board's decision that Venables should be released in 2001,

He said he had heard of his return to custody "with great regret".

Speaking this morning on GMTV, Home Secretary Alan Johnson declined to reveal the reasons behind Venables' recall to custody.

He said: "You know I can't tell you that, there is a worldwide injunction applying here, but I can confirm that Jon Venables is back in custody.

"The point is, he has broken the terms of his licence which is why he is back in custody."

Asked if he shared concerns over Venables' earlier release, he added: "There has to be a process here and that is what has gone on.

"Jon Venables was only released on the basis of very strict licence conditions, those licence conditions have been breached and he is back in custody