James Bulger mother: killer Jon Venables is 'where he belongs'
The mother of the murdered toddler James Bulger said his killer Jon Venables is “where he belongs” in her first reaction to news of his return to custody.
Venables, 27, was recalled to prison last week after breaching the terms of his release from prison, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.
The convicted murderer was aged ten when he and Robert Thompson abducted the two-year-old from a shopping centre in Bootle and battered him to death on a railway line in 1993.
The pair were controversially freed with new names, birth certificates and national insurance numbers in 2001, at the age of 18, having spent their jail sentences in separate secure units without setting foot in a young offenders institution or an adult jail.
After his release Venables is reported to have been allowed to join the army. Unconfirmed reports in the Daily Mail suggest that he is now a born-again Christian, had settled down and had plans to marry. Thompson is said to be living with a gay partner, after attending art school.
Both must stay in regular touch with senior probation officers who are sworn to secrecy about their conduct.
James’s mother Denise Fergus said on her Twitter account last night: “Would like to let everyone know Jon Venables is were he belongs tonight behind bars is this my sons justice”.
Family members said that Mrs Fergus had not been told how Venables had breached his parole. The precise details were not released by the MoJ.
A ministry 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.”
Among the conditions placed on Venables and Thompson when they were