Although it has not been made clear how, the Ministry of Justice has stated that Venables has breached the terms of his release. Both he and Thompson were released in 2001 but because they have been sentenced to life for the murder will remain under strict licence terms for as long as they live. A spokesperson for the Ministry has said that anyone guilty of breaching the terms of their licence will be immediately taken back into custody. The spokesperson also pointed out that there is still a world wide ban on the press reporting anything that could reveal the current identity of Venables or his location.

On 13^th February 1993 Venables and Thompson decided to play truant from school. They led Bulger out of a shopping centre and onto the streets of Liverpool where they intermittently stopped to kick and punch him. Passers by who tried to intervene were told that the toddler was their brother. They then led him down to a railway line where they killed him. Bulger’s battered body was left on the line in the hope that a train would remove any evidence. His body was later discovered by children who had come to play nearby.