- James Bulger's mother: Venables is back where he belongs
- Straw: Good reasons why public can't be told what he's done
- Bulger murder detective demands the truth be revealed
The Government was facing mounting anger today at the secrecy surrounding the sensational return of one of James Bulger's killers to prison.
Government officials have thrown a blanket of secrecy around Jon Venables, refusing to say whether he has committed a new crime or to which jail he has been sent.
The Ministry of Justice have refused to tell even James' distraught mother the reason for the recall, believed to have happened last week.
Both Justice Secretary Jack Straw and Home Secretary Alan Johnson defended the move to keep all details quiet today.
But the detective who headed the Bulger murder investigation led calls for the truth to be revealed, insisting it would help allay people's fears.
Albert Kirby said: 'I think the statement that came out last night actually raises more questions than it answers... It would help to clarify and put this to rest once and for all if the public did have some indication of what it is he has done.
'Not where he is or details like that but the reason why his probation has been revoked and he is back inside. It's going to be asking the questions "why is he there and did the authorities fail in making the assessments of his suitability to come back into society?"'.
He suggested it was unlikely a minor infringement had ended Venables' freedom, given the huge effort made to create a new life for him.
'They wouldn't - using football parlance - have given him a red card and go to prison for one infringement,' the detective said.
Mr Straw insisted there was a 'very good reason' why the murdered toddler's family and the public could not be told why Venables was back in jail.
'I'm sorry that I cannot give more information at this stage on the nature of the alleged breach. I know there's an intense public interest in why he has been recalled.
'I would like to give that information but I'm sorry that for good reasons I can't and that's in the public interest,' he said.
'There is always a careful balance that has to be maintained. I have no interest at all in withholding information gratuitously or unnecessarily'.
Mr Johnson hinted the truth would ultimately emerge but said: 'At this juncture I can say nothing more than confirm that Jon Venables is back in custody.
'I believe the public do have a right to know and I believe they will know all the facts in due course. But I must in no way prejudice the future criminal justice proceedings'.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Department of Justice only 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'.
Venables and his accomplice Robert Thompson were only ten when they abducted James, two, from a Liverpool shopping centre in February 1993 and murdered him in a crime which shocked the world.
But, despite the horror at their crimes, they were released from custody only eight years later without spending a single day in an adult prison, and handed new identities protected by draconian rules.
As a result, fellow prisoners will today be unaware of the horrific crime committed by their new cellmate.
Depending on the reasons for his re-imprisonment, Venables could now face a life sentence.
James' distraught mother Denise Fergus, 42, has never felt it was safe to release either of his killers and says Venables is not back 'where he belongs'.
'Would like to let everyone know Jon Venables is were he belongs tonight behind bars is this my sons justice [sic],' she wrote on Twitter.
Hinting at the family's anguish, her husband Stuart added: 'Thinking when will this all end for my wife'.
A spokesman for Mrs Fergus said last night: 'She believes this breach of parole shows that she was right.
'The Probation Service has promised to keep Denise informed about progress in the case and has assured her that she was not in danger at any time. But she believes that she and the public have a right to know what Venables has done'.
Mr Kirby said he had spoken to Denise and that the news had brought 'a whole load of anxiety' back to her.
He said: 'There's always been a lot of anxiety as to where both boys are and to hear something like that brings back to her a lot of the concerns, quite understandably, that she and any other parents in these sorts of circumstances would have'.
Venables sees a small band of very senior probation officers who are sworn to secrecy about his conduct.
If at any stage they believe his behaviour is deteriorating, or he is taking drugs, they have the power to request his recall to jail.
This took place last week but was kept secret until last night.
Venables will now be able to appeal against his recall within 28 days. If successful, he can once again be released.
If not, he could face a life sentence under the licence conditions.
Harry Fletcher, of the probation union Napo, said there was extraordinary secrecy surrounding Venables. He said: 'The recall is being confirmed now because somebody has found out'.
Venables' solicitor, Laurence Lee, said he was 'shocked' by the 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,' he told the BBC.
'He could have been recalled on licence if he committed an offence, it could be that he returned to Merseyside, it could be he might have approached the family. There is no evidence so far that he did any of these things'.
Barrister Michael Wolkind QC said he thought there was a 'significant chance' the breach had been serious.
'Licence is a means of controlling people once they are released,' he said. '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'.
Daily Mail
