CCTV footage of two-year-old James Bulger being led away in a shopping centre in Bootle, Liverpool, in 1993 (PA).

JON VENABLES, ONE of the people convicted of murdering two-year-old James Bulger in 1993 is due to be released from prison.

This evening the  UK Parole Board confirmed to TheJournal.ie that three members of its panel directed Venables’ release.

He and Robert Thompson were jailed for life in 1993 over the torture and killing of the toddler in Liverpool, both aged 10 at the time. Upon their release in 2001, they were both given new identities with special legal restrictions laid down to protect those identities.

The convicted murderer was back in prison again in 2010 after being found in possession of child pornography while on parole.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said that the re-release of life-licenced offenders is directed by the independent Parole Board, once they are “satisfied they can be safely managed in the community”.

“Their life licence lasts for the rest of their lives, and they may be recalled to prison at any time for breaching their licence conditions”.

The ministry also said that these offenders are “subject to strict controls and restrictions”.