TIMELINE

February 12, 1993: James Bulger is snatched in Bootle, Merseyside, aged two. February 14, 1993: His battered body is found two miles away by a freight railway line 200 yards from Walton Lane police station, Liverpool. February 18, 1993: Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both 10, are arrested and later charged. February 22 1993: Violent scenes outside South Sefton magistrates’ court in Bootle as the two boys make their first appearance. November 24, 1993: Thompson and Venables, now 11, are convicted of murder at Preston Crown Court. January 2001: The killers win an unprecedented court order granting them anonymity for the rest of their lives. June 2001: They are freed under new identities. September 2008: Venables is arrested on suspicion of affray and given a formal warning. He is later cautioned for possession of cocaine. March 2010: Venables is returned to prison after breaching the terms of his release after being charged with downloading and distributing sick child images. July 23 2010: He admits the charges and is sentenced to two years in prison. July 4 2013: Venables is granted parole. November 2017: He is recalled to prison again after allegedly being caught with indecent images of children. January: He is charged and a trial has yet to be held.