Internet threat to Bulger killers' injunction addressed

Courts could be empowered to act against websites that divulge the whereabouts of the killers of James Bulger, despite speculation that the internet makes yesterday's High Court injunction virtually impossible to enforce.

President of the Family Division, Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, has said the anonymity of Jon Venables and Robert Thompson could still be enforced once they are freed with new identities.

She said that a "further proviso" would be added to the injunction - which only covers England and Wales - to prevent newspapers from publishing information gathered via the web from outside local jurisdiction.

The move also carries an implicit warning to internet service providers that they may not be immune from prosecution for carrying material posted anonymously on their pages.