Tina Malone could face police probe after appearing to identifying Jon Venables

Shameless actress Tina Malone is facing a police investigation and possibly prison after reportedly identifying child killer Jon Venables online, it was claimed.

Police are reported to be 'ready to investigate' posts made by the star after she was accused of breaking a court injunction.

The court order bans photos of Venables or Robert Thompson from being published by anyone in the world, reports Daily Mail.

The actress told the Daily Star Sunday: "I didn't have a clue it was illegal.

"What are you going to do... prosecute me for posting a picture?

"I didn't realise. I am not au fait with the law."

Malone has previously said she is friends with murdered two-year-old James Bulger's mother, Denise Fergus.

She was also an ambassador for The James Bulger Memorial Trust.

It is claimed police are now 'ready to investigate' posts made by the star after she was accused of breaking a court injunction. Photo / Getty Images

Both Venables and Thompson's new identities are secret and their anonymity is funded by the taxpayer.

Two-year-old James Bulger was snatched during a shopping trip to the Strand shopping centre, in Bootle, Merseyside on February 12 1993.

The toddler's battered body was found two days later by children playing on a freight railway line 200 yards from Walton Lane police station, Liverpool, and more than two miles from the Strand shopping centre.

On February 18, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson - both 10-year-olds - were arrested in connection with the murder of James, and later charged.

Jon Venables' new identity is a secret and his anonymity is funded by the taxpayer. Photo / Getty Images

They are the youngest to be charged with murder in the 20th century.

Since they were released in 2001, any sharing of his current identity and whereabouts are punishable by law with potential jail time.

Venables was last month jailed for downloading 1,170 child abuse images, with some featuring babies.

He was also caught with a manual that detailed how to rape young children.

Even outraged members of the public could also end up being prosecuted if they share images of Venables.

Those in breach of the injunction could potentially find themselves jailed for a maximum of two years, it has emerged.

Both Venables and Thompson were given new identities before they were released on parole in 2001.