Games publisher Legacy Interactive has issued a public apology to the family of James Bulger for including an image of the murdered toddler in PC title Law and Order: Double or Nothing.

In a statement, the firm said: "Legacy Interactive sends our most heartfelt apology to the family of James Bulger for the inadvertent use of a background photo in our Law and Order game.

"The image was included in the game years ago and without any knowledge of the crime, which occurred in the UK and was minimally publicised in the United States."

The row broke out over a still CCTV image of Bulger, which was recorded in The Strand shopping centre, Merseyside, and appears on a bulletin board within the game.

James Bulger's mother Denise Fergus wrote to Legacy Interactive demanding that the image be removed.

In response, the firm has now issued a downloadable patch available from legacyinteractive.com, which will eliminate the photo. The company also confirmed the image will be removed from any future printings of the game.