JAMES BULGER’S MUM MAKES A FRESH BID TO BRING JON VENABLES’ PAROLE HEARING INTO PUBLIC VIEW

More than three decades after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, his mother Denise Fergus is once again challenging the secrecy surrounding the parole process involving Jon Venables.

Denise and her husband, Stuart, have formally applied for Venables’ forthcoming parole hearing to be held in public, arguing that the exceptional history of the case demands greater transparency.

WHY DOES DENISE WANT THE HEARING OPEN?

The application argues that a public hearing could help the public understand:

How parole decisions are made

How risk is assessed and managed

Why a particular decision is reached

How the parole system can maintain public confidence

The couple also argue that Venables’ subsequent offending as an adult makes the case particularly exceptional.

For Denise, this is about more than another parole review.

It is about having her family’s voice heard.

 THE HEARING HAS NOT BEEN MADE PUBLIC YET

This is the crucial point.

The Parole Board has received the application, but that does not mean the request has been approved.

The Board is considering representations before deciding whether the hearing should depart from the normal position of being held privately.

A previous application for a public hearing in Venables’ case was rejected in 2023.

WHAT ABOUT THE PROTECTIVE MEASURES?

Even if the new application succeeds, a public hearing would not necessarily mean that Venables’ protected identity or other identifying information could simply be published.

The Parole Board can consider safeguards and can keep portions of a hearing private where necessary. Its guidance specifically allows for parts of a public hearing to be conducted privately when that is needed to facilitate evidence being given openly.

So the debate is really about transparency versus the protections surrounding the prisoner.

MORE THAN 30 YEARS LATER

James Bulger was only two years old when he was abducted and murdered in 1993.

Venables and Robert Thompson were convicted of his murder when they were both children.

Venables was subsequently recalled to prison twice following further offending involving indecent images of children. His previous parole application was rejected in 2023.

Now, as another parole review approaches, Denise Fergus is asking for the public to have a greater opportunity to understand how the decision is reached.

 WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The immediate issue is not whether Venables will be released.

It is whether the Parole Board will allow the hearing itself to be observed by the public.

The hearing is not expected before September 2026, according to current reporting.

 A FAMILY IS ASKING TO BE HEARD.

 THE PAROLE BOARD MUST DECIDE WHETHER THE HEARING SHOULD BE PUBLIC.

VENABLES’ IDENTITY REMAINS SUBJECT TO LIFELONG PROTECTION.

AND JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY CONTINUES TO LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF A CASE THAT BEGAN MORE THAN THREE DECADES AGO.

For Denise Fergus, the question now is not simply what happens to Venables.

It is whether the public should be allowed to see how that decision is made.

Independent commentary based on publicly available Parole Board information and current reporting. The application has not yet been granted, and no claim is made that Venables’ protected identity will be disclosed.