“JUSTICE, AT LAST?” — DENISE FERGUS FACES ANOTHER PAINFUL CHAPTER IN THE JON VENABLES PAROLE BATTLE

More than 30 years after the murder of her two-year-old son James, Denise Fergus is being forced to confront the parole process surrounding Jon Venables once again.

For Denise, the case never truly ended.

In 1993, James Bulger was abducted in Bootle, Merseyside, and murdered by two 10-year-old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. The shocking case devastated Britain and left James’s family facing a lifetime of grief.

Venables was eventually released on licence in 2001, but he was later recalled to prison after indecent images of children were found on his computer. He was released again in 2013 before being recalled once more in 2017 following another offence involving indecent images.

Then came another major parole battle.

In December 2023, the Parole Board refused Venables’ release, concluding that he still posed a danger to children and could go on to offend again.

The decision brought Denise a moment of relief after years of fear.

At the time, she said she finally felt that she had been listened to. She described the ruling as a huge relief for her family after decades of fighting for justice for James.

But the story did not end there.

In January 2026, it was confirmed that Venables would face another parole hearing.

For Denise, the prospect of going through the process again has been deeply distressing.

Her representative said she had hoped for a change that would have allowed her some peace and protection from further trauma. Instead, she was once again being drawn back into the parole process. Denise has been granted permission to observe the hearing.

And now she is asking for greater transparency.

In August, the Parole Board confirmed that Denise and her husband Stuart had applied for Venables’ hearing to be held in public.

Their application argues that the case remains of significant public interest and that greater transparency could help counter misinformation surrounding it.

They also argue that a public hearing would allow victims’ families to better understand how the panel assesses risk and reaches its decision.

The family of James has spent decades living with the consequences of what happened in 1993.

For Denise, another parole hearing means another confrontation with a chapter of her life she has never been able to escape.

And unlike 2023, there is currently no confirmed new decision refusing Venables parole.

The latest confirmed position is that another hearing is being prepared, while the application for a public hearing is also being considered.

More than three decades later, one question remains at the centre of Denise Fergus’ fight:

Will this next parole battle finally bring her some peace — or will it reopen the wounds all over again?