“NOT AGAIN…” — JON VENABLES FACES ANOTHER PAROLE HEARING, MORE THAN 33 YEARS AFTER JAMES BULGER’S MURDER

More than three decades after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger shocked Britain, his mother is once again being forced to confront the possibility of his killer seeking freedom.

Jon Venables, who was 10 years old when he and Robert Thompson abducted and murdered James in 1993, is facing another parole hearing in 2026.

And this time, James’s mother Denise Fergus is demanding something she says could finally bring greater transparency to a process that has repeatedly reopened her trauma.

THE CASE THAT NEVER LEFT BRITAIN

James Bulger was just two years old when he was taken from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993.

Venables and Thompson, both aged 10, were later convicted of his murder.

The case became one of the most notorious crimes in modern British history.

Both boys were eventually released on licence in 2001 under new identities.

But Venables later returned to prison after being found to possess indecent images of children. He was released again in 2013 before being recalled to custody in 2017 over further offences involving such material.

HIS LAST PAROLE BID WAS REJECTED

Venables’ previous major parole bid was rejected in December 2023.

The Parole Board concluded at the time that releasing him would not be safe, citing continuing concerns about his risk and his ability to be open and honest with professionals.

That decision meant he remained behind bars.

But it did not end the possibility of another application.

Now, more than two years later, the process has begun again.

DENISE FERGUS WANTS THE HEARING IN PUBLIC

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

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

They also argue that a public hearing would allow victims and the wider public to better understand how risk is assessed and how decisions about release are made.

The application says the repeated discussion surrounding the case has continued to have a retraumatising impact on the family.

Legal representatives for James’s father Ralph Bulger and uncle Jimmy Bulger have also applied for the hearing to be made public.

Their application raises questions about public protection, risk management and whether lessons were learned from Venables’ previous releases and recalls to custody.

BUT THERE IS STILL NO PAROLE DECISION

This is where the latest development needs to be understood carefully.

Venables has not been confirmed as released.

And there has been no confirmed 2026 decision refusing parole at the time of writing.

The current development is that another parole review is taking place, while applications concerning whether the hearing should be public are also being considered.

For Denise Fergus, however, simply reaching this point is painful enough.

Every new parole process brings back the memories of what happened to her little boy more than three decades ago.

JAMES WAS ONLY TWO

James Bulger never got the chance to grow up.

He never went to secondary school.

He never became an adult.

He never got to celebrate a 30th birthday, build a career or have children of his own.

Instead, his name became permanently associated with one of Britain’s most devastating child murder cases.

And more than 33 years later, his mother is still being asked to follow another legal process concerning one of the people responsible.

This time, she wants the public to see more of how that decision is made.

Because for the Bulger family, this is not simply another parole hearing.

It is another reminder of the little boy whose life ended in 1993 — and another chapter in a legal battle that has never truly gone away.

The question now is not whether the past can be changed.

It cannot.

The question is whether Jon Venables will remain behind bars — and what the Parole Board will ultimately decide about the risk he poses to the public.