JON VENABLES FACES ANOTHER PAROLE HEARING — MORE THAN 30 YEARS AFTER JAMES BULGER’S MURDER

More than three decades after the killing of two-year-old James Bulger, Jon Venables is once again at the center of a parole battle — reopening painful memories for the little boy’s family.

Venables, now 43, is preparing for another oral parole hearing more than two years after his previous bid for freedom was rejected.

The case has already reignited public attention in Britain — and now there is a new demand for transparency surrounding the hearing.

ANOTHER BID FOR FREEDOM

Venables was one of two 10-year-old boys convicted over the 1993 abduction and murder of two-year-old James Bulger in Merseyside.

He was released on licence in 2001 but was later recalled to prison after child-abuse images were found on a computer.

He was released again in 2013.

In 2017, he was recalled once more following another offence involving indecent images of children.

His most recent parole bid was rejected in 2023.

At that time, the Parole Board concluded that it was not satisfied that releasing him would be safe for the protection of the public and found that he remained a potential danger to children.

Now, more than two years later, his case is back before the Parole Board.

JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY WANTS THE HEARING OPEN

The latest development has placed the question of transparency at the heart of the case.

On August 7, 2026, the Parole Board confirmed that it had received an application from Denise and Stuart Fergus asking for Venables’ oral hearing to be held in public.

The legal representatives of James Bulger’s father, Ralph Bulger, and brother, Jimmy Bulger, have also submitted an application seeking a public hearing.

Their arguments include the enormous public interest surrounding the case, the need for greater transparency and concerns about misinformation and the retraumatizing effect of continued social-media discussion.

They also argue that a public hearing could help people understand how parole decisions are made and how risk is assessed.

But there is an important distinction:

The hearing has not been confirmed as public.

The applications are still subject to a decision by the Parole Board.

Under the current rules, parole hearings normally remain private, although the Chair of the Parole Board can approve a public hearing when it is considered to be in the interests of justice.

A CASE THAT NEVER REALLY LEFT THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS

James Bulger was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle in February 1993.

He was just two years old.

Venables and Robert Thompson, both 10 at the time, were later convicted of his murder.

The case shocked Britain and became one of the most notorious child-crime cases in the country’s history.

The boys were eventually released on licence after serving their minimum terms, but Venables’ subsequent recalls to prison have repeatedly brought the case back into the spotlight.

For James’s family, every new parole process has meant confronting the trauma again.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The Parole Board will consider Venables’ case and determine whether he can safely be released.

The outcome will depend on evidence concerning his current risk, his progress in custody and on licence, and other information considered by the panel.

Meanwhile, the separate applications for a public hearing remain pending.

Whatever decision is eventually made, the case continues to carry an extraordinary weight more than 33 years after James Bulger was taken from his family.

For the public, it is another parole hearing.

For James Bulger’s family, it is another painful reminder of a little boy whose life ended far too soon.

And once again, the question is not only whether Jon Venables should be released — but whether the process deciding his future should be seen by the public.