JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY WANTS JON VENABLES’ NEXT PAROLE HEARING MADE PUBLIC — AFTER HIS LATER OFFENDING

More than three decades after two-year-old James Bulger was murdered, his family is calling for greater transparency as Jon Venables faces another parole battle.

“THE PUBLIC SHOULD SEE WHAT HAPPENS”

The father of murdered toddler James Bulger has backed calls for Jon Venables’ next parole hearing to be held in public, arguing that the extraordinary history of the case makes transparency especially important.

Venables was one of two 10-year-old boys convicted of James’ murder in 1993, a case that shocked Britain and continues to haunt the Bulger family more than 30 years later.

Now, as Venables faces another review by the Parole Board, James’ family is once again asking difficult questions about how decisions over his future are made.

The latest push for an open hearing comes after Venables’ subsequent offending led to him being recalled to prison on two occasions.

FROM RELEASE TO RECALL

Venables was released on licence in 2001 after serving time for James’ murder.

However, his freedom did not mark the end of his involvement with the criminal justice system.

He was recalled to prison in 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer.

After being released again, he was recalled for a second time in 2017 after another offence involving indecent images of children.

Those later offences have become a central part of the debate surrounding his current parole case.

WHY JAMES’ FAMILY WANTS THE HEARING OPEN

In August, the Parole Board confirmed it had received an application from Denise and Stuart Fergus seeking to have Venables’ oral hearing held in public.

A separate application was also submitted on behalf of James’ father Ralph Bulger and brother Jimmy Bulger.

The applications argue that the case is exceptional because it involves the murder of a child by children, Venables’ later offending, repeated recalls to custody and complex questions surrounding risk management and release.

The family also argues that allowing the public to observe proceedings could improve understanding of how the Parole Board assesses risk and reaches its decisions.

The Parole Board has confirmed that the applications are being considered.

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME

The campaign for greater transparency is not new.

A previous application to make Venables’ parole hearing public was rejected in 2023.

At the time, concerns included protecting Venables’ anonymity and preventing information from being revealed that could identify him or his whereabouts.

Those protections remain an important part of the current debate.

The question now is whether the circumstances surrounding the latest parole review justify a different approach.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The fact that Venables is facing another parole hearing does not mean he will automatically be released.

In 2023, the Parole Board rejected his application after concluding that he continued to pose a danger to children and could go on to offend again.

The latest proceedings will again focus on evidence and risk assessment.

For James Bulger’s family, however, the issue goes beyond one parole decision.

They want to understand how the system evaluates risk after a prisoner has already been released and subsequently returned to custody.

And after more than 30 years, they are asking for something they believe has been missing throughout much of the process:

TRANSPARENCY.

Whether the public will actually be allowed to watch Venables’ next parole hearing remains undecided.

But one thing is clear — the case that began with the death of a two-year-old boy in 1993 is once again forcing Britain to confront difficult questions about punishment, rehabilitation, public protection and what justice should look like decades later.

For James Bulger’s family, the past has never truly stayed in the past.