JON VENABLES FACES A FRESH PAROLE HEARING — AND JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY WANTS THE PUBLIC TO HEAR IT

More than three decades after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, the case is once again returning to the spotlight.

Jon Venables, who was 10 when he and Robert Thompson murdered James in 1993, is facing another parole hearing — reopening painful memories for James’s family.

But this time, there is another major development.

James Bulger’s family has asked for the hearing to be held in public.

 A CASE THAT HAS NEVER LEFT JAMES’ FAMILY

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

The two-year-old was led away by Venables and Thompson before he was murdered.

Both boys were convicted and later released on licence in 2001 under lifelong anonymity protections because of their age when the crime was committed.

For James’s mother Denise Fergus, however, the case has never truly ended.

A new parole hearing means she once again has to confront the possibility of Venables being considered for release.

ANOTHER PAROLE BID

Venables, now 43, previously had a parole application rejected in 2023.

At that time, the Parole Board said it was not satisfied that releasing him would be safe for the protection of the public. The panel also identified continuing concerns relating to risk and his previous offending involving indecent images of children.

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

Denise Fergus was granted permission to attend the hearing under changes allowing victims and families greater involvement in parole proceedings.

 THE FAMILY WANTS THE HEARING OPENED

In August, Denise and Stuart Fergus formally applied for Venables’ parole hearing to be held in public.

The Parole Board confirmed that it had received their application, along with a separate application from legal representatives for James’s father Ralph Bulger and brother Jimmy Bulger.

The applications raise issues including transparency, public confidence and the importance of allowing people to better understand how parole decisions are made.

However, the request for a public hearing is an application — not a confirmation that the hearing will actually take place in public.

 “UNIMAGINABLE TRAUMA” FOR JAMES’ FAMILY

The prospect of another parole hearing has been described by a spokesperson for Denise Fergus as reopening profound trauma for the family.

Recent reports have also highlighted the family’s wish for greater transparency around the process.

James’s father, Ralph Bulger, has separately backed calls for greater public scrutiny of the proceedings.

 HIS IDENTITY REMAINS PROTECTED

One important detail remains unchanged.

Venables continues to be protected by a lifelong anonymity order because he was only 10 years old when James was murdered.

That means information that could reveal his current identity or whereabouts is not being publicly disclosed.

 WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The latest development does not mean Venables has been granted parole.

It means his case is going through another parole process, while James Bulger’s family is seeking greater transparency around the hearing.

For a family that has spent more than 30 years living with the consequences of James’s murder, the latest proceedings represent another difficult chapter.

And once again, the name James Bulger is back at the centre of a national conversation.

A little boy whose life ended in 1993 remains at the heart of a case that Britain has never forgotten.