JON VENABLES FACES FRESH PAROLE BID AS JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY PUSHES FOR PUBLIC HEARING

More than three decades after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, his family is once again facing a new parole review involving Jon Venables — while continuing to push for greater transparency over the process.

Venables, who was 10 when he and Robert Thompson murdered James in 1993, is seeking release from prison in a fresh parole review more than two years after his previous bid was rejected.

But alongside the new review, James’s family has launched a separate legal effort: they want the proceedings to be opened to public observation.

JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY WANTS THE HEARING TO BE PUBLIC

Denise and Stuart Fergus have formally applied to the Parole Board for Venables’ hearing to be held in public.

Their application argues that the case has significant public interest and that greater transparency could help the public understand how parole decisions are made.

They also argue that a public hearing could address misinformation surrounding the case and allow victims’ families to better understand how issues such as risk assessment, supervision and public protection are considered.

A separate application has also been submitted by lawyers representing James’s father, Ralph Bulger, and uncle, Jimmy Bulger.

That application points to the exceptional circumstances surrounding the case, including the original murder, Venables’ later convictions, repeated recalls to custody and the complex issues surrounding anonymity and risk management.

THE PUBLIC HEARING HAS NOT YET BEEN APPROVED

Despite the calls for transparency, there is currently no confirmation that Venables’ parole hearing will actually be held in public.

The Parole Board says the normal position is for parole hearings to remain private. A public hearing can be authorised where the Chair considers that doing so would be in the interests of justice.

The Board’s rules allow victims, prisoners, media organisations and members of the public to apply for a hearing to be made public.

The decision must take into account competing considerations, including the wishes of victims, public interest, confidentiality and whether witnesses can give open and honest evidence.

The application concerning Venables was listed by the Parole Board as a pending public-hearing application in August 2026.

VENABLES’ PREVIOUS PAROLE BID WAS REJECTED

Venables previously sought release in 2023.

After considering his offending, progress in custody and evidence presented to the panel, the Parole Board concluded that it was not satisfied his release at that stage would be safe for public protection.

The panel also raised concerns about outstanding risks and his relationship with probation professionals.

Venables was first released on licence in 2001.

He was recalled to prison in 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer. He was released again in 2013 before being recalled in 2017 following another conviction involving indecent images of children.

THE MURDER THAT SHOCKED BRITAIN

James Bulger was two years old when he was abducted from the Strand shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993.

CCTV footage captured Venables and Thompson walking away from the shopping centre with the toddler.

The two boys were subsequently convicted of James’s murder.

Because they were children when the crime occurred, longstanding legal protections have been used to prevent their identities as adults from being publicly disclosed.

Those anonymity protections remain an important consideration in any potential public hearing.

PUBLIC HEARING DOES NOT MEAN HIS IDENTITY WOULD BE REVEALED

One of the central issues surrounding the family’s application is the balance between transparency and Venables’ anonymity.

The Bulger family’s application argues that safeguards could be put in place, including private sessions and reporting restrictions, to protect confidential information and anonymity.

The Parole Board’s rules also allow parts of a hearing to remain private where necessary.

A public hearing therefore would not automatically mean that Venables’ protected identity could be revealed.

A NEW PAROLE REVIEW AFTER YEARS OF CONTROVERSY

The latest proceedings come after years of debate over Venables’ release, recalls to prison and continued anonymity.

For James’s family, the issue extends beyond the question of whether Venables could eventually be released.

Their applications argue that the public should be able to better understand how the Parole Board assesses evidence, evaluates risk and reaches its decisions in a case that has remained in the public spotlight for more than 30 years.

The Board has invited representations on the request for a public hearing before deciding whether the proceedings should be opened.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The immediate question is therefore not whether Venables has already secured a public parole hearing.

It is whether the Parole Board will agree that the interests of justice justify departing from the normal rule of private parole proceedings.

Separately, Venables’ new parole review will determine whether he meets the legal threshold for release.

For James Bulger’s family, the latest proceedings represent another chapter in a case that began in 1993 and has continued to affect them for more than three decades.

The public-hearing decision could determine how much of the next stage of the parole process can be seen by the wider public.