JON VENABLES FACES NEW PAROLE HEARING AS JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY FIGHTS PRIVATE DECISION

More than three decades after two-year-old James Bulger was abducted and killed, his killer Jon Venables is once again seeking freedom — and the decision to hold his latest parole hearing in private has left James’s family furious.

Venables, now 44, is due to face the Parole Board at an oral hearing more than two years after his previous bid for release was rejected.

But despite requests from James’s parents and several media organisations, the hearing will not be open to the public.

The decision has reignited a painful debate over transparency, public protection and the rights of victims’ families.

THE CASE THAT SHOCKED BRITAIN

In February 1993, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were both just 10 years old when they abducted two-year-old James Bulger from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside.

James was later found dead.

The case became one of the most shocking crimes in modern British history because of the age of both offenders and their young victim.

Venables and Thompson were convicted of James’s murder and detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure, the sentence used for offenders who were children at the time of a serious crime.

Their identities were initially protected by anonymity orders because they were minors.

VENABLES HAS ALREADY BEEN RELEASED — AND RECALLED

Venables was released on licence in 2001, after serving eight years in custody.

His freedom did not mark the end of his contact with the criminal justice system.

In 2010, he was recalled to prison after indecent images of children were discovered on his computer.

He was released again in 2013.

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

His repeated recalls have become a central part of the debate surrounding his risk and whether he can safely be released again.

HIS LAST PAROLE BID WAS REJECTED

Venables previously appeared before the Parole Board in 2023.

That application for release was rejected.

The Parole Board concluded at the time that he continued to present a risk and could go on to commit further offences.

More than two years later, he is now seeking another review of whether he can safely be released into the community.

The new hearing does not mean that Venables has been granted parole.

The Parole Board must assess the evidence and determine whether his release can be safely managed.

 JAMES’S MOTHER WANTED THE HEARING OPEN

James’s mother, Denise Fergus, applied for the hearing to be made public.

In her application, she argued that greater transparency could help combat misinformation surrounding the case and improve public understanding of how parole decisions are made.

She also said that the continuing public discussion surrounding the case has had a retraumatising effect on her.

The application was supported by arguments that a public hearing would allow victims’ families and the wider public to better understand how risks are assessed and managed.

But the Parole Board rejected the request.

WHY WILL THE HEARING REMAIN PRIVATE?

The Parole Board said a public hearing could make it very difficult for Venables to give evidence because of concerns that people could attend or listen in an attempt to obtain information that could potentially put him at risk.

Parole hearings are normally conducted privately, although they can be opened to the public when the Board considers that doing so would be in the interests of justice.

In its September 28 decision, the Board concluded that the high threshold for making this particular hearing public had not been met.

That decision has not stopped James’s family from expressing their anger.

JAMES’S FATHER CALLS THE DECISION “AN INSULT”

James’s father, Ralph Bulger, has strongly criticised the decision.

He described the private hearing as an “insult” and said he felt that the rights and concerns of his family were being placed behind those of Venables.

Ralph has repeatedly opposed the possibility of Venables being released and has previously said he intends to attend the parole process.

His latest comments show that more than 30 years after James’s death, the pain surrounding the case remains deeply personal for his family.

 DENISE FERGUS CAN STILL OBSERVE

Although the hearing will not be public, reforms to the parole system mean victims can attend certain private parole hearings as observers.

Denise Fergus has been granted permission to observe the hearing.

That means she will be able to follow the proceedings, even though the general public and media will not have the same access.

The change is part of wider reforms intended to improve victims’ involvement and confidence in the parole process.

 VENABLES’S IDENTITY REMAINS PROTECTED

Because Venables was only 10 when James was killed, strict anonymity protections have surrounded his identity for decades.

Those protections remain in place.

Despite his later convictions and recalls to prison, courts and authorities have continued to take significant steps to protect his identity because of the serious risks associated with exposing him.

That issue has become another difficult part of the debate surrounding the parole hearing.

James’s family and supporters argue that the exceptional history of the case justifies greater transparency, while authorities continue to consider Venables’s safety and anonymity.

 WILL JON VENABLES BE RELEASED?

There is currently no decision that Venables will be released.

His upcoming oral hearing is an assessment of whether he can safely be released under licence.

The Parole Board will consider evidence about his behaviour, risk, rehabilitation and proposed arrangements if release were to be granted.

If the Board decides that he still presents an unacceptable risk, he can remain in custody.

If it concludes that the risk can be safely managed in the community, it could direct his release subject to licence conditions.

MORE THAN 30 YEARS LATER, JAMES IS STILL REMEMBERED

For James Bulger’s family, the upcoming hearing is not simply another legal procedure.

It brings back memories of a little boy whose life ended before he had the chance to grow up.

The case has remained in the public consciousness for more than three decades, while James’s parents have continued to speak about the lasting impact of his death.

Now, as Venables faces another opportunity to argue for freedom, his family’s fight for answers and reassurance continues.

The central question remains the same:

Can Jon Venables ever be safely released — and will the Parole Board believe that the risk to the public can now be managed?

For now, the answer remains unknown.