JAMES BULGER’S MOTHER DENIED PUBLIC HEARING AS KILLER JON VENABLES FACES NEW PAROLE REVIEW

More than 30 years after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, his mother is still fighting for transparency as one of his killers prepares to face another parole hearing behind closed doors.

The case that horrified Britain is once again drawing national attention after the Parole Board ruled that Jon Venables’ latest bid for freedom will be heard in private, despite a plea from James’s mother, Denise Fergus, for the proceedings to be made public.

Venables, now 44, was just 10 years old when he and Robert Thompson abducted and murdered two-year-old James in Merseyside, England, in February 1993. The little boy had been taken from a shopping center in Bootle while his mother was nearby.

The crime shocked the nation and left a family facing a lifetime of grief.

A mother’s call for transparency

Denise Fergus had asked for the parole hearing to be open to the public, arguing that greater transparency could help address misinformation surrounding the case and improve public understanding of how parole decisions are made.

According to Sky News, Fergus said the continuing spread of misinformation had a retraumatizing impact on her. She also expressed the hope that a public hearing would finally make her feel heard.

Several media organizations also supported calls for the hearing to be held publicly.

However, the Parole Board rejected the request. It said a public hearing could make it extremely difficult for Venables to give evidence because of concerns that people might use the proceedings to obtain information that could put his life at risk.

John Saunders, speaking on behalf of the board, said the high threshold required to justify a public hearing in the interests of justice had not been met.

A history of release and recall

Venables and Thompson were sentenced to life detention for James’s murder and were released on licence in 2001 under new identities.

Venables was later returned to prison in 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer. He was released again in 2013, but was recalled to custody in 2017 after further offending involving such material.

In December 2023, the Parole Board rejected another application for his release. The panel concluded that releasing him at that time would not be safe for the protection of the public, citing concerns about the risks he continued to pose.

His latest review represents another significant moment in a case that has remained in the public consciousness for decades.

The family’s fight continues

Although parole hearings are generally held in private, the rules allow them to be opened to the public in exceptional circumstances when the interests of justice require it.

The decision has renewed debate over the balance between protecting a prisoner’s safety and ensuring that victims’ families have confidence in the justice system.

For Denise Fergus, the issue is not simply whether Venables should be released. It is also about understanding how such a decision is reached and ensuring that the family’s concerns are properly heard.

The latest ruling does not mean Venables has been granted parole. It means his case will be considered in a private hearing, with the decision on his possible release still to be determined.

More than three decades after James’s death, the case continues to raise painful questions about justice, rehabilitation, public safety and the rights of victims’ families.

Source: Sky News — James Bulger killer Jon Venables to be given private parole hearing
https://news.sky.com/story/james-bulger-killer-jon-venables-to-be-given-private-parole-hearing-13592962