JON VENABLES PAROLE HEARING COULD GO PUBLIC AS JAMES BULGER’S MOTHER FIGHTS FOR TRANSPARENCY

More than three decades after two 10-year-old boys killed two-year-old James Bulger, his mother Denise Fergus is making another extraordinary attempt to ensure the public can see what happens when one of his killers asks for freedom.

LIVERPOOL, England — For Denise Fergus, the name Jon Venables has been tied to unimaginable grief for more than 30 years.

Her son, James Bulger, was just two years old when he was abducted and killed in Merseyside in February 1993 by Venables and Robert Thompson, who were both 10 at the time.

Now, decades later, Venables is once again before the Parole Board — and Denise Fergus is asking for something highly unusual:

She wants the parole hearing to be held in public.

A NEW FIGHT OVER A PRIVATE HEARING

The Parole Board has confirmed that it received an application from Denise and Stuart Fergus, James’ mother and stepfather, seeking to have Venables’ hearing heard publicly.

According to the official government notice, the family argues that the case has generated significant public interest and that a public hearing could improve understanding of how the parole process works.

They also say the continuing social-media discussion surrounding the case has contributed to misinformation and has had a retraumatizing impact on the family.

For Denise, transparency is about more than public curiosity.

It is about being able to understand the process that could determine whether the man responsible for her son’s death is released.

JAMES BULGER WAS ONLY TWO

The case shocked Britain in 1993.

James was taken from a shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12, 1993.

CCTV footage captured the moment he was led away by Venables and Thompson.

The two boys were later convicted of James’ murder.

They were sentenced to detention during Her Majesty’s pleasure, the equivalent of a life sentence for juveniles at the time.

Their identities were initially widely known because they were prosecuted as children, but later legal protections have kept Venables’ current identity and whereabouts secret.

VENABLES HAS ALREADY BEEN RELEASED — AND RECALLED

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

His release was accompanied by strict conditions and a new identity.

But his return to prison years later became a major source of controversy.

He has subsequently faced parole hearings, with previous applications being rejected.

In December 2023, the Parole Board refused his release, concluding that he still posed a danger and could potentially commit another offense.

Now, more than two years later, another parole process is underway.

HIS LATEST PAROLE BID

Venables, now 43, has been granted a new oral parole hearing.

That means an expert panel will consider evidence and hear from the relevant parties before deciding whether he can safely be released.

James’ parents have been granted permission to attend and provide victim-impact statements.

The prospect of sitting in the same hearing as the man responsible for James’ killing has been an extraordinarily painful one for Denise.

But she has continued to campaign for greater transparency.

WHY DENISE WANTS THE HEARING PUBLIC

The official application argues that the case is uniquely important because of the enormous public interest surrounding it.

A public hearing could allow people to better understand:

• How parole decisions are made
• What evidence the panel considers
• How risk is assessed
• What safeguards would apply if release were granted
• And why a prisoner is or isn’t considered safe to return to the community

The family also believes greater transparency could counter misinformation circulating online.

But there is another important factor.

Venables has an anonymity order protecting his identity and whereabouts.

That means even if the hearing becomes public, significant restrictions would remain.

THE ANONYMITY ISSUE

Venables’ identity has been protected for decades because authorities have argued that revealing it could put him at serious risk.

His anonymity was maintained after his release because of the uniquely notorious nature of the case and concerns about what could happen if his location became known.

That protection remains one of the most controversial aspects of the case.

James’ family has repeatedly argued that the public interest and the family’s right to know what is happening should receive greater consideration.

But the courts have continued to recognize the dangers associated with revealing Venables’ identity.

DENISE HAS FACED THIS BATTLE BEFORE

This is not the first time Denise has fought to prevent Venables from being released.

In previous parole proceedings, she has submitted statements explaining the devastating impact of James’ killing and warning against his release.

When Venables’ parole bid was rejected in December 2023, Denise welcomed the decision.

At the time, she said the ruling allowed her family to feel some relief going into Christmas.

But the relief could never be permanent.

As long as Venables remains eligible for parole, the possibility of another hearing remains.

THE FAMILY’S FEAR

James’ father, Ralph Bulger, has also repeatedly opposed Venables’ release.

In 2025, he warned parole authorities that he feared Venables could pose a danger to another child if released.

Those fears are part of the wider debate surrounding the latest parole application.

The Parole Board’s task, however, is not to retry the 1993 case.

Its question is whether Venables can safely be released under licence based on his current risk.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT FORGETTING JAMES

For Denise Fergus, that distinction is difficult.

The parole process is focused on the present.

Her life, however, remains permanently connected to what happened in 1993.

James will always be two years old in her memories.

Every parole hearing brings the case back into the headlines.

Every discussion about release forces his family to revisit the worst moment of their lives.

And now Denise is asking for the process to be visible.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The Parole Board will first consider the application for a public hearing.

If the request is granted, the proceedings could provide an unprecedented level of public scrutiny into Venables’ latest bid for release.

If it is rejected, the hearing would continue under the restrictions that normally apply to such proceedings.

Either way, the panel will ultimately have to determine whether Venables continues to pose a risk to the public and whether that risk can safely be managed outside prison.

There is no guarantee that he will be released.

MORE THAN 30 YEARS LATER

The James Bulger case remains one of Britain’s most haunting criminal cases because of the ages of everyone involved.

James was two.

The boys who killed him were 10.

And now, more than three decades later, one of those boys is a 43-year-old prisoner again asking the justice system to consider his future.

For Denise Fergus, the question is painfully simple:

What happens to the man who took her son’s life — and who gets to decide whether he is ready to walk free?

Her latest request is equally clear:

If that decision is made, she wants the process to be as transparent as possible.

And after more than 30 years of grief, Denise is once again asking the system to look directly at what happened to James — and at the consequences that his family has carried ever since