“30 YEARS LATER… SHE HAS TO FACE HIM AGAIN” — JON VENABLES FACES ANOTHER PAROLE BATTLE AS JAMES BULGER’S MOTHER DEMANDS TRANSPARENCY

More than three decades after two-year-old James Bulger was abducted and murdered, his mother Denise Fergus is once again being forced to confront the parole system — as Jon Venables faces another bid for release.

And this time, the family is pushing for something different: they want the parole hearing to be held in public.

Venables, one of the two 10-year-old boys convicted of James’ murder in 1993, is due to face another parole review after his previous attempt to secure release was rejected in 2023. The Parole Board said at the time that releasing him would not be safe for the protection of the public because significant risks remained.

Now, the case has returned to the spotlight.

“DENISE HAS TO GO THROUGH THIS ALL OVER AGAIN”

In January 2026, ITV reported that Venables was set for another parole hearing, more than two years after his previous unsuccessful bid.

For Denise Fergus, James’ mother, the process has become another painful chapter in a nightmare that began in February 1993.

She has repeatedly spoken about the emotional toll of parole hearings and her fear that Venables could eventually be released.

This time, however, Denise and her husband Stuart Fergus have gone further.

They formally applied for Venables’ parole hearing to be made public, arguing that the case is of enormous public interest and that greater transparency could help combat misinformation surrounding it.

THEY WANT THE PUBLIC TO SEE HOW THE DECISION IS MADE

According to the Parole Board, the Fergus family argued that a public hearing would allow people to better understand how risk is assessed and how release decisions are reached.

They also said transparency could help victims and their families feel more involved in the process — and allow justice to be “seen to be done.”

Representatives for James’ father Ralph and brother Jimmy have also applied for the hearing to be public.

Their application points to the exceptional nature of the case, including the original murder, Venables’ later offending, his previous recalls to custody and the complex issues surrounding his release and anonymity.

THE 2023 DECISION STILL HANGS OVER THE CASE

Venables’ previous parole attempt ended with the Parole Board refusing release.

The panel said it was not satisfied that releasing him would be safe for the public and identified outstanding risks that still needed to be addressed.

His history in custody has also been central to the debate.

He was first released on licence in 2001. He was later recalled to prison after indecent images of children were discovered on his computer, and he was recalled again in 2017 following another offence involving such images.

JAMES WAS ONLY TWO YEARS OLD

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

He was just two.

Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged 10 at the time, were convicted of his murder.

Their case became one of the most notorious crimes in modern British history.

For Denise Fergus, however, James was never a headline.

He was her little boy.

And more than 30 years later, she is still being asked to relive the case whenever Venables comes before the parole system.

In 2023, after his parole bid was rejected, Denise said she could finally “see some light” after years of fear and uncertainty.

But now the fight has begun again.

THE BIG QUESTION NOW

The Parole Board has confirmed that applications have been made for the upcoming hearing to be held publicly. As of the latest official information, the question of whether the hearing itself will be made public remains separate from the parole decision.

And there is another question hanging over the case:

Will Jon Venables remain behind bars — or could this latest parole review change everything?

For Denise Fergus, the answer is about far more than a prison sentence.

It is about the little boy whose life ended in 1993 — and a mother who says she has never stopped fighting for him.