JON VENABLES FACES ANOTHER PAROLE BATTLE — AND JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY IS DEMANDING ANSWERS

More than 33 years after two-year-old James Bulger was abducted and murdered, his mother Denise Fergus is once again being forced to face the parole process involving one of her son’s killers.

Jon Venables, who was convicted alongside Robert Thompson for James’ 1993 murder, was previously denied parole in 2023 after the Parole Board concluded that releasing him at that time would not be safe for the public.

Now, another parole hearing is on the horizon.

And Denise Fergus is demanding something she has fought for repeatedly:

TRANSPARENCY.

“SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO FIGHT THIS ALONE”

Denise has been granted permission to observe the upcoming parole hearing.

But in August 2026, she and James’ father Stuart Fergus went further — submitting an application asking the Parole Board to hold the hearing in public.

Legal representatives for James’ family have also made a separate application seeking a public hearing.

The request comes after years of highly confidential parole proceedings surrounding Venables.

For Denise, each hearing means reopening one of the most painful chapters of her life.

THE 2023 DECISION

Venables was previously denied release in December 2023.

At that time, the Parole Board said it was not satisfied that releasing him would be safe for the protection of the public.

His history has also included previous recalls to custody after his release on licence.

He was released in 2001 after serving eight years in custody, but was later recalled in 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer.

He was released again in 2013 before being recalled once more in 2017 over another offence involving indecent images of children.

NOW THE FAMILY WANTS THE PUBLIC TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS

The latest battle is no longer simply about whether Venables could eventually be released.

It is also about how much the public — and James’ family — should be allowed to see of the process.

The Parole Board published details of the Fergus family’s application for a public hearing on August 7, 2026. Representations were invited before the August 14 deadline.

But as of the latest confirmed reports, there has been no public announcement that Venables has been granted parole or released.

For Denise Fergus, the nightmare that began in 1993 has never truly ended.

Every parole hearing brings the memories back.

Every new decision means another fight.

And now, after more than three decades, James Bulger’s family is asking a question that reaches far beyond one parole application:

If a decision could change the future of one of Britain’s most notorious killers, shouldn’t the family — and the public — be allowed to see more of what happens behind closed doors?

For Denise, this is not history.

It is still her son.