JON VENABLES FACES ANOTHER PAROLE HEARING — MORE THAN 30 YEARS AFTER THE MURDER OF JAMES BULGER

More than three decades after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger shocked Britain, one of the men convicted in the case is once again at the center of a parole battle.

Jon Venables, now 43, is set to have another parole hearing after his previous attempt to secure release was rejected in 2023.

The case has reopened painful memories for James’ family — particularly his mother, Denise Fergus, who has spent more than 30 years living with the consequences of her son’s murder.

HE WAS ONLY 10 YEARS OLD

On February 12, 1993, James Bulger was just two years old when he was abducted from a shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside.

Venables and Robert Thompson, both 10 at the time, were convicted of abducting and murdering the toddler.

The case became one of the most notorious crimes in modern British history, partly because of the exceptionally young ages of the two perpetrators.

Both boys were sentenced to detention at His Majesty’s pleasure.

Their identities were later protected after their release because they had been children when the crime was committed.

A RELEASE — THEN A RETURN TO PRISON

Venables was released on licence in July 2001, when he was 18.

But his freedom did not last permanently.

In 2010, he was recalled to prison after child sexual abuse images were found on his computer. He was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison after admitting related offenses.

He was released again in 2013.

Then, in 2017, he was recalled to prison once more after being arrested over child sexual abuse images.

The repeated recalls became a major part of the debate surrounding whether he could safely return to the community.

THE 2023 PAROLE DECISION

Venables previously sought release in 2023.

But the Parole Board rejected the application.

The panel said it was not satisfied that releasing him at that point would be safe for the protection of the public and concluded that he remained a potential danger.

That decision kept Venables behind bars for another period of time.

Now, more than two years later, his case is heading back before parole officials.

DENISE FERGUS WILL BE WATCHING

For James Bulger’s mother, the latest hearing is not simply another legal proceeding.

It means being forced to revisit a case that changed her life forever.

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

Her spokesperson previously said the repeated parole process had forced her to confront the trauma surrounding James’ murder once again.

Members of James’ family have also raised concerns about the emotional impact of repeatedly having to face parole proceedings decades after the crime.

A CASE THAT NEVER REALLY ENDED

The James Bulger case has remained in the public consciousness for more than 30 years.

For Venables, the question now is whether the Parole Board believes he can safely live in the community.

For James’ family, however, the consequences of what happened in 1993 never disappeared.

The upcoming hearing will not determine whether Venables was responsible for James’ murder — that was established decades ago.

Instead, the central question will be whether his continued detention remains necessary for public protection.

As the case returns to the parole system once again, the memory of a two-year-old boy abducted from a shopping center in 1993 remains at the heart of a legal process that has followed his family for more than three decades.