JON VENABLES COULD FACE A PUBLIC PAROLE HEARING — JAMES BULGER’S MOTHER SAYS IT IS TIME FOR HIM TO ‘FACE UP’ TO HIS CRIMES

Denise Fergus and her husband Stuart have asked for the parole hearing to be held in public, arguing that the case remains a matter of significant public interest.

The family of murdered toddler James Bulger is making a fresh push for transparency as Jon Venables prepares for another parole review.

James’ mother, Denise Fergus, and her husband, Stuart, have formally applied for Venables’ parole hearing to be held in public, saying he should have to face the consequences of his offending in an open hearing.

The application does not mean the hearing will automatically become public. The Parole Board must consider the request before making a decision.

A CASE THAT STILL HAUNTS BRITAIN

Venables and Robert Thompson were 10 years old when they abducted two-year-old James Bulger from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993.

The two boys were later convicted of James’ murder.

Both were sentenced to detention during His Majesty’s pleasure, the equivalent of an indefinite sentence for a child at the time.

Thompson was released on licence in 2001 and is not known to have reoffended.

Venables, however, was later recalled to prison after being found in possession of indecent images of children. He was subsequently convicted again after further offences involving such material and has remained in prison.

‘FACE UP TO HIS OFFENDING’

In their application, Denise and Stuart Fergus argued that there is a significant public interest in the case.

They said a public hearing could help the public understand how the parole system assesses and manages risk.

They also argued that Venables’ further offending as an adult makes his case an exceptional one.

For Denise, the issue is not simply about whether Venables should eventually be released.

It is also about allowing James’ family to feel that their concerns have been properly heard.

The couple said that if the application were granted, they would finally feel listened to and would be prepared for the hearing to take place in public.

JAMES’ FATHER ALSO WANTS TO ATTEND

James’ father, Ralph Bulger, has previously said he would want to attend a public parole hearing involving Venables.

The request comes after years of legal restrictions surrounding Venables’ identity and the protection measures put in place because of the extraordinary notoriety of the case.

Venables continues to have a lifetime anonymity order, meaning details that could identify him cannot lawfully be published.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The Parole Board confirmed that it had received the application from Denise and Stuart Fergus.

Venables has the opportunity to object to the request, after which the Parole Board will decide whether the hearing should be opened to the public.

If a public hearing were eventually approved, special measures would still be required to protect Venables’ legally protected anonymity.

The parole process itself is about assessing whether a prisoner can safely be released — not about retrying the original conviction.

For the Bulger family, however, the upcoming decision carries a much deeper significance.

More than three decades after James was taken from his family, his mother is once again asking the justice system to listen to the people who have lived with the consequences every day.

Now, the question is whether the public will be allowed to hear the parole case — or whether it will remain behind closed doors.