JAMES BULGER’S DAD WANTS JON VENABLES’ NEXT PAROLE HEARING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Ralph Bulger says greater transparency is needed after Jon Venables was previously released before being recalled to custody for further offending.

More than three decades after the murder of toddler James Bulger, his father is calling for a major change in the way Jon Venables’ next parole hearing is handled.

Ralph Bulger, along with James Bulger’s family, has applied for the next Parole Board hearing involving Venables to be held in public.

The request comes after Venables was previously released from custody but was later recalled on two occasions for possessing indecent images of children.

A CASE THAT HAS NEVER LEFT THE PUBLIC EYE

James Bulger was just two years old when he was abducted and murdered in Merseyside in 1993 by two 10-year-old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson.

Because both offenders were children at the time, the case has remained subject to strict legal protections surrounding their identities.

Venables was eventually released on licence in 2001.

However, he was later returned to custody after further offending, becoming the subject of renewed parole reviews and intense public scrutiny.

WHY THE FAMILY WANTS THE HEARING PUBLIC

The Parole Board confirmed in August that it had received an application from Jimmy Bulger and Ralph Bulger for Venables’ next parole hearing to be made public.

Their application argues that the case is exceptional because it involves the murder of a child by children, Venables’ subsequent offending as an adult, repeated recalls to custody and complex questions surrounding risk management and release arrangements.

The family argues that a public hearing would allow people to better understand how evidence is examined, how professional opinions are tested and how the panel assesses the risk of releasing someone back into the community.

They also say greater transparency could help address misinformation surrounding the case.

The application proposes that sensitive information could still be protected through private sessions, reporting restrictions and anonymity safeguards.

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME A PUBLIC HEARING HAS BEEN REQUESTED

The issue has been raised before.

In 2023, an application was made for Venables’ parole hearing to be opened to the public.

The Parole Board did not grant that request.

Its decision reflected the significant legal and safeguarding issues surrounding the case, including the lifelong injunction protecting Venables’ identity.

The latest application comes under updated transparency arrangements introduced by the Parole Board.

The Board now invites representations from the press and public when an application for a public hearing is received.

THE DECISION HAS NOT BEEN MADE

Despite the growing attention surrounding the request, the next hearing has not been declared public.

The application is currently being considered by the Parole Board.

A public hearing is also not the same as a decision to release Venables.

The Board’s fundamental question in a parole case is whether a prisoner’s risk can be safely managed in the community. Public protection remains its primary concern.

For the Bulger family, however, the argument is about more than simply whether Venables should eventually be released.

It is about whether a case that has shaped public debate for more than 30 years should finally be examined with greater transparency.

And now, once again, the question is before the Parole Board:

Will the next Jon Venables parole hearing remain behind closed doors — or will the public finally be allowed to see how the decision is reached?