JAMES BULGER’S DAD SAYS JON VENABLES’ PAROLE HEARING SHOULD BE PUBLIC — AFTER KILLER’S LATER OFFENDING

Ralph Bulger says the public deserves to know what is happening as his son’s killer faces another bid for release from prison.

More than three decades after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, his father is calling for the latest parole proceedings involving Jon Venables to be made public.

Venables, who was 10 when he and Robert Thompson murdered James in Merseyside in 1993, is once again being considered for release by the Parole Board.

But James’ father, Ralph Bulger, believes the hearing should not take place entirely behind closed doors — particularly because Venables has committed further offences since his original release.

WHY THE HEARING IS UNDER SCRUTINY

Venables was first released from custody in 2001 under a new identity.

He was later recalled to prison after being found in possession of indecent images of children.

He was released again in 2013, but was recalled for a second time in 2017 after another offence involving indecent images of children.

His history has become a central concern for those opposing his release.

At his previous parole hearing in 2023, the Parole Board concluded that Venables remained a danger to children and could go on to commit further offences. His application was rejected.

Now, more than two years later, he is eligible to make another bid for freedom.

JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY FACES ANOTHER PAINFUL PROCESS

For James’ family, every parole hearing brings back memories of the case that shocked Britain.

James was just two years old when he was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle in February 1993.

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

The case became one of the most notorious crimes in modern British history and has continued to affect James’ family decades later.

James’ mother, Denise Fergus, has been granted permission to observe the latest parole hearing.

Her representatives have previously described the process as reopening what they called “unimaginable trauma” for the family.

A CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY

The latest controversy is not simply about whether Venables should be released.

It is also about how much of the decision-making process the public should be allowed to see.

The UK government confirmed in August 2026 that applications had been made for the oral hearing in Venables’ case to be made public.

That does not mean the hearing will automatically become public.

The Parole Board normally conducts hearings privately, although reforms have given victims greater opportunities to observe proceedings in certain circumstances.

NO DECISION ON RELEASE YET

Importantly, the latest parole process does not mean Venables has been granted freedom.

The Parole Board must assess whether he remains a risk and whether that risk can be safely managed in the community.

His previous application was rejected after the board determined that he continued to pose a danger.

The new hearing will therefore place his current risk assessment under renewed scrutiny.

For James Bulger’s family, however, the issue reaches far beyond a parole decision.

It is about a child whose life ended in 1993 — and a family that has been forced to confront the consequences of that crime again and again.

More than 30 years later, the question surrounding Jon Venables is no longer only whether he can be released. It is whether the public should be allowed to see how that decision is made.