JON VENABLES FACES ANOTHER BID FOR FREEDOM — AS JAMES BULGER’S MUM IS FORCED TO RELIVE HER WORST NIGHTMARE

More than three decades after two-year-old James Bulger was taken from his mother, one of his killers is once again seeking release — reopening an unimaginable chapter for his family.

More than 30 years after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, his killer Jon Venables is once again at the center of a parole battle.

Venables, who was just 10 years old when he and Robert Thompson abducted and killed James in 1993, is facing another parole hearing after his previous attempt to secure release was rejected.

For James’s mother, Denise Fergus, the process has brought back memories of a tragedy she has spent decades trying to live with.

ANOTHER BID FOR FREEDOM

Venables’ latest parole hearing comes more than two years after his previous bid was rejected in 2023.

At that time, the Parole Board concluded that he continued to pose a danger to children and that releasing him would not be safe for the protection of the public.

Now, the question of whether he should remain behind bars has returned.

Denise Fergus has been granted permission to observe the hearing — meaning she will once again have to confront the parole process surrounding the man responsible for the loss of her son.

THE CASE THAT SHOCKED BRITAIN

James Bulger was only two years old when he was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993.

The little boy was taken by two 10-year-old boys — Venables and Thompson.

The case horrified Britain and attracted worldwide attention because of the young ages of both the victim and the offenders.

Venables and Thompson were eventually convicted of James’s murder.

They were later released on licence in 2001 after serving eight years in secure accommodation.

But Venables’ life after release would become the subject of further controversy.

RELEASE — THEN RETURN TO PRISON

Venables was recalled to prison in 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer.

He was released again in 2013.

Then, in 2017, he was recalled once more following another offence involving indecent images of children.

His subsequent parole applications have therefore attracted intense scrutiny.

The 2023 Parole Board decision rejected his release, finding that the risk remained too great at that time.

DENISE FERGUS FACES ANOTHER PAINFUL HEARING

For Denise, every parole hearing means returning to a chapter of her life she has never been able to escape.

She has repeatedly argued that Venables’ subsequent offending should be taken into account when considering whether he remains a danger.

In January 2026, she said she hoped decision-makers would consider everything that had happened since James’s murder and recognise the continuing risk she believes he poses.

The latest hearing therefore carries significance far beyond a question of prison release.

For James’s family, it represents another confrontation with the consequences of a crime that changed their lives forever.

THE QUESTION THAT REMAINS

Venables has spent decades under strict anonymity protections, while James Bulger’s name remains permanently associated with one of Britain’s most notorious child murder cases.

Now, the Parole Board must once again decide whether his release can be considered safe.

For Denise Fergus, however, the issue is deeply personal.

More than three decades later, she is still fighting for her son.

And once again, she is being asked to listen as the man responsible for taking James away asks for another chance at freedom.