JON VENABLES FACES FRESH PAROLE BID AS JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY PUSHES FOR PUBLIC HEARING

Jon Venables is facing another parole hearing more than two years after his previous attempt to secure release was rejected — while James Bulger’s family is pushing for the proceedings to be opened to the public.

The latest development has reignited questions over transparency, public protection and the lifetime anonymity protections surrounding the man convicted of murdering two-year-old James Bulger in 1993.

But despite reports describing a “public parole hearing”, the hearing has not yet been confirmed as public.

The Parole Board is currently considering applications asking for the hearing to be held in public.

A FRESH BID FOR FREEDOM

Venables, who was 10 when he and Robert Thompson murdered James Bulger in Bootle, Merseyside, has been granted another oral parole hearing.

His previous application was rejected in December 2023 after the Parole Board concluded it was not satisfied that releasing him at that point would be safe for public protection.

The panel identified continuing concerns surrounding risk, including sexual preoccupation and the possibility of future offending.

Venables was first released on licence in 2001.

He was subsequently recalled to prison in 2010 after being convicted of possessing indecent images of children. He was released again in 2013 before being recalled in 2017 for another offence involving indecent images of children.

His latest parole review therefore comes against the background of those previous recalls.

JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY WANTS THE HEARING OPENED

In August 2026, the Parole Board published details of applications seeking to make Venables’ oral hearing public.

One application was submitted by Denise and Stuart Fergus, with the published summary stating that greater transparency could improve public understanding of how parole decisions are made.

The application also argues that the case has exceptional public interest because of Venables’ later offending and the complex issues surrounding anonymity and risk management.

A separate application was made on behalf of James Bulger’s father Ralph Bulger and uncle Jimmy Bulger.

They argue that a public hearing would allow greater scrutiny of how evidence, professional opinions, risk and release arrangements are examined.

They have also argued that a public hearing could help address misinformation and provide greater confidence in the parole process.

BUT THE DECISION ON A PUBLIC HEARING HAS NOT BEEN MADE

This distinction is crucial.

The Parole Board has received applications for the hearing to be made public. That does not mean the application has been granted.

The Board’s published information lists the Venables public-hearing application among its pending applications.

The Board must therefore decide whether the circumstances justify departing from the normal position that parole hearings are private.

There are also safeguards surrounding Venables’ identity that remain in force.

HIS IDENTITY REMAINS PROTECTED

Venables and Thompson were both children when they committed the murder.

A lifetime anonymity injunction protects Venables’ current identity.

The Parole Board previously explained that the order means it is an offence to publish information likely to lead to his identification.

That means even if the forthcoming parole hearing is eventually allowed to take place in public, it would not automatically mean that his current identity could legally be revealed.

Any public proceedings would have to operate within the existing legal protections.

THE FAMILY’S LONG FIGHT FOR TRANSPARENCY

For James Bulger’s family, the latest parole process comes more than three decades after the murder.

James was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle in February 1993 and killed by Venables and Thompson, who were both 10 years old at the time.

Venables’ later recalls to custody have become a major part of the family’s concerns about any future release.

The family’s current applications focus not only on Venables’ potential release but also on understanding how the Parole Board assesses risk and reaches its decisions.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The immediate question is not yet whether Venables will be released.

The Parole Board must first determine whether the oral hearing should be opened to the public.

The substantive parole decision will then concern whether Venables’ risk can be safely managed in the community.

His 2023 application was rejected after the panel concluded that release was not safe at that stage.

For James Bulger’s family, however, the latest proceedings represent another painful chapter in a case that has remained in the public spotlight for more than 30 years.

A FRESH PAROLE BID IS UNDERWAY. A PUBLIC HEARING HAS BEEN REQUESTED. BUT THE DECISION ON WHETHER THE PUBLIC WILL ACTUALLY BE ALLOWED TO WATCH IT HAS YET TO BE MADE.

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS.