JON VENABLES PAROLE HEARING: JAMES BULGER’S FATHER FURIOUS AS KILLER’S BID FOR FREEDOM STAYS PRIVATE

James Bulger’s father has spoken out in anger after the Parole Board ruled that Jon Venables’ latest bid for freedom will be heard behind closed doors.

Ralph Bulger, now 59, has strongly criticized the decision, saying he feels the victim’s family has once again been pushed aside as Venables prepares to face another parole review.

The decision comes more than two years after Venables’ previous parole bid was rejected. The Parole Board confirmed on September 28 that the latest hearing would not be open to the public, despite requests from James’s family and media organizations.

RALPH BULGER REACTS WITH ANGER

Speaking to The Sun, Ralph described the decision as deeply upsetting and said the family had previously been given assurances that they would be able to attend.

He criticized the decision to keep the hearing private and argued that the interests of his family had not been given enough weight.

James’s mother, Denise Fergus, had also campaigned for the hearing to be made public.

In August, she and her husband Stuart Fergus formally applied for the hearing to be opened to the public, arguing that the case remained a matter of significant public interest. They said greater transparency could help address misinformation surrounding the case and improve understanding of how parole decisions are made.

WHY DID THE PAROLE BOARD REFUSE A PUBLIC HEARING?

The Parole Board said hearings are normally private, although they can be opened to the public when it is considered to be in the interests of justice.

In Venables’ case, however, the Board concluded that the threshold for a public hearing had not been met.

A key concern was whether Venables would be able to give evidence properly if members of the public were allowed to listen.

The Board said a public hearing could make it very difficult for him to provide evidence because of concerns that people listening could potentially seek information that might put his safety at risk.

The official decision was published by the UK government on September 28.

The Parole Board confirmed that the application to make the hearing public had been refused.

THE FAMILY HAD ASKED FOR TRANSPARENCY

Denise Fergus argued that a public hearing could help her feel heard after decades of living with the consequences of James’s killing.

Her application said public scrutiny could provide greater understanding of how risk is assessed and managed and could strengthen confidence in the parole system.

Ralph and James’s family also argued that Venables’ later offending made the case particularly significant.

The official application noted that Venables had subsequently been recalled to custody and that the case raises wider questions about anonymity, risk management, public protection and the way parole decisions are reached.

However, the Board ultimately rejected the request.

WHO IS JON VENABLES?

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

The case shocked Britain and became one of the most closely followed child murder cases in the country’s history.

Venables and Thompson were convicted and eventually released in 2001 under lifelong anonymity protections.

Venables was later recalled to prison in 2010 after child abuse images were found on his computer.

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

HIS LAST PAROLE BID WAS REJECTED

Venables previously sought release through the parole system in 2023.

That application was rejected after the Parole Board concluded that he still posed a risk of further offending.

The latest hearing therefore comes after another period in custody and renewed examination of whether he can safely be released into the community.

Importantly, the fact that he has been granted another parole hearing does not mean he will be released.

The panel must consider the evidence and assess whether continued imprisonment is necessary for public protection.

VICTIMS CAN OBSERVE PRIVATE HEARINGS UNDER NEW RULES

Although the hearing will not be public, changes to the parole system introduced nationally in April allow victims to attend private parole hearings in certain circumstances.

A spokeswoman for Denise Fergus previously confirmed that her application to observe the hearing had been granted.

This means the family can have a presence in the process even though members of the general public and media will not be able to observe the hearing in the same way as they would at a public session.

The arrangement reflects the difficult balance between victims’ rights, public confidence and the privacy and safety of prisoners involved in parole proceedings.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The latest parole hearing will determine whether Venables can meet the legal requirements for release.

There is no confirmed decision on his release at this stage.

For James Bulger’s family, however, the latest development has reopened painful memories of a case that has remained part of their lives for more than three decades.

The argument over the hearing itself also highlights a difficult question at the heart of the parole system: how can authorities balance a victim family’s desire for transparency with the need to protect sensitive evidence, privacy and public safety?

For now, that debate continues — while Venables waits for the outcome of his latest parole review.