JON VENABLES FACES NEW PAROLE HEARING — JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY LEFT HEARTBROKEN AFTER BID FOR PUBLIC HEARING IS REJECTED

A DECISION THAT HAS REOPENED OLD WOUNDS

More than three decades after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, his family is once again facing a painful chapter as Jon Venables prepares for another parole hearing.

Venables, now 44, was one of two 10-year-old boys convicted over James’s murder in Merseyside in 1993.

Now, almost three years after his previous parole application was rejected, his case is returning to the Parole Board.

But the latest decision has already caused deep frustration for James’s family.

The hearing will be held in private.

JAMES BULGER’S MOTHER WANTED THE HEARING OPEN

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

Her argument was that greater transparency could help address misinformation surrounding the case and allow the public to better understand how parole decisions are made.

She also said the ongoing discussion around the case has had a retraumatising impact on her.

The Parole Board considered the application but ultimately decided that the threshold for making the hearing public had not been met.

WHY WILL THE HEARING REMAIN PRIVATE?

The Parole Board said that allowing the public to observe could make it extremely difficult for Venables to give evidence safely.

Officials cited concerns that information about his identity and circumstances could reach people who might pose a threat to him.

Parole hearings are normally private, although they can be opened to the public when the interests of justice justify doing so.

In this case, the Board decided that threshold had not been reached.

THE FAMILY WILL STILL HAVE A ROLE

Although the hearing will not be public, reforms introduced this year mean victims can attend private parole hearings in certain circumstances.

Denise Fergus has been granted permission to observe the hearing.

The family had argued that simply being allowed to observe would not provide the same level of transparency as a public hearing.

For Denise and James’s father Ralph, the decision has brought back emotions surrounding a case that has remained part of their lives for more than 30 years.

VENABLES’ PREVIOUS PAROLE BID WAS REJECTED

Venables’ previous application for release was rejected in 2023.

At that time, the Parole Board concluded that he continued to pose a risk of further offending.

His history after his original release has also remained a major part of subsequent parole considerations.

Venables was released on licence in 2001, but was recalled to prison in 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer.

He was released again in 2013 before being recalled in 2017 following another offence involving indecent images of children.

HIS IDENTITY REMAINS PROTECTED

Because Venables was a child when he committed the original offence, he has remained subject to a lifelong anonymity order.

That means his current identity and whereabouts are protected from publication.

The anonymity order is also one of the reasons why the Parole Board has faced difficult questions about how much information can safely be made public.

THE NEXT DECISION COULD BE HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT

The upcoming hearing will consider whether Venables can safely be released and whether any potential risk can be managed in the community.

But there is currently no decision that he will be released.

The Parole Board must assess the evidence before making its determination.

For James Bulger’s family, however, the process is inevitably personal.

More than 30 years have passed since James was taken from his family.

Yet every new parole hearing brings his name back into the headlines — and forces his parents to confront questions they have been living with for decades.

A FAMILY STILL REMEMBERING JAMES

James was only two years old when his life was taken.

His mother has spent decades campaigning for her son’s memory to remain at the heart of discussions about the case.

The latest parole process is therefore not simply another legal procedure for the Bulger family.

It is another moment when they must revisit the most painful chapter of their lives.

And now, with the new hearing approaching, they are once again waiting to learn what the future may hold.

SOURCES

• Parole Board / GOV.UK — Official decision refusing the application for a public hearing.
• Sky News — Latest report on the private parole hearing and the Board’s reasoning.
• ITV News — Update on the hearing and Denise Fergus’s request.
• The Independent — Background on Venables’ previous parole bid and recalls to custody.