JON VENABLES FACES ANOTHER BID FOR FREEDOM — JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY FURIOUS AS HEARING IS KEPT PRIVATE

More than three decades after two-year-old James Bulger was abducted and killed, his killer Jon Venables is once again seeking release — but his latest parole hearing will take place behind closed doors.

More than 33 years after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, his family is once again being forced to confront the painful legacy of one of Britain’s most notorious child murder cases.

Jon Venables, now 44, is due to appear before the Parole Board for another hearing as he seeks release from prison.

But this time, the hearing will be held in private.

The decision has triggered anger from James’s family, who had asked for the proceedings to be made public.

A CASE THAT SHOCKED BRITAIN

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

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

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

Both boys were detained indefinitely during Her Majesty’s pleasure, later receiving minimum terms before eventually being released on licence in 2001 under lifelong anonymity orders.

But Venables’ release did not mark the end of his involvement with the criminal justice system.

HE WAS RECALLED TO PRISON TWICE

Venables was first released in July 2001.

In 2010, he was recalled to prison after indecent images of children were discovered on his computer.

He was released again in 2013.

Four years later, he was recalled once more after another offence involving indecent images of children.

His case subsequently returned to the Parole Board.

In 2023, the Board rejected his application for release, concluding that he continued to present a risk of further offending.

Now, more than two years later, another parole hearing has been scheduled.

JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY WANTED THE HEARING TO BE PUBLIC

James’s mother, Denise Fergus, and his father, Ralph Bulger, had both supported efforts to have the hearing opened to the public.

Denise argued that a public hearing could help counter misinformation surrounding the case and give people a better understanding of how parole decisions are made.

She also said the process had repeatedly reopened the trauma surrounding her son’s death.

The Parole Board considered applications from James’s family and media organisations but ultimately rejected the request.

In its decision, the Board said the legal threshold for making the hearing public had not been met.

It also said that holding the hearing publicly could make it difficult for Venables to give evidence because of concerns about people potentially obtaining information that could put his safety at risk.

“AN INSULT” TO JAMES’S FAMILY

The decision has left James’s father deeply angry.

Ralph Bulger described the decision as “an insult”, arguing that his family’s feelings had once again been pushed aside.

He has also expressed concerns about the possibility of Venables being released and said he believes he remains a danger to children.

His comments reflect the continuing pain experienced by James’s family more than three decades after their son’s death.

For them, the parole process is not simply a legal procedure.

It is another reminder of the little boy whose life ended in 1993.

THE HEARING WILL REMAIN PRIVATE

The Parole Board has made clear that parole hearings are normally conducted privately, although they can be opened to the public when the interests of justice require it.

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

James’s family has nevertheless been granted permission to observe the hearing under reforms allowing victims to attend private parole proceedings.

The exact outcome of Venables’ latest parole bid has not yet been announced.

MORE THAN 30 YEARS LATER, JAMES IS STILL REMEMBERED

James Bulger would now be a man in his 30s.

Instead, his name remains forever associated with the little boy whose disappearance from a shopping centre shocked the nation.

For his parents, the years have brought no simple ending.

The latest parole hearing represents another difficult chapter — one that forces James’s family to revisit the events that changed their lives forever.

And while Venables awaits another decision about his future, the memory of two-year-old James Bulger remains at the heart of the case.

For his family, that is the part that can never be forgotten.