JON VENABLES COULD BE FREED WITHIN WEEKS — JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY FACES ANOTHER PAINFUL WAIT AS KILLER’S PAROLE HEARING LOOMS

More than three decades after two-year-old James Bulger was abducted and killed, one of the men convicted of his murder is facing another parole hearing. Jon Venables, now 44, could potentially be released if the Parole Board decides he can safely return to the community.

For the family of James Bulger, one of Britain’s most haunting criminal cases has entered another painful chapter.

Jon Venables, one of the two men convicted over James’s 1993 murder, has been granted a new parole hearing, with four days set aside for the proceedings later this month.

The hearing will be held in private, after the Parole Board rejected requests from James’s mother, Denise Fergus, and media organisations for the proceedings to be opened to the public.

Venables is now 44.

And although he has not been granted release, the possibility that he could leave prison following the hearing has once again brought the Bulger family’s grief back into the spotlight.

THE TRAGEDY THAT SHOCKED BRITAIN

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

Venables and Robert Thompson, who were both 10 years old at the time, were convicted of James’s murder.

The case shocked Britain because of the age of the offenders and the devastating circumstances surrounding the toddler’s death.

Both boys were eventually released from custody in 2001, under lifelong anonymity protections and new identities.

Thompson has remained protected by anonymity, while Venables has subsequently returned to prison on two occasions.

VENABLES HAS ALREADY BEEN RECALLED TO PRISON TWICE

Venables was initially released on licence in July 2001.

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

He was released again in August 2013.

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

His history of recalls has remained an important part of subsequent parole decisions.

In 2023, the Parole Board rejected his application for release after concluding that he still posed a danger to children and could go on to offend again.

NOW ANOTHER PAROLE HEARING IS COMING

Almost three years after that decision, Venables has been granted another opportunity to argue for his release.

The upcoming hearing is expected to last four days, making it longer than his previous parole proceedings.

A decision has not yet been announced.

The Parole Board will consider evidence including his behaviour in prison, previous offences, plans for life after release and assessments of whether he presents a risk to the public. These are standard factors considered in parole cases.

If the panel concludes that his release can be safely managed, he could potentially be released on licence.

If not, he will remain in prison.

WHY WILL THE HEARING BE PRIVATE?

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

She said a public hearing could help address misinformation surrounding the case and allow greater understanding of the parole process.

The Parole Board, however, refused the application.

In its September 28 decision, the Board said that making the hearing public could make it difficult for Venables to give evidence because of concerns that people listening could potentially use information to harm him.

The Board emphasized that parole hearings are normally private and that a high threshold must be met before a hearing is opened to the public.

That threshold was not considered to have been met in this case.

JAMES’S PARENTS FACE ANOTHER WAIT

The decision has caused renewed distress for James’s family.

James’s father, Ralph Bulger, publicly criticized the decision to keep the hearing private.

Denise Fergus has also spoken previously about the emotional impact that renewed attention on Venables and the parole process has had on her.

Under reforms introduced nationally this year, victims can attend private parole hearings in certain circumstances. A spokeswoman for Fergus has confirmed that her application to observe the proceedings was granted.

But the family will still be unable to control the final outcome.

HE COULD BE RELEASED — BUT IT IS NOT CERTAIN

Reports that Venables “could be freed within weeks” refer to a possible outcome, not a decision that has already been made.

The Parole Board has not announced that Venables will be released.

The panel must first examine the evidence and decide whether the legal test for release is satisfied.

Even if release were recommended, it would be subject to licence conditions and supervision.

For now, Venables remains in prison.

A CASE THAT HAS NEVER REALLY LEFT THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS

James Bulger was only two years old when his life ended.

More than 30 years later, his name remains associated with one of the most closely followed criminal cases in modern British history.

His mother has spent decades campaigning to keep his memory alive while also fighting for greater recognition of victims and their families within the justice system.

Now she faces another period of uncertainty as the Parole Board considers what happens next for one of the men convicted over her son’s death.

The four-day hearing could determine whether Venables remains behind bars or begins another chapter under licence in the community.

But whatever decision comes, for James Bulger’s family, the pain of losing a two-year-old son more than three decades ago remains.

And once again, the world is waiting to hear what happens next.