JON VENABLES FACES FRESH PAROLE HEARING AS JAMES BULGER’S FAMILY FIGHTS FOR ANSWERS

More than three decades after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, his killer Jon Venables is due to face a new parole hearing this month — with four days set aside to decide whether he should remain behind bars.

LIVERPOOL, UK — Jon Venables, one of the two boys convicted of murdering toddler James Bulger in 1993, is facing another parole hearing more than two years after his previous bid for release was rejected.

Venables, now 44, will appear before the Parole Board at a four-day oral hearing scheduled for this month.

The hearing could determine whether he remains in prison or becomes eligible for release under licence.

However, there is no guarantee that he will be freed.

The Parole Board must assess whether his release would be safe and whether he would continue to pose a risk to the public.

A CASE THAT SHOCKED BRITAIN

Venables and Robert Thompson were both 10 years old when they abducted two-year-old James Bulger from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12, 1993.

James was subsequently tortured and murdered.

The case shocked Britain and became one of the country’s most notorious child murder cases.

Both boys were eventually convicted and detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure.

They were released on licence in 2001 with lifelong anonymity.

Thompson has remained out of prison under a new identity.

Venables, however, has twice been recalled to custody.

VENABLES HAS TWICE RETURNED TO PRISON

Venables was first released in 2001.

In 2010, he was recalled to prison after being found in possession of indecent images of children.

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

His continued imprisonment has therefore extended far beyond his original release from custody.

His most recent parole bid, in 2023, was rejected.

The Parole Board concluded at the time that he still posed a risk of harm and could go on to offend again.

FAMILY WANTED THE HEARING TO BE PUBLIC

James’s mother, Denise Fergus, and other members of the Bulger family had asked for the latest parole hearing to be held in public.

The family argued that the extraordinary history of the case and the continuing public interest justified greater transparency.

They also said that misinformation surrounding the case had caused further distress and retraumatisation.

The Parole Board rejected the request.

In its decision, the Board said that making the hearing public could make it extremely difficult for Venables to give evidence because of continuing threats to his life.

The Board concluded that the high threshold required for a public hearing had not been met.

FOUR DAYS OF EVIDENCE

The length of the new hearing has attracted particular attention.

Four days have been allocated to the proceedings, making it longer than Venables’ previous parole hearing.

Reports that the hearing could potentially result in a decision before the end of the month have caused renewed concern among James’s family.

But the four-day timetable does not mean that release has been decided.

The panel will consider evidence before reaching its decision.

Depending on the outcome, Venables could remain in prison or potentially be released subject to licence conditions.

JAMES’ FAMILY STILL WAITING

More than 33 years after James was murdered, his family continues to live with the consequences of what happened.

Denise Fergus has repeatedly spoken publicly about her son and the impact his murder has had on her life.

The latest parole proceedings have reopened painful memories for the family.

For them, the hearing is not simply a legal process.

It is another moment in a case that has shaped their lives for decades.

The Parole Board has confirmed that victims can attend private parole hearings under reforms introduced across England and Wales, although the proceedings themselves will not be open to the general public.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The four-day hearing will examine Venables’ current circumstances, risk factors and whether any proposed release arrangements would adequately protect the public.

A decision will follow after the panel has considered the evidence.

Until that decision is formally announced, it remains impossible to say whether Venables will leave prison.

For James Bulger’s family, however, the latest hearing represents another painful chapter in a story that began when a two-year-old boy disappeared from a shopping centre in Merseyside in 1993.

James never got the chance to grow up.

More than three decades later, his family is once again waiting to learn what happens next to the man convicted of taking his life.

The hearing is private.

The decision has not yet been made.

And James’s family is still waiting for answers.