MURDERED James Bulger’s parents are furious after his killer Jon Venables was granted another full parole hearing – which they fear will take place around the anniversary of the toddler’s abduction.
Sick Venables, 43 – last refused parole in 2023 as he still posed a danger – will go before an expert panel for an oral hearing after written reports were submitted.
Child killer Jon Venables, pictured at the time of James’ abductionCredit: PA
Little Jamie Bulger pictured before his deathCredit: PA:Press Association
James Bulger’s parents are furious after his killer Venables was granted another full parole hearingCredit: ITV
And James’ separated parents – Denise Fergus, 57, and Ralph Bulger, 59 – are anxious the case may go ahead next month and coincide with his February 12 abduction by Venables and accomplice Robert Thompson in 1993.
We told last October how Denise and Ralph had won the right to attend the scheduled new hearing and deliver victim impact statements.
And that means they could hear the voice of their son’s killer for the first time in more than 30 years if Venables gives evidence at his fresh hearing.
But – due to a draconian anonymity order – Venables’s identity would be hidden at a hearing, and his voice would be changed using distortion technology.
A source said: “They have been told this after delays over Christmas and the New Year – and now they fear this could coincide with the anniversary as they have not been told a date.
“It has just added more trauma and uncertainty for the family.”
Venables was just 10 when he and Thompson snatched James from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside and tortured and killed him in a crime which horrified Britain.
He was freed in 2001 after serving just eight years in youth prison – but recalled to jail for child sex abuse image offences in 2010 and 2017.
Kym Morris, a spokeswoman for James’ mum Denise Fergus, said: “We have been informed that a parole hearing has been granted in relation to Jon Venables.
“Once again, Denise has been forced to confront a process that reopens unimaginable trauma.
A surveillance camera shows the abduction of James Bulger, as the toddler holds the hand of Jon Venables at a shopping centreCredit: Getty
“Denise was hoping for a redirection, with no hearing granted allowing her a measure of peace and protection from further distress.
“That hope has now been taken away.
“Denise has been informed that her application to observe the hearing has been granted.
“While this provides her with access to the process, it does not lessen the emotional burden she is being asked to carry, nor does it offer the reassurance or closure she so desperately deserves.
“Instead, Denise now faces yet another prolonged period of uncertainty and distress, with limited clarity around how decisions are being reached or how ongoing risks are being assessed.”
Two-year-old James Bulger was tortured and killed by Jon Venables and Robert ThompsonCredit: Getty
Venables was just 10 when he and Thompson snatched James from a shopping centre in BootleCredit: Refer to Source
Robert Thompson, pictured in 1993Credit: Rex Features
Denise and her ex-husband Ralph, a builder, will be able to observe the crunch hearing.
But Venables – who refused to appear before the panel in 2023 – will either be disguised or is likely to give evidence in writing and remotely from his cell.
They have both prepared victim impact statements which they will read out.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun last November, Ralph warned Venables would kill again if he was freed.
He added: “Venables is more of a threat today than he ever was and he will be living next door to some poor innocent family if they let him go. He will kill again if he comes out.
“Venables is a predatory paedophile killer and yet our system has twice seen fit to let him free to live amongst us only for him to keep re-offending. I cannot work out how or why Venables has been given so many chances.”
Parole board officials decided that after reviewing written submissions from prison workers, counsellors, psychiatrists and impact statements from members of James’ family, it was fair to grant him another oral hearing.
When he was last refused parole in December 2023, it was ruled Venables was not rehabilitated.
The ruling added that the killer had completed a “considerable amount of work” in prison to address his offending but the panel remained “concerned by continuing issues of sexual preoccupation”.
Venables refused to appear in person, instead giving written and video-link evidence.
A Parole Board spokesperson said: “The Secretary of State for Justice has referred Jon Venables’ case to the Parole Board for a review.
“A member of the Parole Board has assessed the case on the papers, by reviewing a dossier of evidence, and has directed that an oral hearing should take place. The date for this hearing is yet to be set.
“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
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“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence.
“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”
We told last October how James’ parents Denise and Ralph had won the right to attend the scheduled new hearing and deliver victim impact statementsCredit: Refer to Source
