James Bulger’s killer Jon Venables is granted a two-day parole hearing behind closed doors and could be freed by Christmas
- Venables and Thompson were 10 when they kidnapped and killed Bulger, two
- The toddler was snatched from a shopping centre in Liverpool 30 years ago
James Bulger’s killer Jon Venables has been granted a rare two-day parole hearing that reflects the controversial and complex nature of his bid to be freed from jail.
Venables, now 40, and Robert Thompson, 39, were both aged 10 when they kidnapped, tortured and killed two-year-old James before leaving his mutilated body by a railway line in Liverpool 30 years ago.
The toddler was snatched from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12, 1993.
Both men were released in 2001 on licence for life, but Venables has been recalled to prison twice, in 2010 and 2017, having been found to be in possession of indecent images of children.
MailOnline can reveal that the child murderer has been told that his case will be heard on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 November, but will not be heard in public, despite requests for Venables to be made to answer questions on a live video screen.
James Bulger ‘s killer Jon Venables (pictured) has been granted a rare two-day parole hearing that reflects the controversial and complex nature of his bid to be freed from jail
Venables, now 38, and his friend Robert Thompson were 10 in 1993 when they killed James (pictured), aged two, after taking him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside
Instead, the three-person parole panel will cross-examine Venables in private and will take evidence from a number of prison sources, including officers who have day-to-day contact with him, his probation officer and psychiatrists.
READ MORE: Jamie Bulger’s killer Jon Venables is granted a new parole hearing and could be released from prison within weeks
The panel will also get to read victim impact statements made by Jamie’s mother Denise Fergus, 54 and father Ralph Bulger, 55, who have both implored the Parole Board to reject Venables’ bid to be released on licence.
Addressing parole chiefs who will make the decision, Denise Fergus said: “If you let him free, you could be ruining the lives of another family like ours.
“When you look at Venables’ file just remember what he is capable of. He killed my son James, has reoffended time and time again and I have no doubt he would kill another child if he is released.
The hearing is highly controversial as it is likely to be the last Venables can appeal before new parole reforms proposed by former Justice Secretary Dominic Raab come before Parliament.
Under his parole reform plans, a dangerous, reoffending prisoner like Jon Venables would never go free.
The Victims and Prisoners Bill will make public safety the sole priority in considering the release of repeat offenders.
Currently, the rights of inmates have more weight when making such decisions.
Before the decision to make the parole hearing private was announced, Ralph Bulger told The Sun: ‘If the Justice Secretary is serious on reform then he must allow me to be present at Venables’s parole hearing, just as I was at his Old Bailey hearing.
‘I want Venables to hear why I believe he should have his parole denied. For too long, victims and families have been ignored while authorities put the so-called rights of dangerous criminals first.’
Robert Thompson (pictured) was also jailed as a ten-year-old boy but he was released in 2001 and has not re-offended since
The panel will also have access to Venables’ prison dossier. The Secretary of State will also be represented. He is most likely to oppose Venables being released.
The parole hearing will be scrutinised by Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, who under new powers has the right to ask the Parole Board to reconsider any decision to release Venables.
If the killer is ultimately released, he could be back on the streets by Christmas. Because he has life-long anonymity, the public will not know where Venables is relocated.
He would be under strict licence conditions, including severe restrictions on his movement and who he can contact. It is possible that Venables could also be made to wear an ankle tag.
James’ brother Michael Fergus, 29, said earlier this year that even after three decades he will never forgive the killers, adding that Venables must be kept behind bars.
Mr Fergus was born eight months after the tragedy, and though he never got to meet his brother, he has grown up with the impacts of those events.
He told the Sunday Express: ‘My brother’s killers will never be forgiven. They took away my older brother who I never got to meet.’
He added: ‘They robbed me of my childhood, in a nutshell.’
Michael still lives close to his mother Denise, and her husband Stuart, in north west England.
Denise and James’ father Ralph divorced in 1995 as grief took its toll.
James, from Kirkby, was a month away from his third birthday when he was snatched by Venables and Thompson, from a shopping centre in Bootle, tortured and brutally murdered. The child killers were convicted of murder in November 1993 and detained indefinitely.
A surveillance camera shows the abduction of two-year-old James Bulger from the Bootle Strand shopping mall on February 12 1993
Denise Fergus, the grieving mother of James Bulger, is facing ‘a very worrying time’ as her son’s killer Jon Venables was granted a new parole hearing
The pair were released aged 18 in 2001 after just eight years, and were given new identities.
Thompson has not reoffended. But Venables was sent back to jail in 2010 and 2017 after being caught with child sex abuse images on his PC.
He was turned down for parole in 2020 after serving his minimum 40 months.
A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: ‘”An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Jon Venables and is scheduled to take place in November 2023.
‘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.
‘A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
‘Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.
‘Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.
‘The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more.
‘Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.’
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