The mother of murdered toddler James Bulger has spoken of her devastation after being informed that her son's killer, Jon Venables, has been granted a parole hearing. The Parole Board's decision means Denise Fergus will once again face the traumatic process of potentially seeing her child's murderer released.
A Mother's Trauma Reopened
Denise Fergus issued a powerful statement through her spokeswoman, Kym Morris, after being notified of the decision by parole officials. She revealed she had hoped for a different outcome that would have spared her further anguish.
"Denise was hoping for a redirection, with no hearing granted... allowing her a measure of peace and protection from further distress," the statement read. "That hope has now been taken away."
While her application to observe the hearing has been approved, she stated this offers little comfort. "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," the statement continued, highlighting the "prolonged period of uncertainty and distress" she now faces.
The Path to a Parole Hearing
The Parole Board confirmed it decided to grant Venables, now 43, an oral hearing after reviewing extensive written evidence. This included submissions from prison workers, counsellors, psychiatrists, and impact statements from James Bulger's family.
Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged just 10, abducted, tortured, and killed two-year-old James after taking him from the Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993. The crime horrified the nation.
Both were sentenced to life but released on licence in 2001 after less than eight years in youth detention. While Thompson has not reoffended, Venables has been recalled to prison twice for serious child sex offences.
In 2010 and again in 2017, he was returned to custody after being found in possession of child abuse imagery. In February 2018, he admitted possessing indecent videos of male toddlers and a so-called 'paedophile manual'. He was subsequently jailed for 40 months.
A History of Denied Release and Ongoing Risk
This is not Venables' first bid for freedom in recent years. His last parole appeal was in December 2023, where he was granted a two-day hearing held in private after he argued that seeing James's family would harm his mental health. He then failed to attend the hearing.
After two weeks of deliberation following that hearing, a Parole Board panel ruled he was "still a danger to children" and "could not be trusted." A summary of their decision noted they doubted his honesty with professionals and had concerns about "continuing issues of sexual preoccupation."
The upcoming hearing, expected within the next month, will force Denise Fergus to hear her son's killer's voice for the first time in over three decades. The Parole Board will have to determine if Venables, having completed work in prison to address his offending, no longer poses an unacceptable risk to the public, particularly children.
The case continues to raise profound questions about rehabilitation, justice for victims' families, and the lifelong management of offenders convicted of the most heinous crimes as children.
