Jon Venables, one of the killers of two-year-old James Bulger, faces a parole hearing next month that could see him released from prison. The development has caused profound distress for the murdered toddler's mother, Denise Fergus, who was granted permission to observe the hearing for the first time in more than 30 years.
The hearing represents Venables' latest bid for freedom despite a documented pattern of child pornography offenses since his initial release. In December 2023, the Parole Board denied his previous application, ruling he was "still a danger to children" and "could not be trusted."
Venables and Robert Thompson were both ten years old when they abducted James Bulger from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12, 1993. They led the toddler to a railway embankment in Walton, where they inflicted 42 injuries using bricks, stones, and a 22lb iron fishplate.
Authorities released Venables on life licence as an adult in 2001, and Thompson was also released with a new identity. Authorities gave both fabricated passports, national insurance numbers, and medical records.
Spiral into re-offending
Venables struggled after his release, struggling financially and with substance abuse by 2007. Authorities recalled him to prison in early 2010 at age 27 after police found child pornography on his computer. He attempted to destroy his hard drive when police arrived, and police discovered he had downloaded and redistributed several dozen images of child abuse. The court sentenced him to two years.
Authorities released him in 2013, but Venables re-offended. In February 2018, he admitted possessing child abuse videos and a "paedophile manual," resulting in a 40-month sentence with a minimum of 20 months to serve.
Mother's anguish
Denise Fergus told the Mirror: "It is distressing and frankly makes me angry that I've now been told that James' killer will be afforded a parole hearing and a chance of release." She questioned why Venables was being given another opportunity: "Surely this person has proved he cannot be given yet another chance, yet he's been given one."
Fergus expressed concern about what would happen if Venables gained his freedom. "The parole board must remember, he's not a 10-year-old anymore. He's bigger, he's stronger, he's got more wits about him," she said. "He's been educated to lie to his back teeth. My worry is that if he's released, he'll lose that protection, he'll be looking over his shoulder the whole time, he'll have a target on his back."
She warned: "He's not going to like it in the real world. What is he going to do to get back inside?"
Her spokesperson, Kym Morris, told the Mirror that the parole hearing forces Fergus to "confront a process that reopens unimaginable trauma." Morris explained that Fergus had hoped for no hearing to be granted, "allowing her a measure of peace and protection from further distress. That hope has now been taken away."
While authorities granted Fergus access to observe the hearing, Morris emphasized this "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, Fergus 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."
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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