The Parole Board has decided that the parole hearing for Jon Venables, who tortured and murdered two-year-old James Bulger in 1993, will be held in private. This decision comes despite pleas from James Bulger's mother, Denise Fergus, for the hearing to be public, which she stated would help combat "misinformation" and reduce the "retraumatising impact" on her.
Venables, now 44, will have his case reviewed by parole chiefs more than two years after his last unsuccessful appeal. In 2023, the Parole Board rejected his bid, concluding that he still posed a danger to children and could re-offend.
Parole Board hearings are typically conducted in private, though they can be made public in exceptional circumstances if deemed "in the interests of justice." Several media organizations had also requested a public hearing.
In its ruling, the Parole Board explained that a public hearing would present significant challenges for Venables in providing evidence. The board stated that he could be "listened to by people who are seeking to get information so that they can kill him," indicating serious safety concerns.
James Bulger was abducted from a shopping center in Merseyside, England, in February 1988. He was later found dead near a railway line. Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both 10 years old at the time, were convicted of his murder. They were both released on license in 2001 with new identities. Thompson's parole status and location are not detailed in the provided notes. Venables has been recalled to prison twice since his initial release.