Child killer Jon Venables, who notoriously tortured and murdered two-year-old James Bulger in Liverpool in 1993, has had his bid for parole rejected by the Parole Board. The decision, which was announced on Wednesday, highlights ongoing concerns regarding public safety.
The Parole Board, in its statement, emphasized that Venables’ release would not be safe for public protection due to “outstanding levels of risk.” Now 41 years old, Venables committed the heinous crime alongside Robert Thompson when both were merely 10 years old.
The Board, while acknowledging the progress Venables made in custody and on licence, expressed reservations about his ability to be transparent with professionals. They stressed the need for Venables to address the remaining levels of risk and to develop a more constructive relationship with his probation officer.
In the latest hearing, Venables refused to provide evidence as a lawyer representing James Bulger’s family was permitted to listen to the proceedings. Citing discomfort with discussing certain aspects of the case in the presence of the family representative, Venables chose to have his review based solely on written evidence.
The decision follows a series of delays and a closed-door hearing that took place in mid-November. In response to the initial postponement of the decision on 28 November, James Bulger’s family released a statement urging the Parole Board to consider public safety and their wellbeing in their decision-making process.
Venables, along with Thompson, was jailed after abducting James from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993. After his release on licence in July 2001, Venables was recalled to prison in February 2010 following the discovery of indecent images of children on his computer. He was released again in August 2013 but was recalled in November 2017 for the same offence. His case was last reviewed by parole judges in September 2020.
Due to the sensitivity and high-profile nature of the case, and the young age of the perpetrators at the time of the murder, a legal order is in place to protect the identities of Venables and Thompson. Consequently, the parole hearing was not conducted publicly, and James’s family was unable to attend.
The rejection of Venables’ parole bid marks yet another chapter in a case that has continued to resonate deeply with the public and the family of James Bulger, underscoring the enduring impact of the tragic event.
