Overview
- Jon Venables remains in custody with an oral parole panel scheduled to convene within the next month.
- James Bulger’s mother, Denise Fergus, has been allowed to observe the hearing, hearing his voice but not seeing his face, and her impact statement is expected to be read.
- Venables’ previous bid for release was rejected in December 2023 when a panel ruled he remained a danger to children.
- Freed on licence in 2001, Venables was recalled and jailed in 2010 and again in 2017 for offences involving child sexual abuse images, with the 2010 recall following a pub admission that exposed his identity and led police to his computer.
- Co-defendant Robert Thompson has not been known to reoffend since his 2001 release and is reported to have lived a comparatively quiet life under a protected identity.