James Bulger killer Jon Venables to remain behind bars after parole bid rejected

Child killer Jon Venables Credit: PA Media

Child killer Jon Venables has lost a Parole Board bid to be freed from jail.

The Parole Board said his release would not "be safe for the protection of the public" because of "outstanding levels of risk."

The 41-year-old tortured and murdered two-year-old James Bulger in Liverpool in 1993, alongside Robert Thompson.

The Parole Board said on Wednesday: “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and on licence, and the evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public.

“It noted the risks as set out above, doubted Mr Venables’ ability to be open and honest with professionals, and concluded that there remained a need for him to address outstanding levels of risk, and to develop his relationship with his probation officer.”

Child killers Jon Venables and Robert Thompson (right). Credit: PA

Venables refused to give evidence during the latest hearing because permission had been granted for a lawyer representing his victim’s relatives to listen to the proceedings.

He was “not comfortable discussing some aspects of the case with the family representative listening” and instead asked the panel to consider his review based solely on written evidence.

The decision came after a series of delays and following a hearing held behind closed doors in mid-November.

When the decision was first delayed on 28 November, the family of James Bulger released a statement urging the board to not grant John Venables' parole request.

They said: "It is our sincere hope that... the parole board will carefully consider all relevant factors and make the decision that ensures the safety of the public, well-being of Denise and her loved ones- by not granting Jon Venables parole."

James Bulger was two years old when he was snatched from a shopping centre in Bootle in February 1993 Credit: PA

Venables was jailed alongside Robert Thompson – when they were both aged 10 – after snatching James from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993.

Venables was released on licence in July 2001 and recalled to prison in February 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer.

He was again released in August 2013 and then called back in November 2017 for the same offence, with parole judges last considering his case in September 2020.

There is a long-standing legal order in place to protect the identities of Venables and Thompson because of their young age when they committed the murder.

This meant that the chairwoman of the Parole Board of England and Wales, Caroline Corby, chose not to hold his parole hearing in public, and that James’s family were not able to attend.

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