‘OVERWHELMING RELIEF’: JAMES BULGER’S MOTHER DENISE FERGUS SPEAKS OUT AFTER JON VENABLES IS DENIED FREEDOM AGAIN
More than 33 years after her two-year-old son was brutally m𝑢rdєred, Denise Fergus has welcomed another decision to keep one of his killers behind bars. But for a mother who has spent decades fighting for justice, the pain of losing James has never disappeared.
Denise Fergus has described feeling “overwhelming relief” after Jon Venables, one of the two men convicted of murdering her son James Bulger, was refused release from prison once again.
The decision marks another significant moment in one of Britain’s most notorious child murder cases, which shocked the country in February 1993 and continues to attract intense public attention more than three decades later.
Venables, now in his 40s, was just 10 years old when he and Robert Thompson abducted two-year-old James from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, Merseyside.
James had been shopping with his mother when the two boys led him away from the premises. His disappearance triggered a desperate search that ended in unimaginable tᩚraɢedy.
His body was discovered two days later on a railway embankment near Walton, Liverpool. The toddler had suffered a horrific attack.
Thompson and Venables were arrested, convicted of James’s murder in 1993 and sentenced to detention during Her Majesty’s pleasure, the equivalent of an indefinite sentence for children at the time.
They became the youngest convicted murderers in modern British history.
DENISE FERGUS: ‘OVERWHELMING RELIEF’
For Denise, the latest decision represents another moment in a decades-long struggle to ensure that her son’s 𝘬iᩚller does not walk free.
She has repeatedly spoken about the devastating impact of James’s murder and the emotional toll of having to face repeated parole developments.
Although the decision has brought relief, it cannot undo what happened to her little boy or restore the life that was taken from him.
Denise has spent years campaigning for victims’ families and speaking publicly about the lasting consequences of child murder.
Her determination to keep James’s memory alive has made her a prominent voice in discussions about justice, sentencing and the rights of victims’ families.
VENABLES’ TROUBLED HISTORY AFTER PRISON
Thompson and Venables were released on life licence in 2001 after serving approximately eight years in custody.
Because they were children when they committed the murder, both were given new identities and extensive legal protection intended to safeguard their lives after release.
However, Venables repeatedly returned to prison following serious criminal offences.
In 2010, he was jailed after child 𝘴єxual 𝘢bu𝘴e images were discovered in his possession.
He was released in 2013 but recalled to prison in 2018 after further child 𝘴єxual 𝘢bu𝘴e material was found.
In 2020, he was sentenced to another 40 months in prison after admitting possession of indecent images of children and a prohibited image.
His repeated offending has intensified public anger and renewed questions about whether he can ever be safely released.
WHY WAS HIS LATEST RELEASE BID REJECTED?
The latest parole decision means Venables will remain in prison rather than return to the community.
Parole decisions in England and Wales consider a range of factors, including the risk a prisoner may pose to the public, evidence of rehabilitation and whether that risk can be safely managed outside prison.
For James’s family, every parole hearing brings back memories of the tᩚraɢedy and the fear that one of the men responsible could eventually be released.
The latest refusal will therefore be welcomed by those who believe that public protection must remain the priority.
JAMES BULGER: A tᩚraɢedy BRITAIN HAS NEVER FORGOTTEN
James was only two years old when his life was taken.
His murder changed the lives of his parents forever and sparked a nationwide debate about juvenile crime, the criminal responsibility of children and the treatment of young offenders.
Robert Thompson has remained out of prison since his release in 2001 and has not been convicted of further offences publicly reported in connection with the case.
Venables, however, has repeatedly been recalled to custody, making his case particularly controversial.
More than three decades later, Denise continues to carry the grief of losing her son while facing the reality that the legal process surrounding his killers is not necessarily over.
The latest decision may offer a moment of reassurance, but it cannot bring James back.
For Denise Fergus, the fight to protect her son’s memory and ensure that his story is never forgotten continues.
James Bulger was just two years old. His name remains etched in Britain’s memory, and his mother’s determination to seek justice has never faded.
