James Bulger's killer Jon Venables tells parole board he wants to stay in prison
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
One of the killers of two-year-old James Bulger will remain behind bars after he told a Parole Board panel he wanted to remain in prison.
Jon Venables, who now has a new identity, told parole staff dealing with his latest review, that he was not seeking release during the private hearing.
It comes weeks after James Bulger's dad Ralph said he was 'absolutely raging' at the decision to hold the hearing behind closed doors.
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The decision it would be held in private was upheld despite calls from James’s family and a number of media organisations that it be held in public instead.
A summary of the panel’s findings, published on Monday (9 November), said: “At the outset of the hearing, Mr Venables submitted an opening statement to the effect that he accepted the need to undertake further offending work in custody and so was not seeking release.”
The panel considered evidence from probation officers based in the prison and in the community, three psychologists, and a psychiatrist, and all bar one found that he should remain in prison.
Venables had tortured and murdered two-year-old James in 1993 after he and Robert Thompson, both then aged 10, snatched him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside.
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 once again freed in August 2013 and then called back in November 2017 for the same offence, and parole judges considered his case again in September 2020.
In the latest review, a 'victim personal statement which clearly conveyed the devastating impact of Mr Venables’ crime and the impact of his offending' was heard by the panel.
Members found that there were concerns about how well Venables would work with probation staff if released and 'how open and honest he would be in supervision'.
They said there is 'a need for further work in custody to address his sexual interests'.
The summary continued: “Mr Venables articulated his protracted and extreme remorse for his crime.
"Professionals assessed this to be genuine and sincere.”
Panel members decided that they were 'not satisfied that Mr Venables was suitable for release'.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
James Holt
