James Bulger's killer Jon Venables has been granted a two-day parole hearing
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Jon Venables - one of the men who killed two-year-old James Bulger - has been granted a two-day parole hearing.
Venables and Robert Thompson were 10-years-old when they abducted two-year-old Bulger from a shopping centre in Bootle, England, before torturing and killing him.
Venables has been back in prison twice since he was released in 2001 on license and currently remains inside, however, the 40-year-old could be released from prison by the end of the year with a two-day parole hearing set to take place in November.
Despite a public outcry to keep both Venables and Thompson in prison, the pair were released with new identities when they both turned 18-years-old on lifelong license in 2001 - this means they are free but have to stick to certain rules for the rest of their life.
However, Venables has returned twice to prison, the first time in 2010 for breaching the regulations of his license and the second time, in 2017, for possessing indecent images of children on his computer.
Venables was sentenced to 40 months in prison for possessing the child sex abuse images.
The Parole Board received a request to review Venables' case in 2020 after he completed his minimum 40-month sentence, however, the board turned it down.
Venables' parole hearing has since been granted and is currently scheduled for 14 and 15 November.
A spokesperson for the Parole Board told Sky News: "[The panel will] carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change.
"Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
"Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.
"Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.
"The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing, which often lasts a full day or more.
"Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority."
According to The Independent, it typically takes 14 days for a decision to be made on whether or not a prisoner will be released.
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, 8am–10pm Monday to Friday, 9am–6pm weekends. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Featured Image Credit: BWP Media via Getty Images
Topics: UK News, Crime, True Crime
