Notorious child killer Jon Venables could be released from prison after being granted a fresh parole hearing, more than three decades after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger.
The multi-million pound secret life
Venables, who was just 10 years old when he and Robert Thompson abducted and killed James in Bootle, Merseyside in 1993, was initially released on a life licence at age 18 in June 2001. To protect him, authorities constructed an elaborate new identity for him, comparable to a witness protection programme. This included a fabricated passport, National Insurance number, qualification certificates, and even fake medical records. He was also trained by police in counter-surveillance techniques to spot if he was being watched.
His solicitor, John Gibson, explained to a court the extreme nature of these measures, stating: "He had a complete change of identity, was trained by the police in counter-surveillance and has to live a lie the rest of his life. There was little doubt that if his identity became compromised his life would be at risk."
The drunken confession that blew his cover
Despite the vast resources spent on creating his new life, Venables himself destroyed it. In February 2010, during a boozy night out at a pub, the then 27-year-old confessed to friends, "I am not who you think I am. I am really Jon Venables." The next day, in a panic, he called his probation officer and admitted, "I've blown my cover. People know who I am."
This slip-up triggered a police visit to his home, where he was found trying to destroy his computer's hard drive. Forensic examination uncovered vile child abuse images, leading to his immediate recall to prison. He was sentenced to two years for this offence and was later convicted on similar charges in 2017, remaining behind bars for most of the last two decades.
Following the 2010 conviction, Mr Gibson apologised on Venables' behalf to the friends he had deceived, saying his client hoped they could "understand why he could not tell them the truth." He also stated Venables was "genuinely ashamed" and expressed remorse for possessing the illegal images.
A mother's renewed trauma and the looming parole showdown
The murder of James Bulger remains one of the most harrowing crimes in British history. CCTV footage showed Venables and Thompson leading the toddler by the hand from the Strand shopping centre. They took him to a railway embankment in Walton, where they inflicted 42 separate injuries using bricks, stones, and a heavy iron bar. James died from blunt force trauma before his body was left on railway tracks.
Now, James's mother, Denise Fergus, faces renewed agony. Next month, she is expected to attend the parole hearing where she will hear the voice of her son's killer for the first time in over 30 years. The decision to grant the hearing has filled her with "uncertainty and distress," reopening what her spokesperson described as "unimaginable trauma."
Denise had hoped the Parole Board would refuse a hearing, allowing her a measure of peace. That hope has now been taken away, setting the stage for a deeply distressing confrontation as the board decides whether Jon Venables will walk free once more.
