Denise Fergus’ wants Venables, who cruelly took her son’s life, to remain in jail.
James Bulger’s heartbroken mum, Denise Fergus pleads as she anticipates the pivotal decision on Venables’ release. Jon Venables, infamous for the gruesome murder of toddler James Bulger in 1993, stands at the threshold of a parole hearing. A favourable verdict might usher this notorious killer back into public life.
Denise Fergus, James Bulger’s grieving mother, has appealed to parole officials to deny Jon Venables’ release. Venables, who brutally murdered James nearly 30 years ago, faces an imminent parole hearing. This could very well see him breathing the free air once again. However, Denise, convinced of Venables’ continuing threat at 40, warns, “He’s still that dangerous.”
In a candid chat with the Daily Mirror, the bereaved mum, 55, remarked, “The fate of James’ killer now lies in the hands of the parole board. There is so much at stake. In my heart of hearts, he should never walk the streets again. He’s a ticking time bomb, and it saddens me deeply, but I’m certain he’ll go astray again if granted parole.”
In 1993, 10-year-olds Venables and Thompson infamously abducted James from a Bootle shopping centre after his mother briefly let go of his hand. They tortured and killed him on a railway track. Convicted that November, both spent only eight years in a youth institute, a sentence Denise deemed too brief. While Thompson stayed out of trouble post-2001 release, Venables returned to jail twice for possessing child abuse content.
His last attempt at parole in 2020, post serving a 40-month sentence, met with rejection. But as murmurs suggest, Venables is gearing up for another shot at freedom, with a hearing looming “in the near future.” Holding onto hope, Denise commented, “I’ve put my heart out in the victim impact statement. I can only pray that it holds enough weight to keep him confined.”
Meanwhile, as the scales of justice waver, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, known for his crusade to revise laws ensuring serial offenders like Venables stay incarcerated, is believed to be voicing similar concerns along with former justice chief Dominic Raab. Both are penning statements warning against the dire consequences of releasing such a high-risk individual.
With a mother’s anguish, Denise concluded, “James remains my precious child. He missed out on life’s milestones – birthdays, Christmases, first days at school or work. That void in our lives is irreplaceable. And that’s precisely why my battle continues, ensuring that the monster responsible for this void is never set free.”