Furious Over His Bid for Freedom, She Insists the Convicted Killer “Should Never See the Light of Day Again” – A Nation Reels from the Echoes of a 1993 Horror
LONDON – November 16, 2025 – The ghosts of a 32-year-old atrocity stirred once more today as the UK’s Parole Board denied Jon Venables’ latest bid for release, triggering a reported meltdown behind bars and a defiant vow from James Bulger’s mother, Denise Fergus: “I will fight until my last breath.” Venables, now 42, one of the two 10-year-old boys convicted in 1993 for the brutal abduction, torture, and murder of two-year-old James from a Merseyside shopping centre, erupted in rage upon hearing the news, sources close to HMP Frankland claim. “He lost his mind and screamed,” an insider told The Sun, describing a tirade of profanities and thrown objects that required three guards to restrain him. “It was like the boy monster never left him.”
The decision, announced after a closed-door hearing that stretched into the early hours, marks Venables’ third rejection since his 2017 recall for possessing indecent images of children—a pattern of recidivism that began with his 2010 imprisonment for similar offences. Released on lifelong licence in 2001 with a new identity after serving eight years, Venables has been shuttled back to prison twice, most recently sentenced to 40 months in 2017 for downloading child abuse material and possessing a paedophile manual. Parole Board chair Caroline Corby ruled the hearing private to protect his anonymity, a court order in place since his initial release to shield him from vigilante threats. “The panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public,” the summary stated, citing his “long-term sexual interest in children” and doubts over his honesty with professionals. Venables refused to testify, uncomfortable with a lawyer for Bulger’s family listening in—a concession to Fergus’s long-fought right to representation.
Fergus, 58, whose life has been a relentless crusade since that February day in 1993 when James vanished from the New Strand Shopping Centre, learned of the denial moments after the panel’s verdict. Speaking exclusively to Sky News from her Liverpool home, her voice trembled with a mix of relief and unyielding fury: “I will fight until my last breath to keep that monster locked away. He should never see the light of day again.” The mother-of-four, who divorced James’s father Ralph amid the trauma and founded the James Bulger Memorial Trust to support child victims, has submitted heart-wrenching victim impact statements to every hearing. “Look into my eyes and see what I’ve had to deal with for 30 years—three decades of hell,” she urged the board in her latest plea. “Keep people safe from this monster, because that is what he is.”
Public outrage swelled instantly. A Change.org petition demanding Venables’ permanent incarceration surged past 150,000 signatures within hours, echoing the 100,000-strong backlash to his 2020 denial. #JusticeForJames trended globally on X, with users sharing grainy trial footage and Fergus’s tearful interviews. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood welcomed the ruling, stating: “Public protection remains paramount. This government is reforming parole for the most dangerous to ensure victims’ voices are heard louder.” Venables’ co-killer, Robert Thompson, released in 2001 without incident, has vanished into anonymity, reportedly living quietly in Canada.
Fergus, who “crumbled” at the mere thought of Venables’ freedom in a recent Mirror interview, vowed to appeal any future bids: “He’s had the upper hand too long. James deserved better—and so do we all.” As Venables faces another review in two years, the Bulger case endures as a scar on Britain’s conscience—a toddler’s final walk symbolizing innocence lost, and a mother’s fight symbolizing resolve unbroken. Today, the scales tipped toward justice. But for Fergus, the battle rages on.