Jon Venables is set to make a bid for freedom after spending a decade in prison for child pornography. James Bulger was a two-year-old boy who was brutally murdered in March 1993 by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged ten at the time, in a shocking and notorious case.
Denise Fergus is calling Venables "a monster" and is anxious about his upcoming parole board meeting, which she describes as a crucial moment in their fight for justice for James. She is urging the parole board to make the right decision to keep her son's killer behind bars, emphasizing the decades of suffering her family has endured.
Venables and Thompson initially spent eight years in a secure juvenile detention unit but were released on license in 2001 with lifetime anonymity. However, Venables has returned to jail twice for being found in possession of child abuse images.
Denise and her former husband, Ralph Bulger, have been blocked from attending Venables' parole hearing, but they have expressed concerns that he may re-offend if released. They are urging the parole board to consider the potential risks to society if Venables is set free.
The news also mentions potential parole reforms, with the Victims and Prisoners Bill proposed by former Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, which could prevent reoffending criminals considered dangerous from being released from prison. Ralph Bulger stressed the importance of allowing victims to attend parole hearings.