Jon Venables Loses Parole Bid After “Losing the Plot” in Jail Outburst

Jon Venables, one of the killers of two-year-old James Bulger, has been denied parole after the board ruled he remains a danger to children and cannot be released. Reports from inside prison suggest Venables “lost the plot” following the decision, allegedly shouting and screaming in frustration after being told he would stay behind bars.

The ruling was announced on Tuesday and marks the latest chapter in one of Britain’s most infamous and disturbing criminal cases. For James’s mother, Denise Fergus, the outcome brings relief and vindication after decades of campaigning. She hailed the decision as a breakthrough but insisted her son’s murderer should never “see the light of day again.”

A crime that shocked Britain

In February 1993, Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged 10 at the time, abducted two-year-old James Bulger from the Strand shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside. The boys led James on a long walk, during which he was tortured and beaten before his body was left on a railway track in Walton. The crime horrified the nation, not only for its brutality but because of the perpetrators’ ages.

Venables and Thompson were convicted of murder later that year, making them the youngest people in modern British history to be found guilty of such a crime. They were sentenced to indefinite detention but released on licence in 2001 with new identities.

Venables’ repeated returns to prison

While Thompson has not reoffended under his new identity, Venables has repeatedly returned to prison. He was jailed in 2010 and again in 2017 after being caught with indecent images of children. Both times, his arrests reignited public anger and deepened the anguish of James’s family.

In 2020, Venables was denied parole once more, with officials warning he still posed a risk. The latest ruling shows little has changed. The Parole Board concluded that Venables, now 40, could not be safely managed in the community.

“The panel decided that Venables remains a danger to children,” a Parole Board spokesperson confirmed. “The risk he poses is simply too great.”

“Lost the plot” in prison

According to reports from inside the prison where Venables is held, the decision sparked a furious reaction. Witnesses described him as “going mad, shouting and screaming” after being told he would remain locked up. “He lost the plot completely,” one source said. “It was like he couldn’t believe it was happening. But staff were not surprised. He still thinks he deserves another chance.”

His reported outburst has only strengthened arguments that Venables has failed to rehabilitate and cannot be trusted to live outside a secure environment.

Denise Fergus: “He should never walk free”

For Denise Fergus, who has tirelessly campaigned in her son’s memory, the decision is a small measure of justice. Speaking after the ruling, she said: “I’m relieved that the Parole Board has seen sense and recognised that Venables is still a danger. He should never see the light of day again. My beautiful son James had his life stolen in the cruellest way imaginable. I will fight until my last breath to make sure his killers never harm another child.”

Fergus has long argued that Venables, in particular, cannot be rehabilitated. She has repeatedly urged the government to ensure he is kept behind bars for life, warning that his repeated offences prove he is a continuing threat.

Public fury and political pressure

News of the decision sparked strong reactions across Britain. Many members of the public took to social media to express relief but also anger that Venables has had multiple opportunities for release despite his record. “He should never be free again,” one user wrote. “Every time his name comes up, it just brings back the horror of what he did.”

Politicians have also faced growing pressure to review sentencing laws for child killers and repeat offenders. Some MPs have called for life-long restrictions on parole in cases involving crimes as notorious as the Bulger murder.

A wound that never heals

Three decades after James Bulger’s death, the case continues to cast a long shadow over Britain. For many, the image of the two 10-year-old boys leading James away from the shopping centre remains one of the most haunting moments ever captured on CCTV.

Denise Fergus has devoted her life to campaigning for victims’ rights and to preserving her son’s memory. While she welcomed the Parole Board’s ruling, she emphasised that no decision can erase the pain of losing James. “I live every day with the memory of what happened,” she said. “All I can do is make sure James is never forgotten and that justice is done.”

The road ahead

With Venables once again denied release, attention now turns to how long he will remain in custody before another review. Under the current system, prisoners can apply for parole at regular intervals, but each decision is based on risk assessments, behaviour in prison, and public safety.

Campaigners are urging authorities to put a permanent block on Venables’ chances, arguing that repeated hearings only retraumatise James’s family. “Enough is enough,” one victims’ rights group said. “Venables has proved time and again that he is a danger. Justice must mean he never walks free again.”

For now, Venables will remain behind bars — his angry outburst a stark reminder of a man who, three decades after one of Britain’s most shocking crimes, continues to inspire fear, anger, and sorrow.