James Bulger’s mum has issued a desperate plea to the parole board to deny Jon Venables’ latest bid to be released from prison.
Venables, who murdered two-year-old James with Robert Thompson in 1993, is due to face a hearing “within weeks”, which may see him freed if he’s granted parole.
However, Denise Fergus, is adamant that Venables, now 40, is still a threat to society.
She told the Daily Mirror if Venables is freed he “will cause another family heartbreak like ours. He’s still that dangerous”.
The 55-year-old told the publication: “We are worried obviously about James’ killer’s parole hearing.
“We know that the fate of James’ killer now lies in the hands of the parole board. There is so much at stake. In my mind he should never be released.
“He still poses a huge danger to society and others and I, sadly, have no doubt he will reoffend again if his parole is granted.”
She added: “We know we are so close to getting justice for James and keeping his killer, who has repeatedly reoffended, in prison for life.
“I had written a victim impact statement and all we can do is wait and hope that the parole board realise what we know, which is that Venables should never walk free ever again.”
James was tortured and murdered by Venables and Robert Thompson, both 10 at the time, in February 1993.
The pair took his hand while his mum momentarily took her eye off him to pay for shopping.
He was led to a railway line two miles away, where he was abused and killed him.
Since their release, under new identities, Thompson, who is also 40, has not reoffended.
Venables, however, was sent back to prison in 2010 and in 2017 after being caught with child sex images on his computer.
His parole bid was rejected in 2020, after he had served his minimum 40-month sentence.
But now the convicted child murderer is making a renewed bid for freedom and his crucial parole hearing is expected “within weeks”.
Senior politicians are reported to be writing statements arguing he remains a danger to society and must never be released.
Denise added: “James is still my son. He doesn’t have birthdays with us, he doesn’t have Christmases, he didn’t get a chance to have his first day at school, his first day of work. That gap in our life will always remain.
“That is why I’ve continued this fight and won’t rest until I know my son’s killer will never be freed.”
