In a highly debated move, Jon Venables, one of the killers of James Bulger, has been granted a private hearing to decide whether he should be released from prison. The decision means that the Parole Board panel will convene behind closed doors next month to assess whether Venables is safe to reintegrate into the community or if he should remain incarcerated.
The plan for a private hearing faced opposition from journalists and James Bulger’s mother, Denise Fergus, who argued that it should be public. Organisations like BBC News joined the call for transparency, citing legitimate public interest in understanding how Venables would be managed in the community.
Jon Venables, who was 10 years old when he and Robert Thompson murdered two-year-old James Bulger in 1993, spent eight years in jail before being released on a strict license. However, in 2017, he was jailed again after child abuse images were found on his computer. The Parole Board rejected his last release application in 2020.
Caroline Corby, chair of the Parole Board for England and Wales, expressed “deep sympathy” for Jon Venables’ victims but defended the private hearing, stating that it is necessary to delve into Venables’ past, present, and future life. She highlighted the need to question witnesses in detail, including Venables, and emphasised that substantial parts of the evidence must be held privately due to a lifelong anonymity order protecting Venables.
The anonymity order, established by the High Court in 2001, shields Venables’ new identity amid concerns for his safety. Corby argued that a public hearing could inadvertently reveal information, jeopardising Venables’ safety and violating the anonymity order.
Denise Fergus, James Bulger’s mother, expressed shock and deep concern about the potential release of Venables. The controversy surrounding the private hearing underscores the delicate balance between transparency and protecting the individuals involved, raising questions about the parole system’s transparency and public understanding in cases of this nature.
