Jon Venables ‘may never get out of prison,’ reveals James Bulger’s mom

James Bulger’s mother revealed that Jon Venables, one of two 10-year-old boys who murdered two-year-old James Bulger in Bootle in February 1993, may never be free as part of a proposed parole.

His mother, Denise Fergus, claimed Justice Secretary Dominic Raab promised her his reform bill would keep her child’s killer in prison.

He added to her reassurance by telling her Venables, 40, would not walk free again under his proposed new ‘two strikes and you stay in’ policy.

Speaking for the first time about meeting Mr Raab at his Westminster office last summer, Denise, 54, told the Mirror: ‘At that meeting I heard words I’ve always wanted to hear.

The boy’s mother, Denise Fergus (pictured above), has promised Justice Secretary Dominic Raab his reform bill would keep her child’s killer in prison

James Bulger’s mother revealed that Jon Venables, pictured above, one of two 10-year-old boys who murdered two-year-old James Bulger in Bootle in February 1993, may never be free as part of a proposed parole.

“His lips moved, but I couldn’t hear everything because I never thought I would hear those words.

“The words that Venables would never walk free again according to his plans.

“I didn’t think that day would ever come. I’m freezing.’

Venables, who has reoffended four times since being released from prison, is currently serving a 40-month sentence and exceeded half of his sentence in October.

Venables and Robert Thompson were both 10 years old when they kidnapped, tortured and killed two-year-old James Bulger (pictured) before abandoning his body on a Liverpool railway line 25 years ago

Speaking for the first time about meeting Mr Raab at his Westminster office last summer, Denise, 54, said: “At that meeting I heard words I’ve always wanted to hear.

Under current law, Venables was eligible for another parole hearing within two years of his last offer in September 2020.

Venables and Robert Thompson were both 10 years old when they kidnapped, tortured and killed two-year-old James 25 years ago before abandoning his body on a railway line in Liverpool.

They were licensed under strict conditions after spending eight years in safe children’s facilities and given life anonymity in 2001.

Although Venables was ruled by a parole board at the time that he no longer posed a threat to public safety, he has since been returned to prison twice after being found in possession of child abuse images.

He was also cautioned for separate fights and possession of cocaine.

After his release from prison in 2001, Venables was known to be living independently by March the following year – some time later he began a relationship with a woman who had a five-year-old child, although he denies ever having met her.

He was subsequently reported to have had a string of “younger girlfriends,” suggesting he enjoyed a belated puberty while also developing alcohol and drug problems and jeopardized his identity on at least two occasions by telling friends he was a convict Murderer.

But in September 2008, Venables was arrested on suspicion of fighting after a drunken brawl. He had claimed he was acting in self-defense and the charges were subsequently dropped when he agreed to attend an alcohol education course.

Venables was formally warned by the probation service for violating the terms of his good behavior license.

Just three months later, however, Venables was cautioned and placed under curfew for possession of cocaine after he was found with a small amount of the Class A drug.

And in 2010 he returned to prison for the first time since his release nine years ago when he was found with dozens of indecent pictures of children at his Cheshire home.

A parole officer had visited his address to discuss his concerns that he might be in danger, but found Venables attempting to destroy his computer’s hard drive.

The hard drive was later examined by police, who discovered it contained 57 offensive images.

Venables later admitted that he had posed online as a 35-year-old woman who had abused her eight-year-old daughter.

The images found showed two-year-old children being raped by adults.

He pleaded guilty to downloading and distributing child sex images and was sentenced to two years in prison.

During his second sentence, he was given another new identity due to the risk of a previous security breach. Paroled again in 2013, Venables assumed his fourth new identity.

But in February 2018 he was jailed for a third time for 40 months after pleading guilty to having more than 1,000 indecent pictures of children.

It contained A category pictures, the most serious, and a terrible pedophile manual.

He pleaded guilty a second time to possessing indecent pictures of children and was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.