Jon Venables: Child killer of James Bulger loses bid to be freed from jail

Child killer Jon Venables has lost a Parole Board bid to be freed from jail. The 41-year-old tortured and murdered two-year-old James Bulger 30 years ago when he was only 10-year-old.

Venables, alongside Robert Thompson, took the young child from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside in 1993. The pair tortured and killed the toddler. Both served a life sentence for the murder of Bulger before being released on licence in 2001 under new identities. Venables returned to jail in 2010 and again in 2017 for the possession of indecent images of children. He had remained in prison since 2017.

The Parole Board said on Wednesday: “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and on licence, and the evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public.

“It noted the risks as set out above, doubted Mr Venables’ ability to be open and honest with professionals, and concluded that there remained a need for him to address outstanding levels of risk, and to develop his relationship with his probation officer.”

The decision came after a series of delays and following a hearing held behind closed doors in mid-November.