Jon Venables denied release after Parole Board finds him unsuitable

Jon Venables has been denied release after a Parole Board panel concluded it was not satisfied he was suitable to leave prison. The decision follows a private review in which Venables said he accepted the need for further offending work in custody and was not seeking release.

The panel heard evidence from prison and community probation officers, three psychologists and a psychiatrist; all but one recommended that he remain in prison. Venables and Robert Thompson were convicted of murdering two-year-old James Bulger in 1993. Venables has been recalled to prison several times since his release on licence in 2001, including after child abuse images were found on his computer; his bid was also rejected in 2023.