James Bulger’s killer Jon Venables loses fresh bid to be freed from prison

Jon Venables has been refused release from prison after a Parole Board panel concluded he was not suitable for freedom. The decision matters because the panel identified continuing risks of serious harm linked to his sexual interest in children and offending involving indecent images.

Venables, now 44, and Robert Thompson were ten when they abducted and murdered two-year-old James Bulger in Merseyside in 1993. Venables was released in 2001 and 2013, but each time recalled after indecent images of children were found; his latest review was held in September. He told the panel he was not seeking release and accepted that he needed further work in custody; three psychologists and a psychiatrist supported his continued detention.