James Bulger’s killer Jon Venables could be released from prison by Christmas after he was granted a rare parole board hearing.
James was tortured and killed by Venables and Robert Thompson – who were then both aged 10 – after they snatched him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12 1993.
The toddler’s mutilated body was found abandoned on a railway line, in the murder that shocked the nation 30 years ago.
Thompson and Venables were jailed for life but released on licence with new identities in 2001.
Venables, now 40, was sent back to prison in 2010 and 2017 for possessing indecent images of children.
But now the child killer has been informed that his case will be heard on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 November in private despite demands he face open justice.
A candid family picture of James Bulger
(PA Archive)
A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: “An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Jon Venables and is scheduled to take place in November 2023.
“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
“Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.
“Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.
“The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more.
“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”
James Bulger is led away from his family on this grainy CCTV shot
Michael Fergus, James’ brother, previously spoke of his desire to keep Venables behind bars.
Speaking ahead of the 30th anniversary of the killing, he told the Sunday Express: “My brother’s killers will never be forgiven.
“They took away my older brother who I never got to meet. I would have loved to have looked up to him, asked him questions, talked to him about exams, cars, going to bars, normal stuff.
“But because of those two I never got the chance. They robbed me of my childhood, in a nutshell.”
He added that “justice for James” meant “keeping Venables behind bars” to provide “peace of mind” for the family, particularly their mother.