Child killer James Bulger could be free by end of the year

The child killer who murdered toddler James Bulger has applied for parole again — which could see him freed by the end of the year.

James Bulger killer Jon Venables has applied for parole again — which could see him freed by the end of the year.

The move has left James’s family in fear, sources say.

Officials have warned them that Venables, now 42, who abducted and murdered the two-year-old in 1993, will be referred to the Parole Board within six months, The Sun reported.

Jon Venables, 10 years of age, poses for a mugshot for British authorities. Picture: BWP Media via Getty Images

He was last refused parole in December 2023 after a panel ruled he posed a risk.

But a source said: “It’s very worrying that the process has started all over again. How many chances does he need before they throw away the key?

“The family are wracked with fear, and who can blame them?”

Probation chiefs are said to have assured James’s parents — mum Denise Fergus, 55, and her ex-husband Ralph Bulger, 58 — that Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood does not want him freed “on her watch”.

James Bulger was killed in 1992 after being lured from Liverpool shopping mall by Robert Thompson, 11 and Jon Venables, 11.

Venables and Robert Thompson, then both 10 years old, took James from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside. They were convicted in 1993 and given life sentences.

Venables was released on licence in 2001 after eight years in youth custody.

A surveillance camera shows the abduction. Picture: BWP Media via Getty Images)

He was recalled to jail in 2010 after child abuse images were found on his computer. Venables was freed again in 2013 but was recalled in 2017 over more images.

He was given a 40-month prison term, and has failed in three parole bids since.

His latest attempt is understood to be in the early stages as he is assessed by psychologists and probation chiefs.

A representative of Denise had been contacted. The Parole Board did not comment.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Child killer James Bulger could be free by end of the year