“I CAN BREATHE EASIER NOW” — JAMES BULGER’S FATHER SPEAKS OF HUGE RELIEF AS JON VENABLES’ LATEST PAROLE BID IS REJECTED

More than three decades after the murder of his two-year-old son, Ralph Bulger says he can finally breathe a little easier after learning that Jon Venables will remain behind bars.

Venables, one of the two boys responsible for James Bulger’s horrific 𝘬iᩚlling in 1993, has been refused release following a three-day parole hearing held in private last month. The decision was announced on November 9, 2026, bringing a measure of relief to James’s family after years of fear and uncertainty.

Speaking to The Sun, Ralph, now 60, described the outcome as a huge relief.

“I can breathe easier now I know he will not be free to harm other children,” he said.

But that relief comes with a painful reminder: the family may have to face the same ordeal again.

A DECISION THAT BRINGS RELIEF — BUT NOT AN END TO THE PAIN

Ralph and James’s mother, Denise Fergus, were unable to attend the private parole review, despite wanting the proceedings to be held publicly.

The Parole Board had rejected applications for a public hearing, explaining that making the proceedings public could make it difficult for Venables to give evidence safely.

The family’s concerns about the process have been widely reported. Denise had previously argued that a public hearing would help address misinformation and allow the family to feel that their voices were being heard.

Following the latest decision, her spokesperson described her overwhelming feeling as relief, while warning that the prospect of another review would bring renewed distress.

For parents who have spent more than 30 years living with the consequences of an unimaginable loss, each parole hearing can reopen wounds that never truly healed.

WHY THE PAROLE BOARD REFUSED HIS RELEASE

Venables, now 44, was considered by the panel after a three-day hearing last month.

According to the published decision summary, he told parole staff that he was not seeking release and accepted that he needed to undertake further offending-related work while in prison.

The panel acknowledged that he had completed considerable work to address his risks. However, it remained concerned about his continuing 𝘴єxual preoccupation and the possibility of further offending involving child 𝘴єxual 𝘢bu𝘴e images or offences that could bring him into contact with children.

The panel also raised concerns about how open and honest he would be with probation staff if released.

It ultimately concluded that he was not suitable for release and should remain in prison.

A HISTORY THAT HAS HAUNTED THE FAMILY FOR DECADES

On February 12, 1993, two-year-old James was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, by two 10-year-old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson.

James was tortured and m𝑢rdєred, and his body was later found on a railway line.

Both boys were convicted of his murder and released on licence in 2001 after serving time in custody.

Venables was subsequently recalled to prison in 2010 after child 𝘴єxual 𝘢bu𝘴e images were discovered on his computer. He was released again in 2013, but returned to custody in 2017 following further offences involving such material.

He has remained in prison since that recall.

His latest unsuccessful parole review follows an earlier refusal in 2023, when the Parole Board also concluded that releasing him would not be safe.

THE NEXT REVIEW COULD BRING ANOTHER DIFFICULT WAIT

The latest ruling does not mean the parole process is over.

Venables is expected to become eligible for another review in around two years, meaning James’s family could once again face the uncertainty and emotional strain of waiting for a decision.

Ralph has spoken of his relief that Venables will remain behind bars, but also made clear that the trauma does not simply disappear.

For him and Denise, the decision is not a chance to forget what happened. It is a temporary sense of reassurance after decades of carrying the loss of their little boy.

James would have been an adult today. Instead, his parents continue to navigate a future shaped by the crime that took him from them.

And while this latest decision brings relief, one heartbreaking reality remains: for James’s family, the ordeal may not be over.