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The family of James Bulger, whose two-year-old son was murdered in 1993, have threatened legal action after being barred from attending Jon Venables' parole hearing. The parole board initially allowed the family to attend but then reversed this decision, citing risks related to the identification and sensationalism of the case. Lawyers for Denise Fergus, James's mother, have written to the parole board demanding answers about why they changed their stance.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-10,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The family of James Bulger, a toddler murdered in Liverpool by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson in 1993, is threatening legal action after being barred from attending Venables' upcoming parole hearing. Initially told they could attend the hearing to combat misinformation about the case, the family was later informed that the hearing would be held privately due to concerns over identifying the prisoner and sensationalizing the case. Lawyers for Denise Fergus, James's mother, have reportedly written to the Parole Board demanding answers regarding this reversal in policy.
Written for “James Bulger Case Legal Action” on 2026-10-11,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 71266: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-10
The family of murdered toddler James Bulger are believed to have threatened legal action after being barred from attending his killer's parole hearing.
asserted
family → murder → hearing
Two-year-old James was tortured and murdered by Jon Venables and his accomplice Robert Thompson at a shopping centre near Liverpool in 1993.
asserted
James → torture → 1993
Venables is set to have his latest bid for freedom heard in private, more than two years on from his last appeal.
asserted
bid → set → appeal
It comes despite a request from James's family for the hearing to be held in public to help combat 'misinformation' about the case.
asserted
hearing → come → case
Previously, James's mother Denise Fergus, her husband Stuart Fergus and James's father Ralph Bulger were told they would be able to attend the hearing.
But the parole board has now decided Venables will no longer face a public hearing - insisting this would increase 'the risk of identifying the prisoner and of sensationalising the case'.
asserted
this → tell → case
Lawyers for Ms Fergus have reportedly written to the parole board demanding answers on the U-turn.
uncertain
Lawyers → write → turn
A source close to the family told the Sun: 'For months Denise and the family have been preparing themselves to face Venables, and this has been emotionally exhausting.
asserted
this → tell → Venables
Jon Venables (pictured) was 10 when he and Robert Thompson abducted, tortured and killed two-year-old James Bulger
The murder of James Bulger caused shockwaves nationally both due to the horrific details of the attack and the age of his killers
'
asserted
murder → picture → killers
But now they have been told that they will not be allowed access to the hearing and they have been left feeling devastated and let down.
asserted
they → tell → hearing
'The only option they had was to issue a legal letter to the parole board demanding answers on why they reversed this decision.'
asserted
they → have → decision
They added the family are 'outraged' by the decision and feel 'let down beyond belief'.
asserted
family → add → belief
At Venables's previous parole hearing in 2023, the board rejected his bid for freedom, finding that he still posed a danger to children and could go on to offend again.
uncertain
he → reject → children
Venables was jailed alongside Robert Thompson after the pair of 10-year-olds snatched James from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993.
asserted
pair → jail → February
The killer was released on licence in July 2001 and recalled to prison in February 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer.
asserted
images → release → computer
In August 2013, he was freed again – but then called back in November 2017 for the same offence, with parole judges considering his case again in September 2020.
asserted
judges → free → September
A spokesman for Ms Fergus previously said her application to observe the hearing had been granted.
asserted
application → say → hearing
Denise Fergus, the mother of murdered toddler James Bulger, outside the Old Bailey in London in 2018
Victims have been able to attend parole hearings held in private under reforms rolled out nationally in April, amid efforts to boost confidence in the justice system.
But the board said a public hearing would make it 'very difficult for Jon Venables to give evidence' because he could be 'being listened to by people who are seeking to get information so that they can kill him'.
uncertain
they → murder → him
Venables was given lifetime anonymity over his new adult identity, appearance and location.
asserted
Venables → give → identity
Sir John Saunders, on behalf of the parole board, wrote on the decision: 'I note that a high bar has been set for a public hearing to be in the interests of justice and I have decided that this high bar is not met in this case.'
asserted
bar → write → case
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