James Bulger killer Jon Venables has reportedly been granted a parole board hearing amid claims he ‘could soon be released’.
According to MailOnline, Venables could be freed by Christmas following the rare development.
The controversial hearing will see him cross-examined by a three-person parole panel. Additionally, it could be among the last before new parole reforms come before Parliament.
That’s because under the Victims and Prisoners Bill a reoffending prisoner such as Venables may not be released.
James Bulger killer Jon Venables latest news
Venables, now 40, and Robert Thompson, 39, were both ten when they kidnapped, tortured and killed James, two, in February 1993.
James was taken by them from a shopping centre in Merseyside. His body was found two days later on a railway line.
Venables and Thompson, the youngest convicted murderers in the UK in more than a century, were released in 2001 on licence for life. Both were banned from ever returning to Liverpool and given new identities.
Thompson has not reoffended. But Venables was sent back to jail in 2010 and 2017. He was caught with child sex abuse images on his computer.
He was previously turned down for parole in 2020 after serving his minimum 40 months’ sentence.
Now, according to the tabloid news website, Venables has been told that his case will be heard in November.
Jon Venables parole hearing
The parole hearing will not be heard in public, despite requests for Venables to be made to answer questions on a live video screen.
The meeting, which will take place in private, will consider evidence from a number of prison sources as part of operations. These source may included prison officers who deal with Venables, his probation officer, and psychiatrists.
Victim impact statements made by James’ mother Denise Fergus and father Ralph Bulger will also feature.
The parole hearing will also be scrutinised by Justice Secretary Alex Chalk. He has the right to ask the Parole Board to reconsider any decision to release Venables.
Should he be released, MailOnline claims he might receive his freedom within weeks. Furthermore, it is suggested his lifelong anonymity will not be subject to change.
However, it is thought likely he will be under strict licence conditions, including restrictions to his movement and who he can contact.
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James’ mother Denise said: “If you let him free, you could be ruining the lives of another family like ours. When you look at Venables’s file just remember what he is capable of.
I have no doubt he would kill another child if he is released.
“He killed my son James, and has reoffended time and time again. I have no doubt he would kill another child if he is released.”
‘Protecting the public is our number one priority’
A spokesman for the Parole Board is reported to have 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.”
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