Killer of James Bulger, Jon Venables, to remain behind bars due to risk of ‘serious harm’ to children

Authorities said there was a risk children would be put at “serious harm” if Jon Venables was released after indecent images of sexual abuse were found on his computer.

Venables and Robert Thompson, both 10 at the time, killed two year old James Bulger in February 1993.

They led the toddler away from a shopping centre in Liverpool, in England’s north west, and then tortured him leaving his body on a railway track where it was struck by a train.

Both boys were jailed for the murder and given lifelong anonymity.

The two were released on license when they were 18 years old. Thompson is not thought to have reoffended.

However, Venables has been in and out of custody since 2010 when indecent images were found.

The now 41-year-old was most recently returned to jail in 2017. He had asked The Parole Board of England and Wales to free him on the grounds he was now “completely rehabilitated”.

However, the organisation disagreed stating that although he had undergone work in prison to address his offending: “The panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public”.

The Parole Board said Venables had “accepted that he had a long-term sexual interest in children/indecent images of children” and that there was a risk of him viewing more sexual abuse images and of him “progressing to offences where he might have contact with children”.

Furthermore the board “doubted Mr Venables’ ability to be open and honest with professionals, and concluded that there remained a need for him to address outstanding levels of risk, and to develop his relationship with his probation officer”.

The Parole Board concluded that there was a “risk of causing serious harm to others”.

Due to the secrecy around Venables’ now identity the hearing was held in private and James Bulger’s family was not in attendance.

British justice secretary Alex Chalk said that the murder of Bulger “shocked the nation and I welcome the Parole Board’s decision to keep his killer behind bars”.

“Public protection is our number one priority which is why I opposed Jon Venables’ release and this government is reforming the parole system to introduce a stronger ministerial check on the release of the most dangerous offenders.”

That could mean that Venables will find in even tougher in the future to be released.

Bulger’s mother Denise Fergus welcomed the news and said the panel had “made the correct decision”.

Kym Morris, a spokeswoman for Ms Fergus, told UK newspaper The Mirror: “This is the day Denise has waited for years.