Jon Venables, one of James Bulger’s killers, wants to be released from prison again before a new law comes into effect that could keep him locked up forever.
The now 40-year-old child killer has reportedly been granted parole, paving the way for his release from prison within weeks.
He will likely appear before parole boards as early as next month, according to The sun.
A source told the paper: “An oral hearing would mean Venables is one decision away from being released. James’ family is shocked at the prospect.”
Justice Minister Dominic Raab would “look very carefully” at the matter.
His Victims Bill would include a “two strikes and you’re in” plan, to prevent dangerous repeat offenders who commit serious offenses while on parole from ever being released.
Mr Raab hopes that parliament will be free by Easter.
Venables and Robert Thompson were both 10 years old when they tortured and murdered little James after snatching the toddler from a shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993.
The pair – still the UK’s youngest convicted murderers in modern history – were given life sentences, but were released in 2001 with new identities.
Venables was returned to prison in 2010 and 2017 for possession of indecent images of children.
In September 2020, he was denied parole, but was eligible for re-evaluation within two years.
Prior to that earlier assessment, James’ mother Denise Fergus urged the board to deny Venable’s parole and “finally admit that this man is a menace and danger to society.”
She claimed he had shown “no remorse or any signs of rehabilitation.”
His father Ralph Bulger told The Mirror that he was able to “rest easy” after the decision, adding: “This is the first time ever that the right decision has been made in relation to my son’s killers.
“I’m so relieved because I was convinced he was getting out – just like he has before.”
Parole hearings — which decide whether criminals, including those serving life sentences and terrorists, should be released from prison or remain behind bars — have always been held in closed prisons, with victims and other observers given limited access on rare occasions.
But under new rule changes that took effect last July, victims, the press and other interested parties may request that a case be publicly reviewed in an effort to remove the secrecy surrounding the trial.
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