In a moment that has brought a sliver of solace to one of Britain’s most enduring tragedies, Denise Fergus, the mother of murdered toddler James Bulger, tearfully declared the latest parole denial of her son’s killer “the best thing to happen in 30 years.” Speaking to The Mirror on December 13, 2025, after the Parole Board rejected Jon Venables’ bid for freedom, Fergus, 55, wiped away tears as she said: “For once, the system has done the right thing. I can finally breathe knowing he won’t harm another innocent child.” The decision, marking the third denial since 2020, keeps Venables, now 42, behind bars at HMP Long Lartin, where he’s been held since his 2017 recall for possessing indecent images of children. As Fergus reflects on the “indescribable pain” of the past three decades, her words resonate as a small but powerful victory—not just for James, but for every parent fighting for justice in the shadow of unimaginable loss.

The Parole Board’s ruling, delivered after a two-day private hearing in November 2025, cited Venables’ “continuing issues of sexual preoccupation” and risk to children, despite “considerable work” in prison. “The panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public,” the summary stated. Venables, convicted at age 10 alongside Robert Thompson for the February 12, 1993, abduction, torture, and murder of two-year-old James from a Bootle shopping centre, served eight years before release on lifelong license in 2001 with new identities and anonymity. Recalled in 2010 and 2017 for child abuse images, his 2023 bid failed similarly, with Justice Secretary Alex Chalk opposing freedom in 2023 for public protection.

Fergus, who has campaigned tirelessly through the James Bulger Memorial Trust, welcomed the news but renewed calls for reform. “He seems to have the upper hand—protected, new identities, private hearings,” she told The Mirror in September 2025, voicing fears of pre-Christmas release. “It feels like we’re the criminals.” Her ex-partner Ralph Bulger, 58, echoed: “The further offending has traumatized us—government officials were hostile ahead of the hearing.” The couple, who split in 2018, have fought for transparency, including Fergus’s 2024 court win for Venables’ images (later overturned on appeal).

Thompson, unlike Venables, has remained free since 2001, with no known reoffenses, living under protection. The case’s legacy reshaped UK law: minimum sentences for child killers rose to 12 years, and Fergus’s trust supports victims. As of late 2025, Venables’ next review looms, but Fergus vows vigilance: “James deserves peace—we won’t stop until he has it.”

The denial offers a “victory” amid pain, Fergus said: “This is justice, not just for James but for all victims navigating parole.” Britain’s holding space for her unyielding fight—a mother’s love, 30 years strong