More than 30 years after the brutal murder of toddler James Bulger, one of his killers, Jon Venables, is reportedly spiraling out of control — and in ways that could shatter the government’s decades-long effort to protect his hidden identity.

According to insiders, Venables has developed a compulsive tendency to reveal who he really is during moments of heavy drinking, late-night drug-fueled episodes, and even pub brawls. Witnesses claim he has blurted out: “Do you know who I am?” — stunning strangers and leaving authorities scrambling to contain the fallout.

“He couldn’t help it,” one source revealed. “It’s like a compulsion. He’s fragile, reckless, and desperate to be seen, even though it puts him in extreme danger.”

Venables, now in his 40s, has spent much of his adult life under tight restrictions after being freed with a new identity in 2001. But his repeated returns to prison for child abuse imagery, alongside reports of alcohol abuse and unstable behavior, have painted a disturbing picture of a man incapable of living a “normal” life in secrecy.

With his latest prison recall in 2025 looming, experts are openly questioning whether Venables can ever survive outside of custody. His reckless behavior — outing himself in public, clashing with strangers, and spiraling into addictions — has made him a magnet for risk in a world that has not forgotten his name or his crime.

“Every time Venables reveals his identity, he’s inviting danger,” a criminal psychologist explained. “The public anger around the Bulger case never died. If his cover slips, even once, he could be attacked or worse. It raises serious questions about whether lifelong anonymity is even sustainable.”

The government has spent millions shielding Venables and Robert Thompson under secrecy orders, but public fury has only grown stronger with every relapse and every hint of “special protection.” For James’s mother, Denise Fergus, the idea that her son’s killer continues to live under cover — while reoffending — has long been intolerable.

Now, as Venables’ own fragile state of mind collides with his dangerous compulsion to confess, many are asking: is this finally the breaking point? Could the man once deemed “protected for life” be the architect of his own downfall?

If true, Venables’ spiral doesn’t just expose his own vulnerabilities — it threatens to unravel one of the most controversial secrecy arrangements in British legal history.