In a decision that has brought a rare moment of solace to one of Britain’s most enduring tragedies, the Parole Board has denied Jon Venables’ latest bid for release, marking what his mother Denise Fergus has tearfully called “justice for my baby at last” after 30 years of campaigning, heartbreak, and refusal to let her son James Bulger’s murder be forgotten.

James Bulger, just two years old, was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12, 1993, by two ten-year-old boys, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. The toddlers were led away, tortured, and murdered in the most horrific circumstances imaginable — a crime that shocked the world and changed British law forever. Venables and Thompson became the youngest murderers convicted in modern British history, sentenced to be detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure, and released on licence in 2001 with new identities.

Robert Thompson has since lived a quiet, low-profile life and has not sought further publicity. Jon Venables, however, has been recalled to prison multiple times for possessing indecent images of children, breaching licence conditions, and other offences. Each recall reignites the pain for Denise Fergus, who has spent the past three decades fighting to keep Venables behind bars and to ensure James’s name and story are never erased.

Today’s decision by the Parole Board, announced after a closed-door hearing in late 2025, ruled that Venables still poses a significant risk to the public and is not suitable for release. The Board cited his repeated breaches, ongoing psychological issues, and the “high risk of reoffending in a sexual manner.” Denise Fergus, speaking outside her home in Liverpool, broke down in tears as she addressed supporters and media: “I never thought I’d see this day. Thirty years of fighting, of waking up every morning knowing my baby’s killers were out there somewhere… and now one of them is being kept where he belongs. This is justice for James — my baby — at last.”

The announcement has been met with widespread relief and emotion across the UK. Social media is flooded with messages of support for Denise, who has become a powerful advocate for victims’ rights, founding the James Bulger Memorial Trust and campaigning tirelessly for longer sentences for child killers and better protections for victims’ families. Thousands have shared the hashtag #JusticeForJames, with many calling today “the day the system finally listened to a mother’s pain.”

Critics of the parole system, however, point out that Venables has been given multiple chances since his initial release in 2001, and question why it took so long for the Board to reach this conclusion. Denise herself has long argued that Venables’ repeated offences demonstrate he remains a danger. “He’s had every opportunity to change,” she said in previous interviews. “He chose not to. My son never got a second chance — why should he?”

For the Bulger family, today is bittersweet. James’s murder led to sweeping changes in British law — including the automatic life sentence for child killers and reforms to how juveniles are tried — but it also left a wound that has never healed. Denise has spent her life keeping James’s memory alive through charity work, public speaking, and annual memorials. She has said repeatedly that her fight is not about revenge, but about ensuring no other family suffers the same unimaginable loss.

As Venables remains in custody and the Parole Board prepares for future reviews, Denise Fergus’s words resonate louder than ever: “I’ll keep fighting until my last breath. For James. For every child who deserves to be safe.”

Britain stands with her tonight — a mother who turned unimaginable grief into unrelenting strength, and who has finally heard the words she waited 30 years to hear: her baby’s killer will not walk free.