Venables is understood to have applied for parole again, with the process currently in its early stages as he is assessed by psychologists and probation officers.

Jon Venables, pictured as a child after his arrest, could be freed this year, it has been claimed (Image: Police handout)

One of James Bulger’s killers, Jon Venables, has launched a fresh bid for parole – sparking renewed anguish for the murdered toddler’s family. Venables, now 42, was 10 years old when he and Robert Thompson abducted and killed two-year-old James in 1993 after luring him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside.

The pair tortured and murdered the toddler in a case that shocked the nation and led to their conviction for murder later that year. Both were given life sentences but released on licence in 2001 with new identities. Venables has since been returned to jail twice – once in 2010 and again in 2017 – after being found in possession of child abuse images. He was handed a 40-month prison sentence for the latter offence.

Jon Venables and Robert Thompson in 1993 (Image: PA)

He has now applied for parole again, with the process currently in its early stages as he is assessed by psychologists and probation officers, The Sun has reported.

Officials have warned James’s parents – Denise Fergus and her former husband Ralph Bulger – that Venables will be referred to the Parole Board within six months.

A source close to the family said: “It’s very worrying that the process has started all over again.

“How many chances does he need before they throw away the key? The family are wracked with fear, and who can blame them?”

James Bulger was murdered in 1993 (Image: ITV)

In a 2018 interview, Mrs Fergus said: “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – he will always be a risk. There’s no way he should ever be walking the streets again.”

She has previously called for a full inquiry into how Venables was managed after his initial release and has criticised the secrecy surrounding his new identity, saying it has allowed him to reoffend undetected.

In 2019, Mrs Fergus told the BBC she believed Venables was “beyond rehabilitation”.

She said: “I’ve tried to give the justice system the benefit of the doubt. But they’ve failed – and every time they try again, it’s James who gets forgotten.”

James Bulger’s mum Denise Fergus (Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

Ralph Bulger has also voiced his frustration. In a 2020 interview, he said: “He’s a danger to children and he should never be released – ever.

“Every time he applies for parole, we’re dragged through this all over again.”

The Ministry of Justice has not commented directly on the latest application.

However, probation officials are understood to have reassured the family that new Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood does not want Venables freed “on her watch”.

Labour Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood (Image: Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)

Venables’ last parole attempt was rejected in December 2023.

At the time, a panel concluded that he continued to pose a risk and was not ready to be released.

James Bulger’s murder remains one of the most disturbing crimes in modern British history. The case prompted a national debate on youth justice, sentencing, and the rehabilitation of child offenders.

Express.co.uk has contacted the Parole Board and the James Burger Memorial Trust for comment.