Jon Venables 'may never be freed from prison' as James Bulger's mother reveals trends now
James Bulger's mother revealed that Jon Venables, who was one of two ten year old boys who murdered two-year-old James Bulger in Bootle in February 1993, may never be free under a planned parole overhaul.
His mother, Denise Fergus, claimed Justice Secretary Dominic Raab promised her his Reform Bill would keep her child's killer in jail.
He added to her peace of mind when he told her Venables, 40, would not walk free again under his proposed new 'two strikes and you stay in' policy.
Speaking for the first time about the meeting with Mr Raab last summer in his office at Westminster, Denise, 54, told the Mirror: 'In that meeting I was hearing words I'd always wanted to hear.
The boy's mother, Denise Fergus pictured above, calimed Justice Secretary Dominic Raab promised her his Reform Bill would keep her child's killer in jail
James Bulger's mother revealed that Jon Venables pictured above, who was one of two ten year old boys who murdered two-year-old James Bulger in Bootle in February 1993, may never be free under a planned parole overhaul.
'His lips were moving, but I couldn't hear it all because I never believed I would hear those words.
'The words that under his plans, Venables would never walk free again.
'I didn't think this day would ever come. I froze.'
Venables, who has reoffended four times since his release from prison, is currently serving a 40-month jail term and passed the halfway point in October.
Venables and Robert Thompson were both 10 when they kidnapped, tortured and killed two-year-old James Bulger (pictured) before leaving his body by a railway line in Liverpool 25 years ago
Speaking for the first time about the meeting with Mr Raab last summer in his office at Westminster, Denise, 54, said: 'In that meeting I was hearing words I'd always wanted to hear.
Under the current legislation, Venables was entitled to another parole hearing within two years of his last bid in September 2020.
Venables and Robert Thompson were both 10 when they kidnapped, tortured and killed two-year-old James before leaving his body by a railway line in Liverpool 25 years ago.
They were released on licence under strict conditions after serving eight years in secure children's units and were given lifetime anonymity in 2001.
Despite then being judged by a parole board ruled he was no longer a threat to public safety, Venables has since returned to prison twice after being found in possession of child abuse images.
He has also received cautions for separate incidents of affray and possession of cocaine.
Following his release from prison in 2001, Venables was known to have been living independently by March the following year - some time thereafter beginning a relationship with a woman who had a five-year-old child, although he denies having ever met them.
He was then reported to have had a number of 'younger girlfriends' which suggested he was enjoying a delayed adolescence, while he also developed drinking and drugs problems and he compromised his identity at least twice by telling friends he was a convicted murderer.
But in September 2008, Venables was arrested on suspicion of affray after a drunken brawl. He had claimed he was acting in self-defence and the charges were subsequently dropped when he agreed to attend an alcohol awareness course.
Venables was given a formal warning by the
