James Bulger's father calls private parole hearing for killer Jon Venables an insult

Ralph Bulger, whose son James Bulger was abducted and killed in 1993, condemned the parole board's choice to keep Jon Venables' upcoming parole hearing private, calling it an insult and comparing it to trampling his son's grave. The family had requested a public hearing to help address misinformation surrounding the case, but officials said a public setting would increase the risk of exposing Venables' identity and sensationalising the proceedings.

Bulger said the board's assurances that the family could attend were meaningless, and he urged authorities to intervene. Venables, who was convicted alongside Robert Thompson for the murder, has been repeatedly denied parole, most recently in 2023, when the board found he still posed a danger to children. He has been subject to lifetime anonymity due to the nature of his crime. The board's statement noted that the high threshold for a public hearing was not met in this instance.