# Jon Venables told the Parole Board he is not seeking release. What the panel decided > The Parole Board has decided that Jon Venables, who murdered two-year-old James Bulger in 1993, will remain in prison after a private review in which he said he was not seeking release. World · Binatec Pulse · David Banjo · Published 2026-11-09T16:38:48.289Z · Updated 2026-11-09T16:38:48Z Canonical: https://pulse.binatecagency.com/world/jon-venables-parole-board-decision-stays-in-prison ## Key points - Jon Venables will remain in prison after the latest Parole Board review, which was held in private. - In an opening statement he said he accepted the need for further offending work in custody and was not seeking release. - The panel heard from probation officers, three psychologists and a psychiatrist; all but one concluded he should stay in prison. - Panel members said they were not satisfied he was suitable for release and pointed to a need for further work on his sexual interests. Jon Venables will remain behind bars after a Parole Board panel found it was not satisfied that he was suitable for release. According to [BBC News](https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/one-james-bulgers-killers-remain-142115370.html), Venables told the panel, in an opening statement at the private review, that he accepted the need to carry out further offending work in custody and so was not seeking release. [Sky News](https://news.sky.com/story/james-bulgers-killer-jon-venables-will-stay-in-prison-as-parole-board-finds-hes-still-a-risk-to-children-13610195) reports that the board found he remains a risk to children. The decision is the latest in a case that has been reviewed repeatedly since Venables was first jailed as a child. ## What did the Parole Board panel hear and decide? The panel considered evidence from probation officers based in the prison and in the community, three psychologists and a psychiatrist, [BBC News reports](https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/one-james-bulgers-killers-remain-142115370.html). All but one of those professionals concluded that he should remain in prison. It also heard a victim personal statement that, in the words of the panel's summary, "clearly conveyed the devastating impact of Mr Venables' crime and the impact of his offending". The summary said panel members had concerns about how well Venables would work with probation staff if released and "how open and honest he would be in supervision". It also identified "a need for further work in custody to address his sexual interests". The summary recorded that Venables "articulated his protracted and extreme remorse for his crime", and that professionals assessed this to be genuine and sincere. Even so, the panel decided it was "not satisfied that Mr Venables was suitable for release". ## Who is Jon Venables and why has he been back in prison? Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged 10 at the time, took two-year-old James Bulger from the Strand shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in 1993 while his mother, Denise Fergus, was paying for shopping in a butcher's. James was murdered, and the two boys were found guilty after a trial at Preston Crown Court, [according to BBC News](https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/one-james-bulgers-killers-remain-142115370.html). Both were released on life licence in June 2001 and given new identities, protected by a court injunction. Venables was recalled to prison in February 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer. He was freed again in August 2013 with a second new identity, then recalled in November 2017 for the same type of offence. ## What happened the last time Venables was reviewed? The Parole Board refused his release in December 2023, saying it was [not satisfied that release at that point would be safe for the protection of the public](https://globalnews.ca/news/10168224/jon-venables-denied-parole-murder-james-bulger/). That hearing was also held in private. The board's earlier review of his case took place in September 2020, according to the BBC. ## What happens next? The panel's own summary says further work in custody is needed, which points to a long process before any future review could reach a different outcome. The summaries published so far do not give a date for the next review, and Pulse has not seen one. We will update this story if the Parole Board or the Ministry of Justice publishes more detail. The case remains one of the most sensitive in the UK justice system, and the injunction protecting Venables' new identity continues to apply. Reports of this decision rely on the summary the Parole Board released, not on the hearing itself, which the public could not attend. ## Questions people are asking ### Will Jon Venables be released? Not now. A Parole Board panel decided he will remain in prison after a private review, finding it was not satisfied he was suitable for release. ### Did Jon Venables ask to be released? No. According to BBC News, he told the panel in an opening statement that he accepted the need for further offending work in custody and was not seeking release. ### Why was Jon Venables recalled to prison before? He was recalled in February 2010 and again in November 2017 after indecent images of children were found on his computer, according to BBC News. ### When was the last Parole Board decision on Jon Venables before this one? The Parole Board refused his release in December 2023, according to Global News. ## Sources 1. [One of James Bulger's killers to remain in prison](https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/one-james-bulgers-killers-remain-142115370.html), BBC News (via Yahoo) 2. [James Bulger's killer Jon Venables will stay in prison - as Parole Board finds he's still a risk to children](https://news.sky.com/story/james-bulgers-killer-jon-venables-will-stay-in-prison-as-parole-board-finds-hes-still-a-risk-to-children-13610195), Sky News 3. [Jon Venables denied parole in murder of James Bulger](https://globalnews.ca/news/10168224/jon-venables-denied-parole-murder-james-bulger/), Global News