Ralph Bulger will hear the parole hearing for Jon Venables, whose latest bid for freedom he has said dredged up decades-old wounds as his son’s death anniversary approaches

Ralph Bulger talking in 2018

Ralph Bulger has begged prison officials to keep Jon Venables locked up(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

James Bulger’s dad has vowed to fight “monster” Jon Venables as the man who killed his son launches a new bid for freedom, joining his ex-wife in the battle to prevent him gaining parole.

Venables, now 43, tortured and killed Bulger aged just 10 after he and accomplice Robert Thompson kidnapped the two-year-old from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, Merseyside. The 1993 kidnapping saw Venables and Thompson locked up in juvenile detention for indefinite sentences and later transferred to adult prisons, where they have spent the last two decades.

Venables has been in and out of prison, but stands to gain his freedom following an impending Parole Board hearing, which Ralph Bulger is viciously opposing.

Jon Venables as a child

Jon Venables has been granted a parole meeting(Image: PA)

Speaking to The Sun, Mr Bulger said he, like his ex-wife Denise Fergus, would be attending the parole hearing – which is due to take place at an undisclosed date this year – so he could hear the convicted murderer speak. The defiant dad said he would “stand at the hearing for my son James”, adding: “For my enduring love for him, for justice for him and in defiance of Jon Venables.

“I know I won’t be in the same room as him. I know I won’t be able to see him. But I will hear him and, more importantly, he will hear me – and the devastating impact and pain he has caused to me and my family for 33 years.”

While the dad is preparing to meet his son’s murderer head on, seeing Venables come before the Parole Board has dredged up “excruciating” old wounds. He said every one of Venables’ bids for freedom have compounded the “agony” of young James’ death, especially since they tend to land around the devastating anniversary.

Image of James Bulger

James Bulger was killed in 1993(Image: PA)

He said: “To compound the agony, every time Venables bids for freedom, it’s always around the time of James’s anniversary. It feels like a huge kick in the guts. I’ve had sleepless nights for months now waiting to hear if he will go before the parole board.

“Once again the decision lands just as we are facing the dreaded day James was stolen from us. It feels like I can’t breathe some days. I won’t rest until I know this monster isn’t getting out any time soon. I can’t bear the thought he will gain his freedom and hurt another child like my beautiful James.”

Venables has been paroled multiple times since his incarceraction in 1993, and notably been called back multiple times for possessing child pornography.

Video still of Venables and Thompson leading Bulger away before killing him

James was lured away by the evil 10 years olds before they killed him(Image: PA)

His latest parole attempt was denied in 2023 after the board decided he would pose a danger to children should he be released into the public. The panel found: “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and on licence, and the evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public.”

The decision added: “It noted the risks as set out above, doubted Mr Venables’ ability to be open and honest with professionals, and concluded that there remained a need for him to address outstanding levels of risk, and to develop his relationship with his probation officer.”