Jamie Bulger killer's parole hearing to be held in private

Jon Venables has been jailed twice since he was released for the 1993 murder of James Bulger

Child killer Jon Venables will have his latest parole bid heard in private despite a plea from his victim's mother for it to be public, the Parole Board has decided.

The 44-year-old will have his case heard by parole chiefs at an oral hearing more than two years after his last appeal.

Parole Board hearings are usually held in private but they can be made public "in the interests of justice".

In reaching its decision, the Parole Board said a public hearing would make it "very difficult for Jon Venables to give evidence" because he could be "being listened to by people who are seeking to get information so that they can kill him".

James Bulger was abducted and killed by Jon Venables and Robert Thompson

Venables was jailed alongside Robert Thompson after the pair of then 10-year-olds snatched James from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993.

He was once again freed in August 2013 and then called back in November 2017 for the same offence, with parole judges considering his case again in September 2020.

Victims have been able to attend parole hearings held in private under reforms rolled out nationally in April as part of efforts to boost confidence in the justice system.

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