Jon Venables to remain in prison after parole review

Jon Venables will remain in prison after telling a Parole Board panel he was not seeking release and accepting that he needed further offending-related work in custody.

The panel’s review took place in private. Its summary said it considered evidence from prison and community probation officers, three psychologists and a psychiatrist. All but one of those professionals recommended that Venables remain in prison.

The panel was not satisfied that he was suitable for release, citing concerns about how he would work with probation staff and whether he would be open and honest under supervision. It also said he needed further work in custody to address his sexual interests.

Venables was released on licence in 2001 after being jailed for the 1993 murder of two-year-old James Bulger. He was recalled to prison in 2010 after indecent images of children were found on his computer, released again in 2013 and recalled in 2017 for the same offence.

The panel heard a victim personal statement describing the devastating impact of Venables’s crime and offending. Its summary said professionals assessed his expressed remorse as genuine and sincere, but concluded that he should not be released.