James Bulger's mum speaks ahead of ‘monster’ killer Jon Venables’ parole hearing

Venables and his friend Robert Thompson were 10 when they killed James (2) after taking him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, Liverpool, on February 12, 1993.

They then left his mutilated body by a railway line.

Both men were released in 2001 on licence for life, but Venables has been recalled to prison twice, in 2010 and 2017, having been found to be in possession of indecent images of children.

Venables, now 41, is making his second bid for freedom in a private meeting after he was turned down for parole in 2020.

Ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, James' mother Denise Fergus (54) urged the parole board chiefs to “do the right thing” and “keep people safe from this monster” in a desperate plea.

“Tuesday is one of the biggest days ever in our fight for justice for James. It feels like D-Day,” she told The Mirror.

“I’m anxious and it’s been hard not to think of much else because the importance of this week is so great. Our fate is in the hands of parole board bosses, so I beg them to make the right decision for everyone and keep my son’s killer behind bars.

“Venables has had so many chances in the past and he’s blown them all. He doesn’t care. He seriously doesn’t care about anybody.”

Addressing the parole board directly, she added: “Look into my eyes and see what I’ve had to deal with for 30 years – three decades of hell. Keep people safe from this monster, because that is what he is, and don’t give him what he wants.

“If he goes on to commit more crimes after you release him, it will be on your shoulders. So, I’m just asking you to do the right thing.”

Ms Fergus predicts a “national outcry” if Venables is granted parole.

“If they do release him I dread to think what will happen. I’ll probably initially crumble and then I’ll be on the warpath.

“There would be national outcry. But I have to have confidence that the parole board won’t let that happen.”

James Bulger, from Kirkby, was a month away from his third birthday when he was snatched by Venables and Thompson, before being tortured and brutally murdered. The child killers were convicted of murder in November 1993 and detained indefinitely.

The pair were released aged 18 in 2001 after just eight years and were given new identities. Thompson has not reoffended.

If Venables is released, he could be back on the streets by Christmas, although the public will not know where he is relocated because of his life-long anonymity protocol.

However, there will be severe restrictions on his movement and is possible that Venables could also be made to wear an ankle tag.