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<\/p>\nMurdered James Bulger\u2019s mum has told of her \u201cpure relief and elation\u201d after killer Jon Venables had his freedom bid rejected by parole chiefs yesterday \u2013 hailing the decision as \u201cthe best thing that has happened to me in 30 years\u201d.<\/p>\n
Triumphant Denise Fergus, who has tirelessly campaigned for justice for her son for three decades, revealed how she was \u201cfinally vindicated\u201d after a parole board yesterday agreed evil Jon Venables, now 41, remained a danger to kids and could not be trusted back on the streets.<\/p>\n
Yesterday a parole board panel said they were concerned Venables \u2013 just ten when he tortured and murdered tiny James in 1993 \u2013 has \u201ccontinuing issues of sexual preoccupation\u201d and were \u201cnot satisfied\u201d the public would be safe if he was released.<\/p>\n
Today Denise said she was delighted Venables could now be in jail indefinitely if new Government laws to never release dangerous reoffending, sexual attackers were introduced \u2013 saying: \u201cI feel we have finally been listened to and the whole nation is safe from the most dangerous, murdering sexual predator\u201d.<\/p>\n
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In her first interview since yesterday\u2019s landmark news, Denise, 54, said: \u201cI have fought for justice for James and to keep his killer behind bars for years so the decision to not let him walk free is the best thing that has happened to me for 30 years. It\u2019s a huge day for us. I could barely sleep for the dread and fear, one of the most evil men on the planet could be back on our streets. I had braced myself for his release.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when I was told the news Venables\u2019 parole had been rejected I was just shellshocked, it\u2019s the first time ever something has gone my way. I just felt so relieved. It feels like the decision is vindication for all the times I have told people he is a danger to society and that he would harm again. I\u2019m so pleased the parole board have agreed with that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just hope Venables now gets to feel a bit of the anguish I have felt for all these years because I\u2019ve been to hell and back but it\u2019s him that has lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cI don\u2019t think he should ever see the light of day again. I have never said that before but now I mean it. What he did to James and his reoffending actions after show he can\u2019t be rehabilitated. This man has no remorse, no sympathy, no pity, no apology for us so he should be kept in.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mirror told how she had been wracked with nerves and unable to sleep ahead of the decision but felt a \u201cwave of shock and then relief\u201d on hearing the news.<\/p>\n
She also told of her happiness that Venables, who initially served less than eight years in a young offenders institute for James\u2019 murder, will now \u201cget the time in adult jail he should\u2019ve in the first place\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tiny James was murdered by Venables and Robert Thompson \u2013 both aged 10 \u2013 in February 1993. They grabbed the boy from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, after his mum let go of his hand for a second.<\/p>\n
The killers dragged him two miles to a rail line where they tortured and battered him to death. They were convicted of murder in November 1993 and ordered to be detained indefinitely \u2013 but were released aged 18 in 2001 with new identities after less than eight years. Thompson, also 41, has not reoffended.<\/p>\n
But Venables, now 41, was sent back to jail in 2010 and 2017 after being caught with child sex abuse images on his computer. He was turned down for parole in 2020 having served his minimum 40 months sentence but last month was given an unprecedented two-day hearing.<\/p>\n
It was set to be held in private after Venables argued it would harm his \u201cmental health\u201d if it was made public. But despite this, he shunned the hearing, which led to chiefs delaying the decision by two weeks to allow him \u201cone last chance\u201d to make a written submission in which he is reported to have said he was \u201ccompletely rehabilitated\u201d.<\/p>\n
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But yesterday the parole board announced their decision \u2013 deeming him unfit to be released.<\/p>\n
Denise said: \u201cWhen the parole board made concessions for him by making his hearing closed to protect his mental health or delaying it by two weeks to give him more time to make a statement I thought \u2018here we go again, it\u2019s going to go his way\u2019. I had a sense of dread. People would be talking to me in the lead up and I\u2019d struggle to take it in. My mind has been consumed with the parole board outcome. It means so much in our fight for justice for James.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe not knowing has been agony. I started putting my Christmas decorations up weeks ago but they are still not finished. That shows how distracted I\u2019ve been. I couldn\u2019t get my head around it. My sleep has been affected too and has been at its worst this week. I was in and out of sleep and it has done me in to be honest.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is nothing I can do to bring James back. I started dozing off and my mind took over and feeling dread, the worst case scenario and reminding me that something was going to happen. It was horrendous. It was torture.\u201d<\/p>\n
But at 10.30am yesterday, Denise, who lives in Merseyside with husband Stuart, got the news she had been praying for.<\/p>\n
Denise added: \u201cWhen I took the call, I was just in shock when our liaison officer told me the news and then this wave of relief came. I\u2019ve never felt this way. I couldn\u2019t even think straight. I was like, \u2018has this really happened\u2019 or is it a dream. But it is real and thank god he didn\u2019t get his way and I got mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stuart added: \u201cI looked at her face, it wasn\u2019t a smile but it was the relief that just flowed out. It was wonderful to see.\u201d She added: \u201cOne thing that popped into my mind was that I would love to know was what his thoughts are and I hope he is feeling just a little bit of what I\u2019ve been feeling for the last 30 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The parole board also released a three-page summary of the panel\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n
It read: \u201cAfter 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt noted the risks as set out above, doubted Mr Venables\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
It said the killer had completed a \u201cconsiderable amount of work\u201d in prison to address his offending but the panel remained \u201cconcerned by continuing issues of sexual preoccupation\u201d.<\/p>\n
Denise said: \u201cI\u2019m so happy that they said this. I have been convinced by this for years and know it is the case. It is reassuring to know that the parole board are convinced of the same too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The summary added: \u201cThe panel considered that there were future risks of Mr Venables again viewing indecent images of children\/child sexual abuse images, and also of Mr Venables progressing to offences where he might have contact with children, and both of these present a risk of causing serious harm to others.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt accordingly determined that there would be a risk to others at this time if Mr Venables were to be released.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denise added: \u201cI\u2019m also really pleased this was noted too. I really hope that the families of the kids in images, who were victims of his most recent offences, feel some justice too. It is true that he has not changed a bit and couldn\u2019t be further away from being rehabilitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have known for a fact for 30 years, after he killed James, that we would end up with another victim like him at the hands of him. I couldn\u2019t let that happen and I\u2019m so pleased that the parole board aren\u2019t allowing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Venables now has 21 days to appeal the decision.<\/p>\n
Denise added: \u201cWe are obviously aware that you can never say never but if the decision was overturned there would be outcry. The detail of his current state and how far he is from rehabilitation is so damning, it would be a disaster politically if he was released.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now Denise said she is looking forward to a Christmas together with the family safe in the knowledge that Venables\u2019 chance appeal will not come around again for another two years \u2013 and, if new laws are passed, ever again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Murdered James Bulger\u2019s mum has told of her \u201cpure relief and elation\u201d after killer Jon Venables had his freedom bid rejected by parole chiefs yesterday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viral-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2369"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2374,"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369\/revisions\/2374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralscontent.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}