Mother of murdered James Bulger says killer Jon Venables is 'untouchable' ahead of her son's 30th birthday
Murdered toddler James Bulger's mother has claimed that her son's killer Jon Venables is "untouchable." Denise Fergus made the statement ahead of what would have been her son's 30th birthday.
The 1993 murder of two-year-old Bulger sent shockwaves across the UK after it was revealed that the murderers were merely aged 10. The toddler's parents have since repeatedly requested that the new identities of the killers — Robert Thompson and John Venables — be revealed as they do not deserve a life of anonymity.
Venables and Thompson had snatched the toddler from a shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside, before torturing and killing him.
Reports state that one of Bulger's killers, Venables, has been housed just 25 minutes away from the late toddler's devastated parents Denise and Stuart Fergus, who have been fighting to get the duo "proper" prison sentences. A worldwide order was made in 2001, allowing Venables to live anonymously after his release from a life sentence while Thompson has not been heard of ever since his release.
Bulger's parents hope that their son's birthday, on March 16, will be one with a positive legacy as they continue their campaign. They, however, have said that "celebration is the wrong word".
Denise, while speaking on a new podcast series called 'Helen Wood chats to...'said: "There’s been no justice for James whatsoever. There's only one thing that I asked for and that was for them to have a proper sentence in a prison."
“I didn't expect them to throw away the key - I knew one day they’d walk again, but at least I would have had some justice for James if they’d have spent time in an adult prison," she added. "But they never have done, they were put in a children’s secure unit where they got the best of everything so there's no justice there again. In fact, I feel that they’ve been rewarded for the crime that they have committed - not punished."
Both Venables and Thompson served eight years in children's secure units in Red Bank Home in Merseyside and Barton Moss Secure Care Centre in Manchester. The pair were given new identities at the age of 18 after being freed in 2001. Venables was later sent to prison in 2010 and 2017 over possession of child abuse imagery and was subsequently released after his term.
Denise, while talking to Wood about Venables, said: "He’s untouchable, that’s the way it feels. All the money that’s spent on him to hide his identity, hundreds of thousands have been spent on him.” While Stuart agreed, adding: “He’s laughed in the face of the government."
Since Bulger's death, his family has worked to assist other families in his name through their foundation called the James Bulger Memorial Trust. The charity helps young people who are disadvantaged through bereavement, crime, hatred or bullying, by providing them family holidays.