James Bulger's brother 'will never forgive' Jon Venables as family files appeal to keep man who sexually abused and killed tot in prison
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MERSEYSIDE, ENGLAND: James Bulger was abducted, tortured and murdered 30 years ago. Now, his crestfallen brother has reportedly said that he will never forgive the toddler's killers as his family launched a renewed appeal for Jon Venables to remain behind bars.
Bulger was just two when he was snatched from a shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12, 1993. His brutally wounded body was discovered two days later several miles away on a railway track. The police arrested two boys, then known as Jon Venables and Robert Thompson for murdering the toddler. The two 10-year-olds reportedly tortured the baby with bricks and a metal bar, and sexually abused him before dumping his body near the railway track. Venables and Thompson were released from prison on licenses with new identities in 2001. However, Venables was jailed in 2010 and 2017 for hoarding nearly 1,200 child abuse images, the Daily Mail reported.
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Speaking before the 30th anniversary of Bulger's murder, his brother, Michael Fergus, 29, said that he would never forgive his brother's killers, adding that Venables must be kept behind bars. Fergus was just eight-months-old when Bulger was killed and was not able to mett him, but he grew up with the tragedy casting a dark pall on his life. "My brother's killers will never be forgiven. They took away my older brother who I never got to meet," Fergus told Sunday Express, adding, "They robbed me of my childhood, in a nutshell."
Fergus also criticized the concessions granted to his brother's murderers, including their release under new identities. "I try not to give his killers any time in my thoughts, but I still hate them for what they did. It's disgusting the way they have been treated," Fergus continued. He added that "justice for James" meant "keeping Venables behind bars" to provide "peace of mind" for the family, particularly their mother. The grief-stricken brother still lives close to his mother Denise, and her husband Stuart, in northwest England. Denise and Bulger's father, Ralph, 56, decided to end their marriage in 1995 after they failed to process their son's death.
Fergus spoke out just days after Ralph revealed that Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, told him he agreed that "criminals such as Venables don't deserve to ever be released from prison." "His words were a huge relief and a comfort to me. His support gives a glimmer of hope after 30 long years of fighting a system that never wanted to listen," Ralph told The Sun. He added that the Justice Secretary spoke to him as a father and said that "he could not even imagine the heartbreak and pain" he suffered.
Ralph continued that Raab wanted to enact harsher punishments for offenders like Venables. "To have a powerful politician on your side is a huge shift after 30 years of being beaten down by the establishment. I'm not expecting miracles, but I trust he will do everything he can," Ralph said. Speaking about his son’s murderers, Ralph said, "You have to stay one step ahead of Venables. He's enemy number one for vulnerable children. Let him out and he'll kill another child like James."
Raab has reportedly said that he would "do everything in his power" to keep dangerous offenders in jail. "The Deputy Prime Minister will do everything in his power to keep dangerous offenders behind bars and has set out plans to overhaul the parole process and put victims at the heart of the process," a ministry spox said.