James Bulger’s mum has revealed she’s only discovered the full extent of the sexual injuries her two-year-old son endured before his death in 1993.
50-year-old Denise Fergus, is calling for a public enquiry into what parole officers knew about killers Jon Venables and Robert Thompson when they were released in 2001.
Venables and Thompson were 10-years-old when they abducted, tortured and murdered two-year-old James and have never served time in adult prison for their crimes.
Mum Denise felt ‘backed into a corner’ after the government refused an initial request for an inquiry and and has now decided to ask officials to disclose everything about her son’s murder.
She wants to know if evidence showing James was sexually assaulted before he was killed in Liverpool, 25 years ago on February 12, 1983, was presented to the parole board, report The Sun.
Denise said:
Releasing Venables was a massive mistake. Both of them should have served time in an adult prison.
I want to know on what basis the parole board considered they were rehabilitated and whether they were aware of the sexual abuse James suffered?
Denise’s solicitor, Sean Sexton, has 14 questions which he claims remain unanswered.
One includes why experts missed Venables’ interest in child abuse until his conviction for downloading and distributing child pornography, back in 2010.
Venables was granted parole in 2013 which saw him handed a second new identity.
Venables returned to prison in November 2017 after further child abuse images were found on his computer, The Independent reported.
At the time, Denise tweeted:
Here we go again
Venables, who’s back in prison, is believed to have been attacked after his identity was sussed out by inmates.
More than 193,000 have signed Denise’s petition – at time of writing – calling for a public inquiry into her son’s murder.
Denise’s local Labour MP, George Howarth, who’s worked with the Bulger family on the case, agreed there are still questions which need to be answered.
He said:
It is, for me, a matter of great concern that the victims are given proper information and consideration by the relevant authorities.
I am not opposed to a public inquiry but in advance of any parliamentary debate, which I am certainly willing to take part in, the 14 questions raised by Denise’s solicitor need to be cleared up.
You can sign the petition here.
Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.