Jon Venables, toddler killer who murdered when he was just 10, denied parole

globalnews.ca:

Toddler killer Jon Venables will stay behind bars after a parole board rejected his bid for freedom.

Venables was just 10 years old when he and his friend, Robert Thompson, who was also 10 at the time, lured two-year-old James Bulger away from his mother at a shopping centre in northern England in 1993 and tortured him to death.

His mutilated body was found on nearby train tracks two days later.

The pair was convicted of murder and after spending eight years in youth custody, they were released in 2001 with new identities and a court order protecting their anonymity

However, Venables found himself back behind bars after being convicted of child pornography charges in 2010, reigniting debate over whether he should have been released from prison in the first place.

On Wednesday, the U.K. Parole Board said Venables, now 41, would not be released as he remains a danger to children.

“After 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,” The Guardian quotes the Parole Board’s ruling.

“It noted the risks as set out above, doubted Mr Venables’ 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.”

The decision came after a number of delays following a closed-door hearing by the Parole Board in November.

A summary of the latest decision, viewed by the BBC, said that Venables “accepted that he had a long-term sexual interest in children/indecent images of children” and has a history of taking