Later this year, a legislative discussion will take place on whether a public investigation into the 1993 murder of toddler James Bulger should be launched.
Two 10-year-old boys grabbed the two-year-old and tortured and murdered him after kidnapping him from a shopping complex in Bootle, Merseyside.
Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were sentenced to eight years in prison for the murder and were released on probation in 2001.
Venables, on the other hand, was twice incarcerated for possessing child abuse photos.
Denise Fergus, James’ mother, has called for an investigation, claiming that “a lot of concerns have been pushed under the carpet,” including assertions that Venables was rehabilitated.
Her petition received 213,000 signatures, allowing it to be considered for debate in Parliament.
However, the government stated in February 2018 that a public investigation was “not necessary” since Venables had been subjected to “strong and effective surveillance.”
However, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has now stated that MPs will discuss whether a public inquiry should be undertaken later this year.
It comes after Ms Fergus met with Justice Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss the implications of a future hearing to assess Venables’ parole application.
Mr Raab said Ms Fergus’ experiences had “strengthened my desire to overhaul the Parole Board” after the meeting.
Venables’ previous bid for parole was refused in 2020, after he was imprisoned in 2017 for possessing hundreds of child abuse photos.
After confessing to obtaining and distributing obscene photographs in 2010, he received a prior sentence in 2010.
