Application for a public hearing in the case of Jon Venables

The Parole Board have received an application from Denise and Stuart Fergus for the Parole Board hearing in the case of Jon Venables to be heard in public. The reasons for the application are summarised below:

• There is significant public interest in the case, and a public hearing could improve public understanding of the parole process.
• The Applicants say they are exposed to extensive social media discussion about the case, and that greater transparency may help address misinformation, which is an issue that continues to have a retraumatising impact.
• They argue that the prisoner should have to face up to his offending by way of a public hearing, especially given that he has committed further serious offences as an adult.
• Public scrutiny would help explain how risk is assessed and managed, supporting confidence in the parole system.
• A public hearing would allow justice to be both done and seen to be done.
• Sufficient safeguards can be put in place if the hearing were to be held in public.
• They consider the prisoner’s further convictions as an adult to be an exceptional feature of the case, adding to the public interest in how the parole review is conducted. This supports the argument for a public hearing being in the interests of justice.
• They say a public hearing would allow themselves and other victims to better understand the decision-making process and feel more involved and confident in the justice system.
• They believe a public hearing in this case may help demonstrate, more broadly, that parole decisions are made through a rigorous and evidence-based process that can withstand public scrutiny.
• The Applicants state that if this application were granted, they would finally feel listened to and they are prepared for the hearing to take place in public.

Anyone wishing to submit representations on this application should do so by sending the attached Proforma for Representations to public.hearings@paroleboard.gov.uk

The deadline for any representations to be made is midday on Friday 14th August 2026