'Rage' child killer Jon Venables will 'fight the Parole Board's decision to keep him in prison' – as James Bulger's emotional father describes the 'mental torture' he endures every day

Child killer Jon Venables has vowed to fight the decision to keep him in prison after he 'lost the plot' when he learned his bid for parole had failed, it has been claimed.

The 41-year-old, who went 'mad screaming and shouting' after the committee's release decision, insisted the expert had made the 'wrong decision'.

Venables has 21 days to appeal after last Wednesday's ruling, meaning James Bulger's family still won't have peace of mind this festive season.

The Parole Board agreed that Venables, who tortured and murdered two-year-old James, remained a danger to children and could not be trusted outside prison.

Venables was just ten when he and another boy took the toddler from a shopping center and tortured and murdered him before abandoning his mutilated body along a railway line in 1993.

The parole board said they were concerned Venables has “ongoing sexual preoccupation issues” and were “not satisfied” he could safely return to the streets.

He was originally released from prison in 2001 but has since been behind bars twice for possessing indecent images of children.

He was given a two-day private hearing after it was ruled it would “damage his mental health” if it took place in public, but he was not present to testify in person.

A source said The sun'He ranted and raved and promised to appeal, insisting he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

'He does have the right to appeal, and knows better than anyone how to exploit his rights.

'So while James' family cannot be completely reassured, they will take comfort in the knowledge that Venables is likely to be laughed out of court on appeal.

“But they've been through enough to know that anything can happen in this case.”

The father of murdered toddler James today spoke of the 'mental torture' he experiences every day.

Ralph said on TalkTv: 'I'm glad he's being held. The public will be a little safer for two years. It's a bit of a result.

“It's just two years where we don't have to worry about him. He knows how to lie to them. He has learned to lie, to hide this identity, so that he knows what he is doing.'

A source told The Sun that Venables “lost the plot” when he was told his bid for freedom had been rejected, adding: “He went crazy, screaming and shouting.”

Kym Morris, spokeswoman and chairman of the James Bulger's Memorial Trust for James' mother Denise Fergus, said: 'This is the day Denise has been waiting for for years.

'The prospect of him getting out was terrifying because we knew he would do harm again. This is a day we celebrate and we thank the parole board for making the right decision.”

James' father and his uncle Jimmy Bulger added in a joint statement that they were “relieved by the decision,” and that Venables' continued offending after his release “had a traumatic impact on us.”

It was previously reported that James' family had written to the Parole Board with suggestions that one of their son's killers could be released.

A family source said: 'The family have written to policy makers saying they believe Venables is a danger to the public and children and that he should remain locked up.'

The insider went on to say that it should be 'a dry case' and that no additional time was needed to debate whether 'monster' Venables should be released.

Venables' bid has already sparked controversy after it emerged he skipped giving evidence at the two-day hearing to avoid “disproportionate emotional distress”.

Venables and 10-year-old Robert Thompson shocked Britain when they grabbed toddler James from a shopping center in Bootle, Merseyside.

The pair kidnapped and tortured James before abandoning his mutilated body along a railway line thirty years ago.

The child killers were convicted of murder in November 1993 and held indefinitely.

The couple was released in 2001 at the age of 18 after just eight years and given a new identity. Thompson has not reoffended.

After his release in 2001, Venables was recalled to prison twice, in 2010 and 2017, after he was found to be in possession of indecent images of children.

Venables was rejected for parole in 2020 after serving his minimum 40 months.

After his release in 2001, he was given a new name – which may happen when he is released again. Previous conditions placed on Venables included informing his probation officer if he ever got a job and obtaining their permission before leaving the UK.

He was required to regularly visit a forensic psychologist and was not allowed to contact Robert Thompson or any member of James Bulger's family.

He also had to ask his probation officer for permission to leave Merseyside, stay in the same house as a child under 16 or spend time with anyone under 12.