A PAROLE BOARD decision on whether James Bulger killer Jon Venables can be freed from jail has been delayed in order to gather more psychiatric reports.
Two-year-old James Bulger was tortured and killed by schoolboys Robert Thompson and Venables – both then aged ten – in a crime that rocked Britain.
The tot was snatched from a shopping Centre in Bootle, Merseyside, on February 12, 1993.
Thompson and Venables were jailed for life but released on licence with new identities in 2001.
Venables, 36, was sent back to prison in 2010 and 2017 for possessing indecent images of children.
He is currently serving a 40-month sentence and will he half way through his jail term in October.
KILLER'S PAROLE REVIEW
In April, the Parole Board confirmed a review of his case had been referred and it would determine if a hearing needed to take place to decide if he should be released.
Venables's case has been deferred until August while the board awaits the findings of more psychiatric reports before deciding on whether there will be a hearing.
The board is reluctant to determine certain cases – such as those involving murderers, violent and sex offenders and terrorists – without a face-to-face hearing so they are likely to be delayed.
If there is no doubt that Venables should remain in jail, the case will be decided on paper.
But if there is any uncertainty, a hearing will need to take place to consider the risk he presents to the public and whether he can be released.
In August, Jamie's mum Denise Fergus urged the board to deny Venables early release and "finally admit this man is a threat and danger to society".
She said her son's killer had shown "no remorse or any signs of being rehabilitated".
A Parole Board spokesman said public safety was the "number one priority" and the panel would "carefully look at a range of evidence".
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