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James Bulger helpline launched for crime victims

Jayne McCubbin
BBC News, Liverpool
BBC Denise Fergus, who has shoulder length blonde hair, and is wearing a white blouse and a scarf with a floral pattern, sits on a sofa and speaks to the cameraBBC
James's mother Denise Fergus says she campaigns for the families of victims of crime because she feels the system is stacked against them

The mother of murdered toddler James Bulger has announced a new helpline for families impacted by crime ahead of what should have been his 35th birthday.

Denise Fergus's two-year-old son was snatched by two 10-year-old boys as she paid for her shopping in Bootle, Merseyside, on 12 February 1993.

The killers, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, led James two-and-a-half miles away before torturing and killing him.

Mrs Fergus said she and the James Bulger Memorial Trust were launching the helpline on Sunday 16 March to help families "struggling in silence".

She told the BBC she would do what she has always done for each birthday that James had missed - buy a small gift for her memorial garden in his memory.

However, it will also be the launch of James' Legacy Line which has a phone number containing his date of birth - 0300 324 1603.

Its strapline is: "Connecting hearts, supporting families."

PA Media A smiling James Bulger, who has light brown hair and is wearing a patterned jumper over a blue shirt with a collarPA Media
James Bugler was two when he was abducted and murdered by two 10-year-old boys

Mrs Fergus said: "There are families out there, so many are struggling in silence. Don't struggle in silence, you're not on your own."

Kym Morris, the chair of the James Bulger Memorial Trust said: "Any family that has been a victim of crime, that are struggling to get their voice heard, that's what this helpline is all about."

In 1993, Thompson and Venables became the youngest convicted murderers in modern British history when they were jailed for James' murder, following a trial in Preston Crown Court which attracted enormous international coverage.

They were released from separate local authority secure units with new identities after serving eight years, and never served time in an adult prison for what they did to James.

Since then, Venables has twice been recalled to prison for downloading images of child abuse.

PA Media Police mugshots of 10-year-old Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, who are looking to their right with blank expressions and are standing against a screen marked with height measurements. PA Media
Jon Venables (left) and Robert Thompson became the youngest ever convicted murderers in UK history in 1993

His last parole hearing in 2023 was told he has a long-term sexual interest in children and still posed a risk to the public.

But this year, as another parole hearing looms, Mrs Fergus is fighting once again to keep him behind bars.

"I don't think he should see the light of day again. He's done so much wrong even after taking James's life," she said.

"He carries on committing more crimes, he's been given chance after chance."

She is planning to meet the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in April to directly appeal for a change in the law to achieve that aim.

"Two strikes and you are out, that's what I want to see in cases like this," she added.

The Ministry of Justice said it was strengthening parole laws later this year, which would allow a minister to refer decisions up to the High Court, not just back to a parole board.

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