A new application seeks a public parole hearing in the Jon Venables case, with representations due by 14 August
Jon Venables public hearing plans have been put forward in a new application to the Parole Board, with applicants arguing that greater transparency could improve public understanding of the parole process and address misinformation surrounding the case.
The Parole Board published details of the application on 7 August 2026. The application was made by Denise and Stuart Fergus, who are seeking for the parole hearing in the case of Jon Venables to be heard in public. The publication does not state that the application has been approved. Instead, it invites interested parties to submit representations before a decision is made.
The applicants say there is significant public interest in the case and argue that holding the hearing in public could help people better understand how the parole process operates. They also refer to what they describe as extensive discussion of the case on social media.
According to the application summary, the applicants believe greater transparency could help address misinformation. They say this remains an issue with a retraumatising impact and argue that a public hearing could provide greater clarity about the process being followed.
The applicants also argue that the prisoner should have to face up to his offending through a public hearing, pointing to what they describe as further serious offences committed as an adult. They say the prisoner’s further convictions as an adult represent an exceptional feature of the case and strengthen the public-interest argument for the hearing to take place openly.
Another central argument concerns public scrutiny of parole decisions. The applicants say that allowing the hearing to take place in public would help explain how risk is assessed and managed. They argue this could support confidence in the parole system and demonstrate that parole decisions are made through a rigorous and evidence-based process capable of withstanding public scrutiny.
The application also says a public hearing would allow justice to be both done and seen to be done. The applicants maintain that sufficient safeguards could be put in place if the hearing were opened to the public.
They further argue that a public hearing could help them and other victims better understand the decision-making process. According to the Parole Board’s summary, they believe greater involvement in the process could increase their confidence in the justice system.
The applicants state that, if their request is granted, they would finally feel listened to and say they are prepared for the hearing to take place in public.
The application now enters a representations stage. Anyone wishing to comment on the request can do so using the Proforma for Representations supplied by the Parole Board. Representations must be sent to the Parole Board’s public hearings email address, with the deadline set for midday on Friday 14 August 2026.
The development comes against the background of an earlier application concerning a public hearing in the same case. In October 2023, the Parole Board published a decision stating that an application for the parole hearing to be made public had not been granted.
The current publication is separate from that earlier decision. It records a new application from Denise and Stuart Fergus and sets out their reasons for seeking a public hearing.
The Parole Board’s wider guidance confirms that public parole hearings can be considered in cases where holding the hearing in public is considered to be in the interests of justice, while the normal position remains that parole hearings are held privately.
For now, the immediate deadline is the submission of representations.