The father of murdered toddler James Bulger said the decision to release one of his son’s killers from prison “filled him with terror”.
Jon Venables has been granted parole after he was sent back to jail for accessing child pornography. He had his parole revoked in 2010 and was jailed for two years after admitting downloading and distributing indecent images of children.
Earlier this year James’s mother, Denise Fergus, and father, Ralph Bulger, both addressed Venables’ parole hearing and pushed for him to remain in prison.
However, the parole board confirmed the decision has been made to release Venables back into the community.
Mr Bulger’s solicitor, Robin Makin, said: “The decision to release Jon Venables is misguided and fills Ralph with terror. Ralph fears that an innocent person may be mistaken for Jon Venables and be injured or even killed.
“If such occurs then Ralph will feel guilty of not having done enough to have prevented such an obvious tragedy.”
Two-year-old James was abducted and killed by Venables and Robert Thompson in Liverpool in February 1993.
Venables and Thompson, who were 10 at the time, abducted James from the Bootle Strand shopping centre beforecarrying out the murder that shocked the nation.
The two boys were jailed for life but released on licence with new identities in 2001. Mr Bulger spoke of how in his darkest moments he blamed his former wife for letting their son out of her sight.
He also said he downed two bottles of whisky a day to blot out the pain and that he thought about killing himself in the wake of the tragedy. Mr Makin said it was not known if the authorities were seeking to give Venables another new identity.
He added that James’s family had a legal right to be consulted about Venables’ licence and release conditions and that they had “no confidence that the authorities will be able to control what may now happen”.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “The re-release of life-licensed offenders is directed by the independent parole board once they are satisfied they can be safely managed in the community.
“Their life licence lasts for the rest of their lives, and they may be recalled to prison at any time for breaching their licence conditions.”