‘I shouldn’t have let go of him’: the pain of James Bulger’s mother 28 years on

Denise Fergus reveals how a TV documentary on her son's 1993 murder has exposed the hidden impact on his brothers

Denise Fergus has always spoken about her son James to his three younger brothers, telling them what the toddler was like before he was murdered. But hearing them describe in a new television documentary the effect of his death on them and their family left her lost for words.

It really did touch me," she said. Seeing my lads - they've never spoken like that before. It's the first time I've ever heard them say how they actually felt about James's death, his murder. It did take me aback quite a bit, hearing how protective they were of me."