James Bulger’s mum left ‘disgusted’ as son’s grave vandalised once more

James Bulger’s mum Denise Fergus said she felt ‘disgusted and devastated’ after vandals destroyed the grave of her son just weeks after it was repaired at Kirkdale Cemetery in Merseyside

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James Bulger’s heartbroken mother has expressed her “devastation and disgust” after his grave was attacked – for the second time in six weeks. Denise Fergus, whose two year old son was savagely abducted and murdered in 1993, had his final resting place restored following an assault in February, when two cherub heads required replacement.

The memorial has now been targeted once more, with the cherubs’ heads “scythed off”, she revealed. She lauded an “Army of Heroes” who collected over £20,000 to restore the toddler’s final resting place.

However, at lunchtime today she learnt that “evil” vandals had again severed the heads from the beloved cherubs at the Merseyside burial site.

Merseyside police have relaunched their hunt for the culprits and are searching for the heads of the marble figures – positioned on either side of James’s headstone – which remain missing, reports the Mirror. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Denise said: “I am absolutely disgusted that James’ grave has been demolished and devastated again.

“It has broken our hearts. My heart sank when I found out about it this morning.”

She continued: “The cherubs that we had got repaired with great care just a few weeks ago, have once again had their heads scythed off. How evil do you need to be to vandalise and destroy a child’s grave. I am devastated.

“We must find this person. We have informed the police.

“We urge anyone with details to come forward.” Katie McCreath, Director of KMC Legal and Finance who forms part of Denise’s legal team said: “We are deeply saddened and angered to confirm that the headstone of James Bulger has once again been subjected to vandalism.

“This marks the second incident of its kind, and it is both distressing and unacceptable. Denise is understandably devastated. For any parent, a gravesite is a place of reflection, peace, and remembrance.

“To have that space violated not once, but repeatedly, is something no family should have to endure. The impact of this goes far beyond damage to property.

“It is a deeply personal and emotional violation. The family are struggling to comprehend how this has been allowed to happen again.

“There is a real sense of disbelief that such cruelty continues, decades on.” She continued: “We can confirm that the police have been informed and are dealing with the matter.

“We will continue to support the family fully during this time and will be liaising with the relevant authorities as the investigation progresses.” Despicable vandals initially targeted the grave in February when they struck the toddler’s final resting place and smashed two cherubs on the headstone.

Merseyside Police confirmed at the time they received reports that two large marble angels flanking his headstone were damaged at 4.20pm on 26 February at Kirkdale Cemetery. A smaller angel was dumped in a bin and a teddy bear was taken, officers added.

The incident had such a profound impact that a GoFundMe page, established by supporters, raised over £23,000 – enabling her to not only temporarily mend the grave, but also eventually replace it and ensure its future security. She expressed last month: “What happened in February to James’ grave left us in bits, it was so upsetting.

“The minute I saw what the vandals had done to my private spot for James, I just burst into tears. The cherubs had been with us for more than 30 years – far longer than I was able to have with James.

“But an army of online heroes have saved us and made us feel so supported.” After surpassing the initial £13,000 goal, Denise stated: “It means we can leave another real legacy for James.

“I can’t thank people enough. We have now repaired the destroyed cherubs which allowed us to go to James’ grave on his birthday on March 16 and not feel totally devastated by the damage they caused.

“However, because the cherubs were 30 years old I could see the repair, even though they had been put together brilliantly. The money raised now means that in time we can fully repair the damage, get two, new, white marble cherubs installed, which will forever remind us of people’s love for James.”

Toddler James was tortured and murdered by then-10-year-olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson in February 1993. Following his death, Denise and husband Stuart established the James Bulger Memorial Trust, to assist other families facing hardships.

One of their projects is a holiday lodge near Blackpool, providing a retreat for families in need. They stated that any surplus from the £23,000 donated would be used to maintain it.

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