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JAMES Bulger's mum has revealed how she still sets an empty chair at the dinner table every day in memory of her murdered son.

Denise Fergus showed Sir Trevor MacDonald around her home, which is filled with reminders of the tot, for a new documentary.

James Bulger's mum shows Trevor MacDonald the place she still sets for her son
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James Bulger's mum shows Trevor MacDonald the place she still sets for her sonCredit: ITV

She said: "James is never far from conversation anyway, whether it's Christmas or not.

"That's why he's still here. I always say that the day I stop speaking about him is the day I join him."

Denise added: "He'll always be with me."

She also relived the moment she lost him in a Liverpool shopping centre after letting go of his hand to pay in a shop.

Denise Fergus ​​shows previously unseen family photos of her murdered two-year-old son for a new documentary ​'​James Bulger: A Mother's Story with Trevor McDonald​'​
James Bulger's mum Denise speaks to Sir Trevor McDonald in a documentary
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Denise Fergus relived the day he went missing in an emotional new documentaryCredit: ITV

She recalled: “He was out of his buggy – James was never out of his buggy so he felt a bit of freedom.

“I let go of his hand just for a moment to get my purse out of my bag.”

Denise told how she ran from shop to shop asking people if they had seen her little boy.

She said: "I was that distraught that one of the staff said to me, 'calm down, come and have a cup of coffee'.

"And I said to him, 'a cup of coffee isn’t going to help me get my son back'."

Jamie Bulger was abducted and murdered by two 10-year-olds in 1993
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Jamie Bulger was abducted and murdered by two ten-year-olds in 1993Credit: PA:Press Association
The proud mum shows Sir Trevor her treasured old photos of James
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The proud mum shows Sir Trevor her treasured old photos of her murdered son
Denise showed her old family snaps of her with James before he was killed
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Denise showed her old family snaps of her with James before he was killedCredit: ITV

In the deeply personal interview Denise shared memories, family photos and videos, remembering James fondly as "so loving - he was always laughing".

She added: "He loved listening to music. He was just a lovely little boy."

She showed Sir Trevor around the family home, which was filled with pictures and things to remind her of James - including statues of red robins.

Denise explained: "All the robins, they mean so much because every time I see a robin I say to Stewart, 'There's James come to see me'.

"I try to get pictures every time I see them."

Denise and Sir Trevor visited her son's grave in the heartbreaking documentary
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Denise and Sir Trevor visited her son's grave in the heartbreaking documentaryCredit: ITV
Little James giggles in an old family snap that Denise reveals in the documentary
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Little James giggles in an old family snap that Denise reveals in the documentary

She also told of her anger at the sentence her son’s killers received and the painful years she’s spent fighting for the justice she feels James has never had.

As well as featuring Denise’s full and frank testimony, Trevor spoke to key figures in Liverpool to gain a vivid insight into a case that continues to raise so many troubling questions.

In February 1993, two-year-old James was abducted from a shopping centre in Liverpool and brutally murdered.

The culprits were two ten-year-old boys - Jon Venables and Robert Thompson - who were sentenced to just eight years for the crime.

They were also granted anonymity once they were released, meaning the public would never know who they are.

Crime & Punishment season continues on ITV as Trevor McDonald meets Denise Fergus, the mother of James Bulger


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