James Bulger’s mother ‘relieved’ Oscar-nominated film about son’s killers did not win

Denise Fergus accuses makers of 'Detainment' of being 'obsessed with the case'

James Bulger's mother has said she is “relieved” a short film about her son's death did not win an Oscar.

Denise Fergus had accused the makers of Detainment, which centres around the police interviews of James's killers, of being “obsessed” with the case.

She had demanded they remove the film from contention at the Academy Awards after it was nominated in the category of best live action short, a request director Vincent Lambe refused.

After Detainment was beaten on Sunday by biographical drama Skin, Ms Fergus tweeted to say she was relieved.

She said: “I'm so made up, that short film Detainment did not win the Oscar, can't tell you just how relieved I am, thanks to everyone who has agreed with me on this xx.”

James was two when 10-year-old boys Jon Venables and Robert Thompson abducted him from the Strand shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, in February 1993.

They led him to a railway line before killing him. Venables and Thompson were convicted of murder and have since been given new identities.

PA