Edinburgh - The mother of murdered toddler James Bulger has condemned a play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival about a child's abduction and murder. The Age of Consent by Peter Morris tells the story of a 19-year-old man convicted of murdering a child.
The play was inspired by the killing of Bulger, who was beaten to death by two schoolboys. Few crimes in British history have aroused such widespread revulsion. The obvious parallels with the death of her son has outraged Ms Denise Fergus. She said of the play: "It is just designed to try to shock people and grab publicity." She told the Times yesterday, "To sink so low they are clearly desperate."
The author has defended the play and the Fringe director said there was no question of censoring it.