A man has been arrested after James Bulger's grave was vandalised for the second time in six weeks. 

James' final resting place in the Fazakerley area of Liverpool had only just been repaired following previous damage to the two cherubs adorning the gravestone in February.

But now Denise Fergus, whose two-year-old son was tortured and killed by John Venables and his accomplice Robert Thompson in Liverpool in February 1993, has been left devastated after 'evil' vandals swiped the heads of the cherubs from her son's grave.

Today, Merseyside Police confirmed they have arrested a 78-year-old man on suspicion of criminal damage and theft.

Ms Fergus said it was a 'relief' that police had already arrested a suspect.

She told The Daily Mirror: 'It is a relief that someone has been arrested but it continues to be a distressing time for us. I really just want to know why these repeated attacks happened.'

Katie McCreath, Director of KMC Legal & Finance and is part of Denise's legal team, said: 'We can confirm that a 78-year-old man from Kirkby has been arrested in connection with the recent vandalisation of James Bulger's grave.

'This is an incredibly distressing development for Denise and the wider family, who are once again having to endure the pain of such a deeply upsetting and senseless act.' 

Ms Fergus was left heartbroken after cherubs on either side of the two-year-old's headstone were smashed off following a sickening attack in February.

Sharing a photograph showing the damage on social media, devastated Denise wrote: 'Today I felt my heart break once again. We got a message from a lady walking her dog at the cemetery where James's resting place is.

'She sadly told us his headstone and surround had been vandalised. We rushed down there to find the cherubs each side of his headstone had been smashed to pieces.

'I need to find whoever did this to my son's resting place. I try to help as many families as I can with either justice campaigns or helping families through the charity I set up in his memory, and some horrid b*****d has done this... to a baby's grave! Really??'

More than £20,000 was raised by 'an army of heroes' via a GoFundMe page in a bid to restore little James's resting place to its original condition before the most recent incident.

A Merseyside Police spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'We have arrested a man from Kirkby after James Bulger's grave was vandalised at Kirkdale Cemetery yesterday, Friday 10 April. At around 1.20pm, officers were informed of damage having been discovered to the grave.

'At 4.10pm, following enquiries, a 78-year-old man from Kirkby was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and theft. He has been taken to a police station.'   

Temporary Detective Inspector Viki Lanceley said: 'A man has now been arrested and we will continue to update and support James's family as the investigation progresses.

'I would encourage anyone with information to come forward directly to police as soon as possible, in any of the following ways.'

In 1993, James was with his mother at the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, Merseyside, before being led away by Thompson and Venables, a moment captured in chilling CCTV footage.

His mutilated body was found two days later on a railway line two and a half miles away in Walton, Liverpool.

Thompson and Venables were found guilty of abduction and murder in November 1993, making them the youngest convicted murderers in modern British history.

They were sentenced to indefinite detention at secure units and remained in custody until a Parole Board decision in June 2001 recommended their release on a life licence at the age of 18.

Both were given new identities and moved to secret locations under a 'witness protection'-like programme.

Venables was later jailed in 2010 for possessing child pornography images on his computer.

He was released on parole in 2013 but was recalled to prison in November 2017 for again possessing child pornography images on his computer. His 2023 appeals for parole were rejected.

Following the toddler's death, Denise and her husband Stuart founded the James Bulger Memorial Trust in a bid to help other families who are going through difficult times.

Among their projects is a holiday lodge located near Blackpool, which allows struggling families to have some time away.

They revealed that extra donations from the money raised for James's headstone in March would be put towards the maintenance of the holiday lodge.