Lyn Rigby's Describes The Moment She Knew Her Son Was Woolwich Attack Victim

'My World Just Crashed'

Lee Rigby's heartbroken mother has revealed she desperately tried to reach her son by phone for 12 hours before being told he had been killed in the horrific Woolwich attack.

After Fusilier Rigby was killed in the brutal street attack outside Woolwich Barracks in south east London in May, Lyn Rigby said she suspected straight away her son was the victim.

Lee Rigby's mum, Lyn, has described the heartbreaking moment she knew her son had died

As soon as her daughter, Sara McClure, told her about the incident, the devastated mother said she had expected a reassuring call from her son.

When she never received any such call, Lyn said she knew something had happened to her boy.

"[Sara] said about a soldier had been killed in London and I think I knew then that it was Lee because Lee always used to phone me if anything had happened or somebody had been killed in Afghanistan, anything to do with soldiers being hurt," she told ITV's This Morning.

"He'd always phone me just to put my mind at rest."

Ms Rigby rang her son's phone without answer, and was not officially told the news until around 2am the following morning.

"I was going to bed because you think 12 hours later it's not Lee, we'd have known.

"I was trying to convince the little ones because they wouldn't go to bed, but I knew in my head it was."

She went on: "The door actually went and I knew who was at the door. Two o'clock in the morning, you don't get visitors at that time."

Ms Rigby added: "I opened the door and my world just crashed."

She said breaking the news to her daughter was "the hardest thing I had to do".

Fusilier Rigby, a drummer in the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2RRF), was killed as he returned to Woolwich barracks from the Tower of London on May 22.

He had served in Afghanistan as a machine gunner and was attached to the regimental recruiting team when he was hacked to death in broad daylight.

Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, have been charged his murder.

Fusilier Rigby's stepfather, Ian Rigby, said the family would only attend the start and end of the whole trial, due to start at the Old Bailey in November.

Ms Rigby said: "I think it will just set me back down again."

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