THE mother of soldier Lee Rigby has described the moment she knew her son had died.

Fusilier Rigby was killed in a brutal attack in the street outside Woolwich Barracks in south-east London in May.

Thousands of people turned out to pay their respects when his funeral was held at Bury Parish Church in July, bringing the town centre to a standstill.

His mother, Lyn, recalled how she suspected her son – a drummer in the Bury-based 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2RRF) – was the victim as soon as her daughter, Sara McClure, told her about the incident.

She told ITV’s This Morning: “She 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.

“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 day.

She said: “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. 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 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.

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

Fusilier Rigby's step-father, 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.”