Thomas Hughes soon returned to his partner's house and refused the grandmother's request to leave the boy at her house for longer, prompting her to report him to social services. Photograph: West Midlands Police/PA Child. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six, collapsed from fatal injuries at a home in Shirley, Solihull on June 16 last year. Tustin spent over a week in the witness box. [12] Tustin then took a photo of the dying boy, which she sent to Hughes. The child is growing up without a dad. The jury was told that Arthur's head injuries were comparable to someone who had been in a serious car accident. Tustin would record more than 200 clips of him in distress, including two particularly harrowing recordings where Arthur is heard begging in tears, "I want you to feed me, no one's going to feed me" and crying "no one loves me". helped a jury convict a sadistic dad and step-mother, Live updates as 'evil' stepmum and dad found guilty of murder of Arthur. [31][32] The review found that child protection services had been involved in Arthur's life on various occasions dating back to 2018 and repeatedly not intervened to help him. I realise now I made it a lot harder for myself.". 17 April 2020: Social worker Jayne Kavanagh from Solihull council visited Tustins home. The following day social worker Jayne Kavanagh visited the address at Cranmore Road accompanied by Angela Scarlett-Coppage, a family support worker who had dealt with Tustin before in her previous relationship. Both defendants denied being responsible, or even knowing salt poisoning was a factor in Arthur's death until much later. To get the latest email updates from Yorkshire Live, click here . It did not add up that he had apparently confessed his guilt to officers and yet went on to deny all the charges against him. Kidney consultant Dr Malcolm Coulthard told the court that when Arthur arrived at hospital he was suffering from severe hypernatremia - raised sodium levels. I don't want other people to suffer for my ignorance, my neglect. He said the messages were so constant they became 'boring', and he stopped listening to them. BBC News, West Midlands. The child collapsed to the floor as they left the hairdresser's but was not helped by either Tustin or Thomas when he arrived. All rights reserved. Tests after his death revealed something else sinister - salt poisoning had been routine for him. You did this to him.". He died on 17 June 2020. He wanted Tustin, her children and their unborn baby, and not Arthur. His maternal grandmother, Madeleine Halcrow, said Hughes had stopped her from seeing Arthur since 2019. She broke down in tears numerous times in the stand, prompting Hughes' barrister to ask 'who are you crying for now?' 16 June 2020: Video footage from a CCTV camera in the living room, where Arthur slept on the floor, showed him appearing weak as he woke up and struggled to carry his duvet out of the room. In another, the fear stricken boy yelled 'daddy's going to throw me out the window'. He told the jury "Arthur was made to sleep on the living room floor" at Ms Tustin's home in Solihull and after his death, "a duvet was found in a cupboard under the stairs". The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. My mum, my dad. During the trial Tustin was captured on CCTV carrying a large salt container out of the living room which was later photographed in the bathroom. It emerged that after Tustin and Hughes each gave one police interview they travelled in the back of a police van together where their conversations were 'covertly recorded'. Ms Kavanagh repeated she had 'no safeguarding concerns' about Arthur. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. The court also heard Tustin wanted the CCTV. Consultant pathologist Dr Roger Malcolmson told the murder trial. The jury were told how Arthur was made to stand in isolation for up to 14 hours a day, was frequently assaulted, deprived of food and water as well as poisoned with salt. Both defendants denied being responsible, or even knowing salt poisoning was a factor in Arthur's death until much later. What they concealed was a campaign of violence, cruelty and abuse, designed to terrorise, debase and dehumanise the boy who depended on them. UK - Arthur Labinjo Hughes, 6, killed, dad & friend from www.websleuths.com Trial begins as court hears parents 'murdered' him after months of abuse | daily mail online another heartbreaking . Hughes was repeatedly asked why he did not stand up for Arthur. [11] Paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance Service and officers from West Midlands Police arrived on scene shortly after the emergency call was made. A jury has now convicted dad Thomas Hughes of manslaughter and step-mother Emma Tustin of murder. It's as simple as that. When Labinjo-Halcrow[d] killed her partner in February 2019, responsibility for the boy was transferred to his father. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes' head was banged repeatedly against a hard surface, Coventry Crown Court heard, Floral tributes were laid at the scene in 2020. The hallway where Arthur's heart stopped beating is where he had spent most of his time during lockdown. Ms Kavanagh insisted she only saw a single 'faint' bruise on Arthur's back and not the marks visible in the picture taken just 26 hours earlier, despite an expert saying they would not have faded by then. Hughes was found not guilty on counts 4 and 5. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? She wants the world to remember her son, not for the harrowing end to his short life, but for his superpower - his smile. The camera also picked up isolated incidents of bullying Hughes and cruel Tustin slapping Arthur round the back of the head and holding him by the scruff of the neck. Ironically, all it did was serve to incriminate her and Hughes further. The trial took a number of twists and turns as the prosecution detailed how Arthur was made to stand in isolation for up to 14 hours a day, was assaulted, deprived of food and water as well as poisoned with salt. The court also heard Tustin wanted the CCTV because she was fearful of Arthur making allegations about her. Hughes was instead offered an early help programme to assist Arthur in dealing with his traumatic past, which he declined. From prison, Arthur's mother said the memory of her young son she would treasure the most was his smile. Tustin complied, and by the time he died experts said the extent of Arthur's injuries met the medical definition of child torture. I can't account for it. Arthur's grandmother Joanne Hughes made a social services report on April 16, 2020, after discovering bruises to his back, which she suspected had been caused by Tustin. Please don't keep Emma in custody. Giving evidence during the trial, Hughes said Tustin had coached the two boys to lie to social services about the fight with boxing gloves, and warned him they would have their children taken from them if he did not go along with it as well. The same witness said that when Arthur "secretly" asked him for a drink of water, while Mr Hughes and Ms Tustin were out of the room, "he had to hold [the glass] to Arthur's mouth" because he was "too weak to hold it himself". You were in this movie. Hughes was described as weak by the senior investigating officer, Det Insp Laura Harrison. Shown CCTV of her slapping the boy to the head, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and waking him up by ripping the duvet from underneath him, Tustin admitted she had been cruel by assaulting Arthur - despite previously pleading not guilty to that particular offence. The jury was told that Arthur's head injuries were comparable to someone who had been in a serious car accident. Tustin claimed she was shedding tears for Arthur. Arthur's case was "horrendous, horrific and heart-breaking," the NSPCC said and the charity called for the serious case review to "establish the lessons that need to be learned to prevent this awful case from happening again". The prosecutor argued her explanation did not 'bear scrutiny' and accused Tustin of poisoning Arthur with salt during the 22-minute period she was upstairs 'doing my eyebrows' on June 16. They all agreed that the most likely mechanism that caused the injuries was a shaking-type motion with one or more impacts. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six, collapsed from fatal injuries at a home in Shirley, Solihull on June 16 last year. By the end, the twisted bully had dehumanized his son who he claimed was his 'world'. Tustin and Hughes simply kept him out of view. Guardian Australia acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, waters and community. She was told that Arthur's injuries had been sustained in a fight with Tustin's son. His . He loved school, football and superheroes. It is alleged Ms Tustin, 32, of Cranmore Road, carried out the fatal assault while in sole care of Arthur and fetched her mobile phone immediately afterwards to take a photograph of the youngster as he lay dying in the hallway. She said: "I was not near Arthur. His blood sodium levels were 'off the scale', measuring over 180millimoles per litre (mmol/L) compared to a normal range of 135-145 mmol/L. Serious questions are now being asked of authorities which could have intervened to save Arthur. She described his appearance as skeletal and said his legs were shaking like he couldnt hold himself up. Mr Hughes, 29, of Stroud Road, and Ms Tustin allegedly forced Arthur to endure "systematic, cruel behaviour", both "physical and psychological" in the weeks before he died. Arthurs father, 29-year-old Thomas Hughes, takes over care for his son, and in August meets Emma Tustin, 32, online. Tustin's hairdresser Catherine Milhench, known as "Affy", and her husband Tobias Jarman were among the last people to see Arthur alive. ", "The little boy who stood no chance with two killer parents and a hateful stepmum", "Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: A life cut short by cruelty", "Social worker said 'play' caused boy's bruises weeks before his death, jury told", "Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: What do we know about his life and death? It was made plain to her that the consensus medical opinion was that Arthur could not have caused his fatal head injuries himself, and yet still she blamed him for his own death. She was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 11 years in prison. New patients are welcome. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. He suffered a cardiac arrest, but medics got his heart beating and rushed him to Birmingham Children's Hospital. During the trial Tustin was captured on CCTV carrying a large salt container out of the living room which was later photographed in the bathroom. It threw up the first major question in the trial, why was it there? The texts of his violent intent, the holes he smashed through the living room door and CCTV footage of him dragging Arthur around like an animal exposed his real 'short-tempered, wicked' nature. Thomas Hughes said that Tustin coached the boys to lie about the incident and had warned him they would lose custody of their children if he did not cooperate as well. The prosecutor stated social services were presented with a 'false picture'. He wanted Tustin, her children and their unborn baby, and not Arthur. Thomas Hughes, 29, and Emma Tustin, 32, are accused of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes who suffered an "unsurvivable brain injury." The youngster was allegedly subjected to a "campaign of. She said when asked how safe and happy they felt on a scale of 0-10, with zero being represented by the floor and the ceiling being the opposite, both boys very confidently jumped up and pointed at the ceiling saying they felt very happy and very safe. ivan dixon wife,