Over the following days he reported to the school that Arthur was losing weight, wasnt eating and might faint. Hughes's following comment to officers proved to be telling: "Emma isn't a suspect, she's a witness. Read about our approach to external linking. Injuries of a car crash victim and cancer sufferer. After she was arrested for killing her abusive partner in 2019, Arthur was left in the sole care of his father. Following Olivia's conviction, Thomas Hughes became the primary carer for Arthur and both lived with Thomas . Hughes confessed to treating Arthur 'like a prisoner' by making him stay in the hallway for the 'majority of the time', adding his discipline had 'gone horribly wrong'. Although he was not present for the final attack on Arthur, he was also found culpable for his death for the months of abuse he enforced himself and encouraged from Tustin. But the evidence undermined the act. Someone supposedly 'stuck in the middle' of a bad situation, but ultimately with Arthur's best interests in mind. ", "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? Six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes tragically died last year in the hallway of a home in Cranmore Road, Shirley in the West Midlands, after suffering from catastrophic head injuries. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. On the first day of the trial, Ms Tustin admitted child cruelty by ill-treating, while Mr Hughes denies a similar charge. Beyond shame and sadness, the only fitting response is a promise to . I can't account for it. It's as simple as that. Hughes' WhatsApp messages became increasingly malevolent. You were in this movie. By the end, the twisted bully had dehumanized his son who he claimed was his 'world'. She was also found guilty of child cruelty counts 4 (deprivation of food and drink) and 5 (salt poisoning). Cellmates of evil stepmum who murdered arthur, 6, lace her food with salt. 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. Tustin regularly stated she could not explain her behaviour and claimed it was only now she was 'out of the situation' she could see how bad things were at the time. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. The Child Safeguarding Partnership said it would be "inappropriate" to comment ahead of its findings, but said the "terrible tragedy has had a shocking impact on Arthur's family and across the whole community". He was six years old. Six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes Harrowing CCTV footage, a slew of terrorising text messages and inconsistent displays of remorse are just some of the key pieces of evidence which helped a jury to successfully convict a twisted step-mother and callous dad of killing his little boy. He was slapped by Tustin for entering the living room. Hughes took Tustin's children to the supermarket, leaving his own son in mortal danger. The neglect and murder of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was possible because vulnerable children "slipped from view" during the pandemic, the former children's commissioner for England . To get the latest email updates from Yorkshire Live, click here . The jury was told that Arthur had been in the sole care of his father after his natural mother, Olivia Labinjo, was convicted of a killing in February 2019. Her partner, Tobias Jarman, snuck the boy a glass of water without Tustin and Hughes knowing, and said he looked petrified. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Tustin's hairdresser Catherine Milhench, known as "Affy", and her husband Tobias Jarman were among the last people to see Arthur alive. I haven't got a leg to stand on. The vast majority of the recordings were of Arthur crying. 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'. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. Tustin saw Arthur as an enemy and threat to her relationship with Hughes. 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. Someone supposedly 'stuck in the middle' of a bad situation, but ultimately with Arthur's best interests in mind. His barrister forewarned the jury they would not see him 'cry for himself'. However Tustin repeatedly said the police would 'put it on both of us' and added: "None of us are going to walk away from this.". He had been confined to the house as a 'punishment' for most of the first national lockdown while the Covid-19 pandemic swept through the country, reports BirminghamLive. She refuted the allegation. Arthur was conspicuous by his absence on the camera for long periods despite the fact both defendants would often be in the living room talking, gesticulating or shouting towards the hallway. 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. Later at trial, the prosecution argued that she gave Arthur an overdose of salt in the bathroom at around this time though Tustin denied this. She said: "I was not near Arthur. We're first for breaking news in Yorkshire - and now we have a Facebook group where you can keep up to date. [8] She shook Arthur and hit his head against a hard surface multiple times. The monster even had the gall to claim the boy was making her life 'hell'. [8], In May 2020, Arthur was frequently made to stand in the hallway for long periods of time as a punishment for his alleged misbehaviour. "I effectively killed my son. So distressing were the clips that Judge Mark Wall dissuaded the prosecution from playing all of them. The vast majority of the recordings were of Arthur crying. 2023 BBC. Photograph: West Midlands Police/PA Child. Tustin had been repeatedly lacing his food and drink with it. Thursday 2 December 2021 17:54, UK I realise now I made it a lot harder for myself. Detectives used the footage to establish that Arthur spent almost all day in the hallway in the run-up to his death. She broke down in tears numerous times in the stand, prompting Hughes' barrister to ask 'who are you crying for now?' Both defendants subsequently accepted they 'assaulted' the boy, contrary to their previous pleas. It threw up the first major question in the trial, why was it there? Sep 2018 - Present4 years 8 months. Tustin bombarded Hughes with messages complaining of the child's behaviour as his condition worsened. He portrayed himself as dim-witted, lacking in confidence and completely submissive to Tustin's assertive control. Suite 325 Cincinnati, OH 45211. Tustin had bizarrely claimed she had a spare camera left over from putting up CCTV outside due to 'problems with neighbours coming into the garden and putting holes in her clothes'. Tuesday 16 June 2020 started the same as any other for six-year-old Arthur . The jury was told medical evidence revealed the boy died from "head trauma inflicted on him by an adult" and the most likely cause was that he had been "vigorously shaken and his head banged repeatedly against a hard surface". He told Tustin to 'just end' Arthur, 'take his jaw off' and 'gag' him, while he threatened to 'take his neck off' and 'dash my food off his head'. When I tried to get him off the floor, he headbutted me and hes hit me and kicked me, she said. Associated General Contractors of Northwest Ohio. ", "How lockdown was beginning of the end for tragic Arthur - timeline", "Coronavirus: UK schools, colleges and nurseries to close from Friday", "Coronavirus: Strict new curbs on life in UK announced by PM", "UK launches major review into murder of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes", "Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Father and girlfriend found guilty over death of six-year-old boy", "Stepmother and father convicted of killing Arthur Labinjo-Hughes", "Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Candlelit vigil for murdered boy", "Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Football club's tribute to young fan", "Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Football pays tribute to murdered Birmingham City fan after killers jailed", "Social workers forced out of homes due to abuse after Arthur Labinjo-Hughes case", "Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: vulnerable children 'slipped from view' in pandemic", "How much did lockdown help Arthur Labinjo-Hughes' killers escape notice? Between June 12 to June 14 he was ordered to stay there for more than 35 hours in total. And it's much easier for families who want to evade view to do that when they havent got someone in the room. Shown footage demonstrating how Arthur was made to spend all day in the hallway and then sleep on the living room floor he said: "You are not here to watch television and comment on it. It was not intentional," he added. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes (4 January 2014 17 June 2020) was a six-year-old child living in the West Midlands, England who was abused and subsequently killed by his carers during the COVID-19 pandemic. "At the time I thought I was doing the right thing by my unborn child. Warning - this article contains distressing content. The boy was mistreated over the course of several months by his father, Thomas Hughes, and his father's partner, Emma Tustin. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. He told the jury he 'reluctantly' maintained Arthur's punishment to avoid arguments admitting he put Tustin's 'love and attention' above his son's welfare. In light of the revelations a juror asked if they were seriously expected to believe Hughes was not guilty of any child cruelty offence. It didn't take long for things to deteriorate for Arthur. He died on 17 June 2020. he horrific case of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes is raising serious questions about how his abuse went undetected for so long, whether authorities failed in their duty to protect him and how lockdown may have prevented them from doing so. The couple installed a camera at home to monitor Arthur during his isolation. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Father cut up six-year-old son's football shirts as punishment before partner killed the boy, court told Hughes was not present for the alleged fatal assault but is accused of aiding and abetting his son's murder - a charge he denies. I don't want them to suffer. The proceedings exceeded two months and were even halted by a fire alarm and Covid-19 alert along the way. All rights reserved. Hughes later told Tustin he had 'basically held my hands up'. [29] On 29 July 2022, Thomas Hughes' sentence was increased to 24 years on appeal as the judge found his original sentence to be too lenient. I realise now I made it a lot harder for myself.". What made this case so unique was the fact there was a camera installed in the living room of Tustin's home. 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. He was monitored on CCTV set up around the home, cameras that would eventually capture Tustin callously trying to administer Calpol to the boy she had murdered just out of view in the hallway. So theres a big lesson there, instantly about if there is a crisis, there are children who are going to slip from view and we have to make sure they have the protection, which does need face to face contact. The camera in the living room captured Arthur slumped on the floor. Tustin could be heard 'policing' Arthur in some of the clips barking 'stand still, stand still'. Hughes was found not guilty on counts 4 and 5. She said it was set up on a living room shelf to monitor Arthur's behaviour because he had supposedly ripped up things and allegedly dropped her tortoise, although that was disputed. Medical experts dominated the proceedings for an entire week. Tustin spent over a week in the witness box. February 2019: Arthurs biological mother, Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow, 29, is arrested for stabbing and killing her partner, Gary Cunningham. Shortly after the conviction, the government announced that there would be a national inquiry into the case. Despite the challenges, he was a happy and cheeky child who was adored by his extended family. Hughes was instead offered an early help programme to assist Arthur in dealing with his traumatic past, which he declined. The fly on the wall CCTV footage, the terrorising text messages and a capitulation in the witness box. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes died after being left alone with Emma Tustin last year. Emma Tustin is referred to using her surname throughout this article. I didn't see it. Both Arthur's parents shared custody of him whilst he lived with his mother. I don't want Emma to suffer.". [14] Arthur's favourite team, Birmingham City F.C, named a children's area in its stadium after him and supporters sung his name on a march through Birmingham prior to a match. 17 June 2020: Doctors concluded nothing could be done to save Arthur and his life support machine was switched off at 1am. Since that moment, Tustin has sought to deflect blame. 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 doesn't need it.". She is pregnant with my child. Thomas Hughes, 29, and his then girlfriend Emma Tustin, 32, stand accused of killing his son Arthur at their home in Solihull. Tustin claimed she was shedding tears for Arthur. The child is growing up without a dad. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. ", Statistics for England suggested that there had been a 20% decrease in referrals to local authorities' children's departments but a 20% increase in reported cases of child harm and a 19% increase in child deaths. Even so, Ive done my best with that kid.. Far from being a loving father, he completely let down his vulnerable son. Arthur wasn't just her only son, Labinjo-Halcrow said, but her best friend with a gentle and caring nature. Thomas Hughes ate ice cream in front of his starving six-year-old boy, Six-year-old boy Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was murdered by his step mum, Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of Emma Tustin, Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of Thomas Hughes. [11] She is being held at HMP Peterborough. However, in February 2019, Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow stabbed her new abusive partner to death in an alcohol and drug fuelled rage. I don't want Emma to suffer.". 'C***' was a favourite insult of the foul-mouthed pair. She broke down in tears numerous times in the stand, prompting Hughes' barrister to ask 'who are you crying for now?' I was not there. [3] Though Thomas Hughes's mother asked that he and Arthur come to her house, he refused,[8] instead deciding to move in with Tustin's at her home in Solihull for the duration of the lockdown. Tustin pleaded guilty to child cruelty counts 2 and 3. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes' gran says 'I have failed' & blasts selfish killer for acting like his death 'inconvenienced' her Holly Christodoulou Published: 12:59, 3 Dec 2021 Updated: 14:55, 3 Dec 2021. She said: "I was not near Arthur. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. She refuted the allegation. But her words did not wash with prosecutor Jonas Hankin who completely skewered her during cross-examination. The next day, a social worker went to visit Hughes and Tustin's household. Text messages between Tustin and Hughes told the story of their fracturing relationship and exposed their violent intent towards Arthur. Tustin and Hughes manipulated visitors, told them his bruises were down to play. She said his physical appearance seemed fine and, as his aggression and anxiety had reduced, she concluded there was no mental health issue.

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