Both are also accused of two counts of child cruelty by assault on multiple occasions and also by withholding food and/or drink. 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. 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His father Thomas Hughes and partner Emma Tustin deny the boy's murder and multiple counts of child cruelty. 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. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six, suffered an "unsurvivable brain injury" in Shirley, Solihull, and died in hospital the following day in June last year. 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. Join Breaking News and Incidents in Yorkshire to get the latest breaking news and post there if you see an incident you think is worth us covering. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Both defendants subsequently accepted they 'assaulted' the boy, contrary to their previous pleas. [12] Tustin then took a photo of the dying boy, which she sent to Hughes. After getting home, Tustin went upstairs to use cosmetics at about 2pm. Thomas Hughes and his girlfriend Emma Tustin are jointly accused of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes at her home in Shirley, Solihull, on 17 June 2020. The truth was he had made his choice. Hughes took Tustin's children to the supermarket, leaving his own son in mortal danger. Tests after his death revealed something else sinister - salt poisoning had been routine for him. Hughes claimed he only found out Tustin aborted their baby in custody when she said so herself in the witness box a few days earlier. Backed into a corner, all Tustin could do was deny culpability with no credible alternative explanation. After weeks of harrowing evidence at Coventry Crown Court a jury found his father Thomas Hughes, 29, guilty of manslaughter, and his step-mother Emma Tustin, 32, guilty of murder. The child was secretly given a drink of water by the hairdresser's partner, who later described him as "gaunt", "malnourished" and "a poor little kid who was broken". Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? The pair also face an allegation of child cruelty by administering salt to Arthur between 1 and 17 June last year. Injuries of a car crash victim and cancer sufferer. But her words did not wash with prosecutor Jonas Hankin who completely skewered her during cross-examination. All the while, Arthur was cut off from those who loved him and could help him. Tustin maintained she has used salt for the same purpose whilst being in custody. 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. To get the latest email updates from Yorkshire Live, click here . 16 April 2020: Joanne Hughes reported Arthur to social services after taking photographs of bruises on his back, which she discovered when Hughes and Arthur visited. "We know that the Department for Education reported more serious injuries and deaths of children during the last year with a higher percentage in the first six months - so we do know that lockdown had a significant impact on children and families," Helen Westerman, from the NSPCC, said. If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, help and support is available via BBC Action Line. Hughes claimed Tustin 'coached' the children into lying to the social workers and warned Hughes if he did not go along with it as well they would have their children taken from them. Tustin complied, and by the time he died experts said the extent of Arthur's injuries met the medical definition of child torture. Beyond shame and sadness, the only fitting response is a promise to . We pay respect by giving voice to social justice, acknowledging our shared history and valuing the cultures of First Nations. Thomas Hughes would frequently threaten violence against his son. 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. Tustin could be heard 'policing' Arthur in some of the clips barking 'stand still, stand still'. By the end of the month, Arthur was moved out of Tustin's son and daughter's bedroom and made to sleep on the living room floor. ", READ MORE: Guilty: 'Evil' dad and stepmum killed little Arthur Labinjo-Hughes after months of torture and abuse. Hughes allegedly spoke of putting him up for adoption. Following Olivia's conviction, Thomas Hughes became the primary carer for Arthur and both lived with Thomas . But some of the memos will last long in the memory, in particular Arthur crying for his grandmother and uncle saying repeatedly 'no-one loves me' and 'no-one is going to feed me'. List of child abuse cases featuring long-term detention, "Online directories- LABINJO-HUGHES, Arthur (Adjourned)", "Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Images show tragic little boy smiling with his mother before she lost joint custody after killing partner", "What happened to Arthur Labinjo-Hughes? The camera in the living room captured Arthur slumped on the floor. An eight-week trial at Coventry Crown Court. But the evidence undermined the act. 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.". 'C***' was a favourite insult of the foul-mouthed pair. The proceedings exceeded two months and were even halted by a fire alarm and Covid-19 alert along the way. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Over the following days he reported to the school that Arthur was losing weight, wasnt eating and might faint. [4][8], In August 2019, Thomas Hughes met Emma Tustin on the dating website Plenty of Fish. After Arthur's parents separated in his infancy, he was initially cared for by his mother Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow. In particular, he suffered a detached retina which a pathologist said was 'very, very rare' in child head trauma cases. He wanted Tustin, her children and their unborn baby, and not Arthur. 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. 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. It's thought as soon as they were alone in the house, Tustin forced him to drink a salt slurry in the upstairs bathroom. She doesn't need it.". It is alleged Ms Tustin carried out a fatal . 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 had been in the sole care of his father after his natural mother, Olivia Labinjo, was convicted of a killing in February 2019. By the time of his death, Arthur was malnourished, suffering from salt poisoning, and covered with over 130 bruises. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Grandmother pays tribute to boy, six. Tustin saw Arthur as an enemy and threat to her relationship with Hughes. Emma Tustin allegedly carried out the assault. Also involved are Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Barnardo's, Spurgeon's children's charity, the Springfield project in Sparkhill, St Paul's Community Development Trust and Your Local Pantry, which runs food hubs in 12 locations across Birmingham and the Black Country. Medical experts disagreed. He stated he 'probably' inflicted injuries to his son and hit him with a slipper causing him to bash his head. [2][3] The two separated shortly before his second birthday. 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'. Hughes was seemingly unmoved by the sound of his boy crying over and over again. Hughes made his confessions to the police in the subsequent interviews after the van journey. The jury was also shown images mapping the catalogue of bruises to Arthur's body. 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'. Hughes would even call Arthur's school and tell teachers he'd been playing out in the garden. Someone supposedly 'stuck in the middle' of a bad situation, but ultimately with Arthur's best interests in mind. She was not to see him again until he was fighting for his life in intensive care. Hughes was found guilty of child cruelty counts 2 (standing in isolation) and 3 (assaults). "I'll sort him out when I'm home," said another. [26][27][28] Mister Justice Mark Wall, the presiding judge, described the case in his sentencing remarks as among the most "distressing and disturbing" cases that he has dealt with. It didn't take long for things to deteriorate for 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. The boy was mistreated over the course of several months by his father, Thomas Hughes, and his father's partner, Emma Tustin. Prosecutors said despite having her phone, she took 12 minutes to call 999, telling medics Arthur "fell and banged his head and while on the floor banged his head another five times". Hughes allegedly spoke of putting him up for adoption. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. Throughout the six hours Tustin was there, she forced the boy to stand by the door, and frequently shouted and swore at him. Jonas Hankin QC, for the prosecution, told jurors at Coventry Crown Court that Ms Tustin's account included the suggestion "Arthur had headbutted her during the incident" and had treated the couple badly. She said children were "the hidden victims of this pandemic" and that the charity had seen an increase of 23% in calls from adults concerned about a child's welfare. In his eyes was fear, they would say, and it soon became apparent why. Guardian Australia acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, waters and community. The couple are also accused of multiple counts of child cruelty. 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. She flip-flopped from her original account to police; from being in the hallway when he supposedly 'cracked' his own head off the floor to being elsewhere, from the first of four cracks being the loudest to the last of them being the loudest, from being present when Arthur apparently knocked himself out to being somewhere else. Arthur's grandmother, Mrs Halcrow, agrees. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes' head was banged repeatedly against a hard surface, Coventry Crown Court heard, Floral tributes were laid at the scene in 2020. Tustin pleaded guilty to child cruelty counts 2 and 3. The family returned to Milhenchs house to finish the hair appointment, during which time Hughes and Tustin took turns shouting at him like a game of tennis, she told the court. She is currently in jail for the manslaughter of 29-year-old delivery driver Gary Cunningham in their home. "At the time I thought I was doing the right thing by my unborn child. [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. Read about our approach to external linking. I haven't got a leg to stand on. By contrast, Hughes was emotionless in the witness box. [20][21], In July 2021, Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow was convicted of the manslaughter of her partner, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. 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. Hughes was described as weak by the senior investigating officer, Det Insp Laura Harrison. He tried to seduce Tustin to have sex while Arthur was in the hallway, and in one text he told her to 'put him outside or wherever, give him away, put him out with the rubbish'. The vast majority of the recordings were of Arthur crying. 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. She explained she was told Arthur had a playfight with Tustin's son which resulted in both being hurt. Tustin was repeatedly shown the living room footage from that afternoon but could not provide a consistent account of what happened at what time. Just a few months later, he was gaunt, malnourished and too weak to hold a glass of water Mr Jarman had smuggled him. He was made to sleep there even when the other children slept elsewhere. Dr Coulthard concluded Arthur was salt poisoned stating it could have occurred incrementally but that he would have had to have been given a large dose of the kitchen condiment in the hours immediately before he collapsed. Arthur's dad, Thomas Hughes, 29, and 32-year-old Emma Tustin, his partner, are on trial jointly accused of murder, after the boy suffered an "unsurvivable brain injury" in June . 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'. Between June 12 to June 14 he was ordered to stay there for more than 35 hours in total. Hughes' WhatsApp messages became increasingly malevolent. 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. I didn't see it. Hughes initially admitted he was 'accountable' for Arthur's death and said: "There's a long ways to go but I'm guilty of it. When the UK went into lockdown in March 2020, the new couple made the decision to merge their families at Tustin's home on Cranmore Road in Solihull, where she lived with her own children, aged four and five. You did this to him.". He was rushed to hospital following the incident on June 16 2020, but despite the best efforts of medical staff, it was determined that nothing could be done to save him and he sadly lost his life at 1am the following day. 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 . Clubs are free to negotiate deals ahead of 2024. She broke down in tears numerous times in the stand, prompting Hughes' barrister to ask 'who are you crying for now?' Teachers reported Arthur was becoming fixated with his dad disappearing from his life, or killing him, and had also become obsessed with death, murder and guns. 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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. Emma Tustin, Thomas Hughes and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes suffered a fatal collapse while at Emma Tustin's home in Solihull All the while, Arthur was cut off from those who loved him and could help him. There was a consensus that it was 'inconceivable' Arthur could have caused them himself. Thomas Hughes, 29, and his then girlfriend Emma Tustin, 32, stand accused of killing his son Arthur at their home in Solihull. She said: "I was not near Arthur. You were in this movie. Join Breaking News and Incidents in Yorkshire, Desperate plight of tragic Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was 'missed because of Covid' says social work boss, Emma Tustin and Thomas Hughes indulged in hot tubs and ice cream as Arthur left starving and alone. But the evidence undermined the act. He said: "I had lost one child, I was aware of the pregnancy of the second. But her words did not wash with prosecutor Jonas Hankin who completely skewered her during cross-examination. In the space of just 18 months Arthur went from a bright and bubbly boy to a weak and emaciated one terrified for his life. Hughes claimed he only found out Tustin aborted their baby in custody when she said so herself in the witness box a few days earlier. In one message she said 'f****** launch this lying little f***' and in another she warned she was 'going to chin this little c***'. They all agreed that the most likely mechanism that caused the injuries was a shaking-type motion with one or more impacts. Tustin bombarded Hughes with messages complaining of the child's behaviour as his condition worsened. However, in February 2019, Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow stabbed her new abusive partner to death in an alcohol and drug fuelled rage. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six, collapsed from fatal injuries at a home in Shirley, Solihull on June 16 last year. He portrayed himself as dim-witted, lacking in confidence and completely submissive to Tustin's assertive control. Tuesday 16 June 2020 started the same as any other for six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: in misery and in pain. She feigned contrition repeatedly describing her treatment to Arthur as 'absolutely disgraceful' and purporting she was 'disgusted in myself'. Not long after he weakly put away his bedding on 16 June, Tustin took Arthur to her appointment at Ms Milhench's home. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. After weeks of harrowing evidence at Coventry Crown Court, a jury this week found his father Thomas Hughes, 29, guilty of manslaughter, and his step-mother Emma Tustin, 32, guilty of murder. Arthurs father, 29-year-old Thomas Hughes, takes over care for his son, and in August meets Emma Tustin, 32, online. This is the link to make a donation. [9], Tustin is believed to have carried out the fatal assault at 2:29p.m when she went into the hallway, where Arthur was located. Several parallels were noted between the cases such as both children being killed by their parent's new partner, having extended family who tried to help them, and being of known concern to the authorities. Tustin also laid her cards on the table to Hughes over text and said: "I want you but not him.". Tustin said at one point to Thomas that "I want you but I don't want him". 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. Her partner, Tobias Jarman, snuck the boy a glass of water without Tustin and Hughes knowing, and said he looked petrified. And it's much easier for families who want to evade view to do that when they havent got someone in the room. Tustin and Hughes manipulated visitors, told them his bruises were down to play. There were between 100 to 130 marks in total including 30 to his head and neck. Mr Hankin branded her a 'pitiless, cruel woman' who 'hated' Arthur. I don't want them to suffer. Thursday 2 December 2021 17:54, UK I can't account for it. As Arthur returned to school after the summer holidays, a teaching assistant stated that she had 'no concerns' about his wellbeing. Tustin had more than 200 audio recordings of Arthur in distress on her phone, including two particularly . Emma Tustin is referred to using her surname throughout this article. There was no way the six-year-old boy could inflict these "unsurvivable" injuries on himself. The child collapsed to the floor as they left the hairdresser's but was not helped by either Tustin or Thomas when he arrived. 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. Tustin saw Arthur as an enemy and threat to her relationship with Hughes. ", The court was told that in June last year, Mr Hughes told a neighbour: "If you hear anyone saying 'don't kill me', ignore it, I'm not hurting him.". 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'. [11] Arthur was taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital; however, doctors were unable to save him and he died later that night. The couple installed a camera at home to monitor Arthur during his isolation. 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. In February 2019, Labinjo-Halcrow stabbed her new partner, Gary Cunningham, to death after a period of mutual domestic violence.