Here is the timeline of events leading up to his death. The monster even had the gall to claim the boy was making her life 'hell'. Thomas Hughes, Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Emma Tustin He told the jury at Coventry Crown Court he was forced to stay at Tustin's home when the first lockdown was announced in March 2020.. When Labinjo-Halcrow[d] killed her partner in February 2019, responsibility for the boy was transferred to his father. Hughes was seemingly unmoved by the sound of his boy crying over and over again. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes died in hospital several hours after he was found unresponsive at a house on Cranmore Road in Shirley, near Birmingham 'Bullying' parents 'poisoned' their six-year-old son. Associated General Contractors of Northwest Ohio. 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. 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. The pair also face an allegation of child cruelty by administering salt to Arthur between 1 and 17 June last year. Consultant pathologist Dr Roger Malcolmson told the murder trial. Both defendants subsequently accepted they 'assaulted' the boy, contrary to their previous pleas. They uncovered significant evidence of abuse inflicted on Arthur by both. ", READ MORE: First pictures of 'evil' dad and step-mum who tortured and killed six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. 18 April 2020: Arthurs uncle, Daniel Hughes, spoke to West Midlands police about the bruises on the boys back. February 2019: Arthurs biological mother, Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow, 29, is arrested for stabbing and killing her partner, Gary Cunningham. You were in this movie. We have used the asterisk no less than 600 times during our live coverage of the case. The transcripts of Hughes' seven police interviews were a bombshell. [8] She shook Arthur and hit his head against a hard surface multiple times. 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. The child is growing up without a dad. There were between 100 to 130 marks in total including 30 to his head and neck. Both defendants subsequently accepted they 'assaulted' the boy, contrary to their previous pleas. In another, the fear stricken boy yelled 'daddy's going to throw me out the window'. 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. Tuesday 16 June 2020 started the same as any other for six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: in misery and in pain. The fly on the wall CCTV footage, the terrorising text messages and a capitulation in the witness box. Police, CAMHS, a social worker and his school all received concerned reports about his welfare. 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". Arthur wasn't just her only son, Labinjo-Halcrow said, but her best friend with a gentle and caring nature. Tustin sent these recordings to Hughes who would respond with violent threats, encouraging his partner to harm his son. Even so, Ive done my best with that kid.. Hughes claimed he was 'gaslighted' and 'mentally abused' by Tustin who he said was 'constantly' over his shoulder telling him to 'whack' Arthur and instructing how to discipline him. Severely underweight at the time of his murder, he was a hungry boy who would not eat because the food he was given was inedible. 2023 BBC. 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? Thomas Hughes, 29, and his then girlfriend Emma Tustin, 32, stand accused of killing his son Arthur at their home in Solihull. [8] At the time of his death, a medical review found that he was covered in 130 bruises, that he had been poisoned with salt, and that the extent of his injuries were compared to torture. Backed into a corner, all Tustin could do was deny culpability with no credible alternative explanation. Despite the challenges, he was a happy and cheeky child who was adored by his extended family. Arthur never went back to school before his death. His father Thomas Hughes, 29, and his former partner Emma Tustin, 32, are. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. 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. Tustin said at one point to Thomas that "I want you but I don't want him". As he grew weaker and struggled to stand, Arthur would be punished further if he tried to move or sit down in the hallway. Hughes was found not guilty on counts 4 and 5. Tustin claimed she was shedding tears for Arthur. Anne Longfield, the former children's commissioner for England, said:[18], "a lot of the services went on to the screens for children, and this child in particular, Arthur, wasnt in school. She said his physical appearance seemed fine and, as his aggression and anxiety had reduced, she concluded there was no mental health issue. 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'. She carried him around the house, plotting how best to arrange him to fit her deception that she was blameless. Minutes later, Arthur was unconscious. CEO and Legal Counsel. Not long after he weakly put away his bedding on 16 June, Tustin took Arthur to her appointment at Ms Milhench'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. In light of the revelations a juror asked if they were seriously expected to believe Hughes was not guilty of any child cruelty offence. Tustin was equally vile. [33], My Lover My Killer, Episode 2 - Netflix (story of mother Olivia). Barely able to stand, he folded away his bedding in the living room where his father and new stepmother had been making him sleep on the floor, all the while monitored by CCTV set up to catch him "misbehaving". Since the disappearance, reddit and websleuths users have been commenting on. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? By contrast, Hughes was emotionless in the witness box. The couple are also accused of multiple counts of child cruelty. The prosecutor said Ms Tustin recorded more than 200 audio files of Arthur in "various stages of distress". She claimed it was in fact Arthur who was the aggressor in the house, that he had treated the couple badly, causing them "daily stress". Warning - this article contains distressing content. In reply Judge Wall said the police interviews were only part of the evidence they were to hear. She was also found guilty of child cruelty counts 4 (deprivation of food and drink) and 5 (salt poisoning). 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. Kidney consultant Dr Malcolm Coulthard told the court that when Arthur arrived at hospital he was suffering from severe hypernatremia - raised sodium levels. Whilst he was at his grandparents' house, Arthur said that he had been pinned against the wall by Tustin, called a "horrible ugly brat", and his grandmother found several bruises on his back. A man accused of murdering his son said he "probably" valued his partner's love and affection over his child's welfare. 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 distressing were the clips that Judge Mark Wall dissuaded the prosecution from playing all of them. I was not there. 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. [2][3] The two separated shortly before his second birthday. Ms Tustin took pictures and recorded audio clips and videos of Arthur being punished, sending them to Mr Hughes, jurors were told. The camera also recorded the couple and Tustin's children enjoying food and leisure activities which Arthur was not allowed to participate in. Six-year-old Arthur from Solihull, West Midlands, was poisoned, starved and beaten during a campaign of abuse by stepmother Emma Tustin, 32, and his father Thomas Hughes, 29, during the weeks. Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow is referred to using her surname throughout this article. [13], Emma Tustin was convicted of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes at Coventry Crown Court in December 2021, and was given a life sentence with a minimum of 29 years. Like the CCTV, she claimed the purpose of the voice notes was to 'cover my own back'. The alleged incident took place. 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. The death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes raises hard questions we must address them all | Harry Ferguson. [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. Thursday 2 December 2021 17:54, UK Arthur's father Thomas Hughes and mother Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow had shared custody of the child, until her arrest for killing her own partner in February 2019. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The monster even had the gall to claim the boy was making her life 'hell'. She concluded there were no safeguarding concerns and no need to refer the case for a full child service assessment. But her ultimate unravelling came as she was quizzed about Arthur's collapse. The hallway where Arthur's heart stopped beating is where he had spent most of his time during lockdown. Cellmates of evil stepmum who murdered arthur, 6, lace her food with salt. Thomas Hughes, Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Emma Tustin. The jury was told that Arthur's head injuries were comparable to someone who had been in a serious car accident.