It didn't take long for things to deteriorate for Arthur. Is climate change killing Australian wine? 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". Opening the case on Thursday, Mr Hankin said: "His clothes looked dirty, his lips cracked, he could barely open his mouth to speak, his hair was dirty, his nails were dirty and he looked malnourished, gaunt and worn-out.". He was found not guilty on counts 4 (deprivation of food and drink) and 5 (salt poisoning). 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. 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", "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? 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. The day before Arthur died he joked about paying someone to 'dig Arthur's grave'. He said he 'put Arthur in this position' and that he set the rules in the house which Tustin only followed to a 'certain degree'. Three donation days, held at Edgbaston to take in new and nearly new donations of gifts and books, are now ended. The proceedings exceeded two months and were even halted by a fire alarm and Covid-19 alert along the way. A jury has now convicted dad Thomas Hughes of manslaughter and step-mother Emma Tustin of murder. On 6 May 2020, Mr Hughes texted Ms Tustin, telling her: "Tell him not to move a muscle - put him by the fridge, put him outside or wherever, give him away. Police, CAMHS, a social worker and his school all received concerned reports about his welfare. You were in this movie. March 2020: Hughes took Arthur to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services practitioner, Kerry Forsyth-Benson, who reported the boy saying he was worried about his dad not returning. Mr Hankin said the evidence indicated Arthur was isolated and "physically and verbally abused", while access to food and drink were "controlled or restricted". Accused dad 'besotted with girlfriend who said he was too soft on son' 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. The day before Arthur died he joked about paying someone to 'dig Arthur's grave'. They were among the key pieces of evidence which helped a jury convict a sadistic dad and step-mother of killing little Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. 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. [23][13] Police officers examined hundreds of videos, audio files and photos found on Tustin's and Hughes' mobile phones, and analysed thousands of messages they sent each other. A "bullying" father and stepmother "poisoned" a six-year-old boy with salt and exposed him to months of "cruel" abuse, a court has heard. Tustin was equally vile. 8 June 2020: Arthurs school reopened but Hughes did not send his son back, initially claiming the boy hadnt slept well and would return the next day. BrumWish 2021 aims to get thousands of Christmas gifts to young children in need across our city - the homeless, the vulnerable, kids in care and kids who have little. It was not intentional," he added. Arguably the most heart-breaking clip to watch was Arthur being so weak on the morning of his collapse that he barely had the strength to carry his bedding out of the living room, where he had been forced to sleep. A Home Office pathologist concluded the pattern of many injuries suggested they were inflicted and none-accidental. We have used the asterisk no less than 600 times during our live coverage of the case. I don't want them to suffer. Tustin was subsequently found guilty of child cruelty counts 4 (deprivation of food and drink) and 5 (salt poisoning). Arthur's grandmother, Mrs Halcrow, agrees. Minutes later, Arthur was unconscious. The six-year-old died in hospital from a brain injury after he was found fatally injured at a house in Shirley, Solihull. He said he 'put Arthur in this position' and that he set the rules in the house which Tustin only followed to a 'certain degree'. I don't want Emma to suffer.". (modern). Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: A life cut short by cruelty - BBC News My mum, my dad. 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. I didn't want to lose another child and the only way I could protect that child was to try and protect Emma from it all and take the blame for myself.". He was found not guilty on counts 4 (deprivation of food and drink) and 5 (salt poisoning). Ironically, all it did was serve to incriminate her and Hughes further. Tustin, 32, and 29-year-old Hughes were accused of killing Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, who suffered an "unsurvivable" brain injury on June 16, 2020. 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. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. On the first day of the trial, Ms Tustin admitted child cruelty by ill-treating, while Mr Hughes denies a similar charge. 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 monster even had the gall to claim the boy was making her life 'hell'. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. New patients are welcome. 17 June 2020: Doctors concluded nothing could be done to save Arthur and his life support machine was switched off at 1am. What made this case so unique was the fact there was a camera installed in the living room of Tustin's home. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: injuries suggested treatment 'amounting to An eight-week trial at Coventry Crown Court. The prosecutor stated social services were presented with a 'false picture'. Locations. She was told that Arthur's injuries had been sustained in a fight with Tustin's son. To get the latest email updates from Yorkshire Live, click here . Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was the son of Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow and Thomas Hughes. She explained she was told Arthur had a playfight with Tustin's son which resulted in both being hurt. [22], Due to the nature of Arthur's injuries and the accounts given by Tustin and Thomas Hughes, both parents were arrested on the evening of 16 June initially on suspicion of assault and then murder. He said the messages were so constant they became 'boring', and he stopped listening to them. No-one else. While much of the exchanges were inaudible Tustin could be heard regularly asking what Hughes had said to the police. Just a few months later, he was gaunt, malnourished and too weak to hold a glass of water Mr Jarman had smuggled him. Hughes made his confessions to the police in the subsequent interviews after the van journey. Read about our approach to external linking. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? 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. We pay respect by giving voice to social justice, acknowledging our shared history and valuing the cultures of First Nations. Hughes was described as weak by the senior investigating officer, Det Insp Laura Harrison. 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. Tustin said at one point to Thomas that "I want you but I don't want him". [5] The assault is believed to have lasted one minute. What made this case so unique was the fact there was a camera installed in the living room of Tustin's home. 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. Sentences for killers of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes to be reviewed for Tustin could be heard 'policing' Arthur in some of the clips barking 'stand still, stand still'. 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Six year old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes suffered a catalogue of abuse before succumbing to fatal injuries at a home in Solihull last year, Yorkshire breaking news and updates sent straight to your inbox. [33], My Lover My Killer, Episode 2 - Netflix (story of mother Olivia). Tustin pleaded guilty to child cruelty counts 2 and 3. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six, collapsed from fatal injuries at a home in Shirley, Solihull on June 16 last year. Tustin could be heard 'policing' Arthur in some of the clips barking 'stand still, stand still'. 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. Hughes' WhatsApp messages became increasingly malevolent. All it did was underline her inhumane treatment of her step-son. [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. Hughes allegedly spoke of putting him up for adoption. One witness said the previously happy and healthy boy looked "as though he were broken" on the day of his death. [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 didn't see it. In one message she said 'f****** launch this lying little f***' and in another she warned she was 'going to chin this little c***'. Tustin maintained she has used salt for the same purpose whilst being in custody. The fly on the wall CCTV footage, the terrorising text messages and a capitulation in the witness box. Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six, was allegedly killed after suffering systemic abuse which matched the 'medical definition of child torture', including being deprived of food, made to stand for 14 . Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Killer father has sentence increased 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. ", 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.". I don't want Emma to suffer.". Tustin spent over a week in the witness box. Tustin claimed she was shedding tears for Arthur. She was also found guilty of child cruelty counts 4 (deprivation of food and drink) and 5 (salt poisoning). The monster even had the gall to claim the boy was making her life 'hell'. [25] He is being held at HMP Wakefield. 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. Tustin pleaded guilty to child cruelty counts 2 and 3. 'No-one loves me' - Harrowing audio of crying Arthur Labinjo-Hughes