Arthur Labinjo Hughes was sentenced by his biological mother to eleven years imprisonment for stabbing her lover. The tragic six-year old is now at the mercy both of his father and stepmother.
Full details of Arthur’s horrific childhood, raised by violent alcoholic Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow, 29, were revealed during the harrowing nine-week murder trial of Thomas Hughes, 29, and his 32-year-old girlfriend Emma Tustin.
Arthur was placed in the care of his father in February 2019. This happened after Labinjo Halcrow had killed Gary Cunningham (29), by stabbing him 12 more times with a kitchen knives in an drunken rage.
Hughes met Tustin (mother-of-four) online. The couple then moved into Arthur’s home in Solihull, West Midlands in March 2020 after the government declared a nationwide shutdown.
Madelaine Halcrow claimed that Tustin was “obsessed” about the possibility that Thomas would come back to Olivia. She also said that Olivia couldn’t get out of Olivia’s life unless she got rid Arthur.
Tustin had her two children placed in foster care because of a suicide attempt. Tustin repeatedly complained that Arthur was too difficult to handle and begged Hughes for Arthur to go home with his grandparents.


Arthur’s biological mother, Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow, 29, (left) killed her partner Gary Cunningham (right) by stabbing him 12 times with a kitchen knife in a drunken rage in February 2019
Arthur witnessed many scenes of domestic violence even before his passing. Arthur witnessed Labinjo/Halcrow stab Mr Cunningham on one occasion.
Arthur was also witness to the sexism between Thomas Hughes’ mother and Arthur’s father. One time, Arthur found himself ‘cowering beneath the covers’ while they tore into one other.
Labinjo-Halcrow and Hughes were seeing each other at the same times, and Hughes was having a relationship with Hughes up until her death.
After a row about Arthur sleeping with Mr Cunningham on February 16, they ended up wrestling as Hughes drove Arthur to Hughes’ home.
Labinjo Halcrow was initially convicted on grounds of diminished liability of manslaughter and sentenced to 18 years in prison at Birmingham Crown Court.
The Court of Appeal overturned her conviction in August after judges found that she was acting in self defense.
However, after a Birmingham Crown Court trial in which jurors again found her guilty for manslaughter July 2021, she was sentenced to 11 year imprisonment.
According to the court, Labinjo Halcrow was Mr Cunningham’s occasional girlfriend.
She claimed that she was the victim of sexual abuse at the hands her victim during her initial trial.
Judge Simon Drew QC, however, dismissed the allegations. She described her instead as “someone that could be bullying, manipulative and prone for lying”
Arthur was released from the custody of his mother and moved to Hughes’ home.
Arthur was diagnosed with high anxiety in July 2019 by a doctor.
Arthur was so sick in November 2019 that Thomas and Hughes talked to Dickens Heath Community Primary, Shirley, as well as Dr Sarah Dixon, a paediatrician about it.
Arthur’s personality was described as being: Clingy, having nightmares and obsessed with murder. Also, an anxious babyish behavior, trust problems. According to the child’s circumstances, all of these traits were normal.
Arthur also stated that he was worried his father would kill him. This was not normal.
Hughes was told by the doctor that Hughes should care for his son and love him. Hughes also needed to take responsibility for his bad behavior.
Arthur was told several times that his mother had joined the Army and had been taken to prison, but she would be soon released.
Aileen Carabine from the school was the Special Education Needs Coordinator. She said that Arthur became ‘fixed’ on his dad’s disappearance and that he had been taken from him by his dad.

After Labinjo Halcrow’s arrest, Arthur was taken into custody by Thomas Hughes and Emma Tustin.
According to Ms Carabine, Arthur began at school in February 2019 but he didn’t know his mother was still in prison until March 2019.
According to the teacher, Arthur was ‘deteriorated’ by October 2019, and had become more reserved and anxious. She said that Arthur was not as happy.
Hughes received a letter from the school advising him to tell his son what he thought after Halcrow was sentenced in September 2019.
Tustin’s barrister Mary Prior stated to the court, Hughes saw the doctor on Jan 6, 2020 two days after Arthur turned six.
This was despite the fact that teachers told her this.
Arthur, who was upset that his father had removed his beloved teddy on March 4, sobbed to school. Hughes was reprimanded by the school for his indiscretion.
Hughes and his father had been arguing on New Year’s Eve. They were shouting at each other because Hughes’s parenting was being criticized.
Hughes lost his relationship with family members.
Arthur had been reported to have lost his mother, but Hughes prohibited all contact. This prompted him into a meltdown for Mother’s Day.
According to Ms. Prior, Tustin told Hughes repeatedly that Hughes could not handle it and suggested that Arthur or both should go back to their parents.
According to her, Hughes was in bed during lockdown and he also played computer games. He would go on lengthy shopping trips that left Tustin so he could deal with the kids.
She quoted from Tustin’s text, “I am naked and waiting for You, all pre-prepared, and waiting for Your soul to take mine.”
Emma responds that he’ll be patient for a long time.
He began to starve Arthur and the boy started screaming.
According to Ms Prior, the ‘noise & cruelty’ were not enough to stop him becoming aroused.
He would eat ice creams and walk about in the heat, right in front his child.
The school offered Arthur a place in school during May despite Hughes’ lockdown.
Arthur seemed very happy, he told them. Arthur was unable to come into school on the 8th of June due to headaches.
The jury was told by her: “Read the messages carefully, she is asking him repeatedly to come back”, to help, and to cry. She kept asking Hughes repeatedly, “What are you going to do about him ?’.’?” Ms Prior said that Hughes responded by telling her to “end him”, “finish him” and “take his jaw off” but she didn’t do either of those.
Hughes sent one message and threatened Hughes to take his jaw off of his shoulders. He also told Tustin, ‘Just gag him. Attach a rope to Hughes’ mouth and wrap a socks around it.
She made a point of Hughes telling police “I couldn’t strike a woman nor her children so Arthur took all my frustrations.”
Headbutting, pressure-pointing his neck, placing his foot on the stomach and repeatedly assaulting him were some of his tactics.
Hughes was quoted as saying that it was “a clash of emotions” and that Hughes was trying to crush the son’s ego by telling him he would drive him around to tell him no and driving him all over. He even cut the favorite football strip of the boy in front.
There were FOUR opportunities missed to save Arthur. How THREE relatives and his teacher pleaded for Arthur’s welfare
Today, Arthur Labinjo Hughes’s relatives blasted the police and social workers who failed to seize the opportunity to save their six-year old son.
MailOnline heard from Madeleine Halcrow his maternal grandmother, that Arthur was hurt by the West Midlands Police and social services. It was possible to save him, but this opportunity wasn’t used.
The nurse spoke out as Emma Tustin, 32, was convicted of murdering Arthur on June 17, 2020, during the Covid lockdown. Arthur’s father Thomas Hughes (29), was found guilty of encouraging the murder. He sent Tustin a text message 18 hours prior to the attack telling her to ‘just stop him. He was cleared however of any murder.
They were both found convicted of numerous child cruelty charges after subjecting him to systematic abuse which matched the ‘medical definition of child torture’, including being deprived of food, made to stand for 14 hours a day and poisoned with salt.
Solihull Council’s Children’s Services is directly to blame for the boy’s death. They failed to recognize a number of opportunities to end Arthur’s torture, before he was killed with 130 injuries.
Joanne Hughes, Arthur’s grandmother told the trial that she believed there was no one to turn to after repeatedly raising her concerns to authorities. Daniel’s uncle was also threatened with arrest because of lockdown rules.
His father took the child into care following Olivia Labinjo–Halcrow’s death in February 2019 of her 28-year old mother. Hughes and Tustin met online. The couple then moved into Arthur’s home in Solihull, West Midlands.
Madeleine Halcrow stated that Tustin was obsessed with the notion that Thomas would return to Olivia and that Olivia could only be freed if she got rid of Arthur.
Tustin was the mother of two children who were taken in care after a suicide attempt. She complained repeatedly that Arthur’s behavior during lockdown made it difficult for her to cope and asked Hughes to allow Arthur to return home to his grandparents.
Arthur, who had suffered an “unsurvivable” head injury, died June 16, 2020. These were the four crucial opportunities that the authorities failed to seize in order to prevent the tragedy.
- One Joanne Hughes called social service on April 16 after seeing Arthur covered with bruises. The bruises were not discovered by social workers when they visited Arthur’s house.
- TWO Joanne told Arthur’s School what she saw on April 20. One member of staff called Social Services, but was informed that the bruises were caused by “play”.
- THREE Arthur’s uncle Daniel Hughes raises his concerns with police. However, he is threatened by arrest if he returns to Arthur’s house.
- FOUR John Dutton is Emma Tustin’s stepfather and makes anonymous calls to social services just weeks before Arthur’s passing.

Solihull Council’s Children’s Services is directly to blame for the boy’s death. They failed to recognize a number of opportunities to end Arthur’s torture, before he was killed with 130 injuries. Arthur and Hughes
Missed Chance 1
They report to social services bruises that Grandmothers have reported to them, but do not spot them in their visits

Joanne Hughes took the image in an attempt to persuade authorities that Arthur was at risk.
Joanne Hughes was Arthur’s grandmother and called Solihull’s emergency service on April 16 with bruises.
They were also informed by her that Arthur claimed the injuries had been caused him Tustin who “grabbed him on the face and called his names, pushed him, and he bumped into the stairs”.
Jayne Kavanagh, a social worker, and Angela Scarlett–Coppage, a support worker, were sent to Shirley, Solihull the next day to respond to her report.
Mrs Kavanagh said that Arthur appeared to be ‘clean, very happy’ and “boisterous” when she found him outside. Other than the ‘faint’ yellow mark at his middle back, she was unable find any other bruising.
She and Ms Scarlett Coppage came to the conclusion that Arthur was in good hands and being taken care of by a happy household.
They stated that they had no concerns about safeguarding and their case was not forwarded to social services. They offered to connect a support worker under the Early Help program, but this did not happen.
Mrs Kavanagh claimed that Arthur had left her in shock when she showed her the photograph of dark bruises along Arthur’s shoulders.
When asked by the court to explain her inability to see bruises that were visible a day before, she answered: “No.”
Elle added, “I was stunned and disbelief these photos could be taken yesterday and my colleague and me hadn’t seen any the next day.”
Madeleine Halcrow was Arthur’s maternal grandmother. Joanne Hughes, her husband Chris and their daughter, Joanne, visited Joanne Hughes’ home in Birmingham, April, to show Joanne Hughes the photograph of Arthur’s bruises, and inquire if they knew where Arthur got them.
MailOnline was informed by her: “I didn’t know because Arthur had blocked me from contact and I hadn’t seen Arthur since October 21st 2019.
“I immediately called Solihull Social Services, and they informed me they had been to Arthur already. They didn’t have any problems.
“I sent them photographs of his back, and they called police. They said that they also went to the house. Social services did not have any worries because the property was in pristine condition.
“So an immaculate home doesn’t count as child abuse?” I replied. My knowledge is that there was no further visitation after this.
Thomas and Emma told both the police officers and the social services that the bruise had been caused by ‘boisterous playing’. Although it was hard because Arthur hadn’t had any contact in the past, nothing was done when it ought to have.
“The entire social services department failed Arthur,” said the nurse. They should have noticed how sick Arthur was and how tired and weak he was. He died just eight weeks later.’
Solihull’s £122,294 Director of Children’s Services at the time, Louise Rees, 60, left in August before the trial began. Rees, according to her LinkedIn profile, is now retired and loves it.
Arthur had been on social service’s radar for 3 years. He was first referred by social services twice in 2018 over concerns regarding his mother Olivia LabinjoHalcrow. Olivia was an alcoholic drug and alcohol user, who eventually was sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering her lover.


Solihull’s £122,294 Director of Children’s Services at the time of Arthur’s death, Louise Rees, 60, (pictured) left in August before the trial began
MISSED CHANCE 2, –
A worried teacher contacts social services to complain about the bruises. However, she is informed that these were due to ‘play’.
Arthur’s School was informed by Joanne Hughes about the four-day earlier referral she received for social services.
Michelle Hull was the safeguarding leader at Dickens Heath Primary School. She then called social services to alert them about Joanne’s report, but they were informed that there were ‘no concerns.
Ms. Hull stated to jurors that she was a “very good judge.”[Mrs Hughes]We were contacted by a woman who called to let us know that she was concerned about Arthur. She also made a referral for MASH (multi-agency safeguarding center)
“She stated that Arthur was her friend and that Arthur had left bruises on his back. She claimed she’d seen bruises.
Ms Hull stated that Arthur’s grandmother raised concerns over Tustin’s mental health and claimed she was a coercive partner.
She stated that she was worried the relationship wouldn’t be positive.
‘She was worried about Thomas and Arthur because the partner that he had – she was worried about her mental health. Emma was Emma’s partner.
Jonas Hankin, QC, the prosecutor, inquired Ms Hull if social services had clarified to her the nature and purpose of the checks that they conducted on Arthur when she visited him at his home.
“What details, if any, were you able to give about the nature of these checks? “What information, if any?” the barrister inquired.
Ms Hull answered, “They told me they saw Arthur and the injuries came from boisterous playing.”
“That their family was in good standing. They had no worries.”
Asking Ms Hull if she’d given more details about her injuries, Ms Hull replied that the support worker only mentioned the bruises to her back.
Ms Hull claimed that Tustin’s social worker did not have concerns over her parenting.
According to the teacher, social services informed her that Arthur’s grandmother was not allowed to receive any information from Arthur because Arthur had never given consent.
Instead Ms Hull offered to volunteer for school “to stay involved, just do check ins with the families”, which Mr Hughes agreed to.
When asked why she made the offer, Ms Hull replied: “Because they were family that we took in and nurtured. That’s how our school operates.”
Dickens Heath raised previously concerns over Arthur’s mental condition.
The school opened in February 2019. His mother was in remand after the death of her boyfriend. He had just been informed that he would be joining the Army.
Aileen Cartabine was his teacher. She said in October that Aileen learned his mother had been imprisoned. He had also become “reserved” and more anxious. He was “fixed” on his father’s disappearance, his father murdering him and then his mother being taken from him.
Hughes met his mother in November 2019, and they discussed Arthur’s vulnerabilities. They also talked about how Arthur is clingy and babyish, as well as how obsessed he is with cuddly toys.
The school as well as the medic informed them both that Arthur was experiencing normal signs and symptoms and that they needed to respond lovingly and with understanding.
Arthur was referred to the mental health services by his school and met Kerry Forsyth Benson in March 2020, a CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services).
MISSED CHANCE3 –
Youngster’s uncle discloses his injuries to police, only for the officer to threaten HIM over Covid rules and arrest him if he visits nephew.
Arthur’s uncle, Daniel Hughes, said he also had photos of the youngster’s bruises and showed them to police, but never heard anything back.
Daniel claimed that Arthur was the one he attempted to contact with Hughes.
He attempted to make another visit to the house, and he called West Midlands Police. However, an officer refused to take any action.

Arthur was abusing at the Solihull house. His uncle Daniel Hughes tried to go with his other relatives and confront Emma Tustin & Thomas Hughes to find out what they were up to.
Daniel claimed that even though a reluctant cop worker agreed to see the photos, he did not hear back.

Madelaine Halcrow was Arthur’s maternal grandmother. She said that Tustin was obsessed with the idea that Thomas would return to Olivia and that she was incapable of getting Olivia out of her own life without getting rid of Arthur.
He replied, “I was on the police chat to find out what I could do to protect my nephew.”
“I was able to have a chat with an operator via webchat. I was given a case number, and within 10 minutes an operator called me.
‘A police officer identified him, and stated that he went to the address with Tustin. [Thomas Hughes]. We were told that we could be held responsible if they asked us to go back to our address.
“I told Arthur that I had pictures of Arthur’s injuries. I wasn’t sure that Arthur would have believed that seeing those injuries made him happy to be okay. The photos were not accepted by him and he said that he would talk to his sergeant to get back to me. He never did.’
Daniel didn’t reveal any details about the date or who took the photographs.
Arthur died, and a neighbor wrote on Facebook that they also reported to police the abuse.
They said: “I called police! I called child services! The child services did not do anything and the toddler died. Solihull Child Services makes me feel sick.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has also been investigating West Midlands Police’s handling of this case. It is now expected to release its findings.
MISSED CHANCE 4
“He was at risk”: Anonymous call made by Tustin’s stepfather to the social services department weeks before tragically killing his son
John Dutton, Tustin’s stepfather told jurors he called Social Services just weeks before Arthur succumbed to fatal brain injuries.
When asked why he made this referral, Mr Dutton chose to remain anonymous and said that he believed he was in serious danger.
Hughes, according to Mr Dutton, ‘dished the discipline’ during visits at his home. He also admitted that he cut Arthur’s Liverpool City and Birmingham City football shirts.

Arthur tries to grab a duvet off the floor where his body was sleeping in CCTV footage that Coventry Crown Court showed him.
Hughes also stated that he confessed to Hughes during a visit in the Covid lockdown how he had “gone to town” on the youth.
According to Mr Dutton, ‘He said that he was going to go to work on us and after he finished it, he went to the bathroom and wept.
Jonas Hankin QC asked Dutton about what that meant. Dutton sobbed and said, ‘Belt the Life out of Him. He continued, “I was simply shocked.” He did not seem like the right type.
According to Mr Dutton, Arthur was not allowed into his home after the call because Arthur was being treated badly by his wife.
Arthur claimed that Arthur was forced to stand at the table facing the wall for hours when he was taken to their home.