After it emerged that Arthur Labinjo, six years old, had been murdered by his stepmother and father, football fans all over the nation paid tribute. The Attorney General will be reviewing the sentences.
Tens of thousands of fans celebrated Arthur’s passing with an emotional minute of applause at the six-minute mark. These powerful scenes were faithfully reproduced in stadiums all over the country.
At the six minute mark, fans from Chelsea and the Premier League shared a heartfelt tribute with the packed crowd at West Ham’s London Stadium.
Pre-match warmups were held for Birmingham City FC’s Championship clash with Millwall. Players wore ‘Arthur We Love You ‘t-shirts, and Coventry City fans paid tribute to the youth in the six minute mark of the match against West Brom.
Thomas Hughes and Emma Tustin, both of whom were sentenced for over 20 years each, could receive a more severe sentence.
Tustin received a life sentence of at least 29 years, while Hughes was sent to prison for life and a term of minimum 21 years. A parole board must consider her case for a minimum of 29 years.
But Mr Knight, speaking as he lay flowers outside the youngster’s home in Solihull, West Midlands on Saturday, said he intends to refer Tustin and Hughes’ case to the ‘unduly lenient sentencing scheme’ – meaning the pair’s time behind bars could be extended.
This is the horrifying video of Arthur’s stepmother eating a McDonald’s order while her six year-old son starves in the hall last summer.
In June 2020, Hughes (29 and Tustin 32) can be seen eating ice cream at Hughes’ Solihull house in West Midlands. Arthur, who is wearing a fluffy onesie, stands alone in the corridor while the couple rest on the sofa.
Arthur Labinjo Hughes was a youth fan for Birmingham City FC. He was remembered in football stadiums all over the country. Fans acclamated in the memory of Arthur at Coventry City FC’s match against West Brom, as Arthur’s photo was shown.
Julian Knight (MP for Solihull) leaves flowers at Arthur Labinjo–Hughes’s home, after notifying him that he will refer his child’s case the Attorney General to have a sentence reviewed
The capacity crowd at West Ham’s London Stadium erupted in applause as Chelsea and Premier League fans shared their touching tributes during the match’s six-minute.
Birmingham City FC fans clap in tears as they remember Arthur Labinjo Hughes’s life.
In pre-match warmups, the club’s members wore “Arthur we Love You” t-shirts. They also held banners in support of Birmingham City FC’s match against Millwall.
As the fans applaud at six minutes, they share a photo of Arthur Labinjo/Hughes on The Den’s large screen.
Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters applauded during the match against Liverpool FC in Memory of Arthur
Emma Tustin and Thomas Hughes can be seen tucking into ice creams at her Solihull home in West Midlands, last year
As the couple sit down on the sofa and relax, Arthur Labinjo – Hughes (6 years) is left standing alone in the hallway wearing a onesie, in scorching temperatures, in his fluffy white fleece.
Another clip, also recorded by the couple’s house security footage shows Tustin eating out of two McDonald’s boxes, while Arthur starves.
Arthur Labinjo Hughes (left), six-year-old, was subject to horrific abuse. He was starved, tortured, and beat in one the most horrendous cases of child abuse history. Attorney General Suella braverman QC will examine the sentences given to Emma Tustin (32) and Thomas Hughes (29) for their respective roles in Arthur’s murder at Coventry Crown Court.
Another clip, also recorded by the couple’s house security footage shows Tustin eating out of two McDonald’s boxes, while Arthur starves.
Hughes and Tustin tortured Hughes, starved him, forced him to eat salt-laden meals, and left him alone for over 14 hours each day. It was a cruel, painful, and even hellish treatment that endured through the end of Hughes’s life.
Speaking in Solihull on Saturday, Mr Knight said: ‘There’s a palpable sense of real loss and tragedy over this and also, frankly, a sense of anger, and questions over how this was allowed to happen, how these monsters were allowed to inflict this horrible torture on this young, defenceless boy.
“My position is very clear on this. It is important to find out how it happened, and to hold the people responsible.
“But I believe anyone that reflected upon those sentences yesterday feels that they were too lighthearted. Therefore, my intent is to refer it to the unduly mild sentencing system as soon as I can. That will happen Monday morning.
This revelation comes just as Tustin’s neighbours reveal that she chased an ex-boyfriend using a garden spade. It is a reminder of the chaos Arthur had to endure up until his last days.
CoventryLive was contacted by a neighbor who didn’t want to be identified. She claimed that Tustin had armed herself and chased off an ex-boyfriend with a spade from her garden.
A neighbor explained that her ex was a nutcase who had become a fruit loop. Her ex-husband came running down the street one day. There had been some row and she was following him with a spade.
It was claimed that the stepmother of the “evil” had rowed in disputes with neighbours over cat ownership.
The neighbour said that she had a panic attack about cats as soon as she arrived.
‘She was shouting “get your cats to stop s***ing on my driveway”. As though you were capable of doing that.
After a 6-year-old boy was tortured, starved, and beaten to death by his stepmother, social workers, teachers, and police are now facing serious questions.
Emma Tustin smashed Arthur Labinjo/Hughes’ head repeatedly on a hard surface, killing him after Thomas Hughes (29 years old) starved and force-fed him salty food.
Tustin instantly took a photo of Arthur as he was dying, and immediately pulled out her phone so she could send it to her boyfriend.
She called 911 and informed the operator Arthur had shaved his head.
After police arrived at her Solihull home, the self-pitying stepmother cried and tried to convince them the stick-thin boy had attacked her – while several miles away he lay dying in hospital.
The next morning, he died after his life support was shut off. His injuries were so severe that medics couldn’t do anything to help him.
Concerned relatives reported bruises to the council. Angela Scarlett and Jayne Kavanagh, social workers, visited Tustin’s house. They found no problems after performing cursory checks.
Hughes and Tustin had instructed Arthur and another Tustin child to pretend that Arthur’s injuries were caused by a playfight.
Arthur was left unable to drink water after being inflicted with ‘unsurvivable’ head injuries by Tustin. After Arthur’s death, 130 areas of bruises were found across his body. This was equivalent to “nearly one bruise per day of lockdown”.
Social workers didn’t want to reveal their identities when giving evidence.
Justice Mark Wall, QC, sentenced Tustin to prison and Hughes to jail Friday.
Emma Tustin (32), killed Arthur Labinjo–Hughes repeatedly by slamming him on hard surfaces after Thomas Hughes, 29, starved and poisoned him.
Following the sentencing hearing of Arthur LabinjoHughes’ parents, tributes were placed outside Arthur LabinjoHughes’ Solihull house
When Arthur died, Sick Tustin grabbed her cell phone and took a photo of Arthur. (See Hughes with Arthur)
Pictured are six-year-old Arthur Labinjo Hughes with Thomas Hughes and Emma Tustin, Thomas Hughes’ partner. After a long and difficult trial at Coventry Crown Court, Emma Tustin was convicted of murder. Thomas Hughes has been found guilty of manslaughter.
Arthur, he said: “He was a happy and healthy young man.” He liked his food and enjoyed school. He was a fan of cricket and football, and loved spending time with his extended families.
He had taken so many salt pills that it was impossible to measure the sodium levels in his blood. You must have been giving him smaller amounts of salt over a period.
Arthur’s incessant crying for food is due to this. He refuses food from you. This explains why you restricted his water access for a while.
“He was completely cut off from all his family. He had to be left alone and isolated in his home for the majority of the day.
“He had to be made to lie down on the floor, without any mattress.
“In Arthur’s final three months, he endured the most inhumane suffering at both your hands.
“You told lies to hide what was going on in the house.”
Hughes responded by saying: “You researched pressure point Arthur first and then you did it. He said this not in a playful way as Hughes suggested, but rather to create maximum pain and minimal injury.
Arthur’s maternal grandmother, Madeleine Halcrow, said Arthur loved nothing more than to play outside. He was made to wear a onesie during the baking heatwave, and was then forced to stay in isolation in a hall for fifteen hours per day for six weeks as part of a “punishing regimen”.
This little boy loved food, and was happy to have his meals. He died after being starved, and then forced to consume a deadly salt slurry. The bullies were seen shouting at Arthur from the corridor, while they enjoyed fish and chips, and McDonald’s, with Tustin’s kids.
They ‘denigrated and dehumanized him’. Arthur was made a miserable, sad, skinny, weak, unhappy child by the pair.
Arthur died in his final hours. The footage showed him grimacing with pain, his thin frame visible through his worn pyjamas. He shouted “no one loves” four times and then “no one is going for me” seven times. This was in just 44 seconds.
Hughes even cut the favorite Birmingham City shirt of the boy in one of his bizarre punishments.
After being attacked by salt-saturated inmates, she tried to overdose on heroin and then hang herself.
Arthur suffered 130 different injuries, according to tests.
Two counts of child cruelty were admitted by Tustin during the horrendous trial in Coventry. She assaulted the boy three times and made him stand or sit in her hallway up to 14 hours per day. This was part of a behavioural program.
She agreed to make 200 audio recordings with Arthur. She cried and mooaned during the punishments.
Some of the extracts were played before the court. One in which the boy says ‘no one loves me’ and another where he says ‘nobody’s going to feed me’.
Hughes had testified to Tustin’s mental abuse and that he ‘gaslighted him’ into following the discipline regime. However, he also admitted lying about it to the school staff, who were monitoring Arthur’s progress at the time of the Covid lockdown.
Tustin has admitted being cruel to Arthur in certain instances and was pregnant at that time with Hughes’ unborn child. Tustin has stated she is ‘disgusted’ and embarrassed by the admissions.
She claimed Arthur’s head injury was self-inflicted and that he had fallen down the stairs in her hallway.
This comes just as Arthur, the Director of Association of Child Protection Professionals stated that Arthur should be the highest priority of the local social services.
Wendy Thorogood, Times Radio, was asked if six-year old should be at top of priority list for social services. She said: “He should, and you would expect them to look at his past, but unfortunately, they just go with what they see right now.
“I cannot comment on the actual events, but it is important to recall that he was being controlled by cruel individuals who were able manipulate his environment as well as professionals.
“I would have expected that any assessment would really consider the grandmother’s photographs, I would have expected to join conversations and to actually talk with Alfie. That seems to have been missing.”
Ms Thorogood stated that the child was not receiving additional education or supervision because he was living under Covid.
“I believe they thought he was playing out, happy and boisterous.
“I expected that any bruises shown would have been discussed with the health care team to have an idea of where it was.
The most important thing to do is speak with the child. I don’t know if that ever happened.
“Equally, it is a society responsibility in relation to him cries were so unusual if we had an anonymous phone call from one the neighbours that could give them more power to investigate.
“He wasn’t on any child protection lists. He wasn’t the kind of child you would consider to be a priority.
It comes as the ex-head of the council department that failed Arthur Labinjo-Hughes announced she was retiring weeks after his murder – but refused to apologise yesterday.
Six-year-old Louise Rees died in a car accident. Sources claim that Louise Rees, sixty, resigned from Solihull Council shortly afterwards.
But she was allowed to keep working, and drawing her £123,000 salary, for another 12 months while a replacement was sought. When contacted by Daily Mail, Mrs Rees did not apologize.
Louise Rees (pictured), 60. She resigned from Solihull Council shortly after six-year-old died. Sources claimed shockwaves erupted around the department of children’s services.
The ex-head of the council department that failed Arthur Labinjo-Hughes (pictured) announced she was retiring weeks after his murder – but refused to apologise yesterday
Mrs Rees is likely to have left with a generous lump sum and an annual pension of at least £40,000. She is currently retired and loves it according to her LinkedIn profile.
The career civil servant also left her previous job at Stoke City Council, where she was the £140,000-a-year director of children and family services, a week before it too was lambasted for serious failings.
Ofsted inspectors concluded that Mrs Rees was responsible for a’serious decline’ in services to children during her tenure. This is due to ‘poor leadership, poor management oversight, and a dearth of performance inspection.
The children were not being protected and faced a ‘risk of severe harm’ because they had suffered ‘widespread, serious failures.
Though inspectors were not able to single out specific individuals, the February 2019 report by them was clear.
They stated that leaders and managers had failed to recognize and manage risks at all levels of an organisation.
A 2015 inspection found that the services were either poor or in need of improvement. The council chiefs did not know this.
Eleanor Brazil was appointed to the review of the department in the aftermath of the report. She is the government commissioner who led the turnaround at Haringey Council, north London, after the Baby P scandal.
Boris Johnson has said he found it difficult to read about Arthur’s case, saying on a by-election campaign visit in Oswestry, Shropshire: ‘I just want to say on the tragic and appalling case of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, like many people I find it hard to read it, let alone to understand how people could behave like that to a defenceless little child.
And I must admit, that while I was glad to see justice done in that they both got harsh sentences, that does not mean that it is a consolation. We need to learn our lessons from that case.
“And although it’s early days, I can assure you that we won’t stop trying to figure out what happened in this appalling case.”