Arthur Labinjo Hughes, the tragic grandfather of Arthur Labinjo Hughes said that ‘alarm bells are ringing all around’ over his six-year old victim’s horrible abuse and that neighbours raised safety concerns were not taken seriously.
Arthur suffered from ‘unsurvivable brain damage’ and there were 130 injuries found on his body prior to his death, according to a case that broke all hearts.
He also suffered from torture, salt poisoning and was made to stand for 14 hours per day.
Emma Tustin was the boy’s stepmother and was sentenced last week to at least 29-years in prison for her murder. Thomas Hughes was given 21-years for manslaughter. ,
In court, it was revealed that Arthur was visited by social workers at the national lockdown two months before his suicide in Solihull in West Midlands in June. The social workers concluded that Arthur had no safeguarding issues and closed his file.
Today, it was reported that key notes regarding the case were lost by social workers during a pre-trial visit.
Peter Halcrow (Autumn’s maternal grandfather) claims that other family warnings were not heeded.
Tragic Arthur had suffered ‘unsurvivable’ brain damage and a total of 130 injuries were found all over his body before his murder
Peter Halcrow (Arthur’s maternal grandfather) claimed that other family warnings were not acted upon.
He told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme: ‘It’s not as if it was a passing-by thing.
“People started expressing concern and the social services intervened and stated that there was no reason to panic. Hey-ho three or four months later, the boy’s dead.
‘They must have a tick list to do, the house is clean and tidy, blah, blah, blah, so they won’t worry about it.
‘If alarm bells are ringing all around, with neighbours giving statements, surely there must be someone or some kind of body which can step in and say we’re taking that child out of that situation.
‘The father is not man enough to do that himself, someone has to say this child is suffering and needs help and I guess that’s what social services are for.’
Arthur also was loved by his grandparents before Tustin Hughes and Hughes met, and he expressed hope that he would not be sent to prison.
He added, “I would not give them the day of the day, and I wouldn’t want them ever to see the daylight of day again,”
‘[Arthur]You know, he had his entire life ahead of him. He would have had the opportunity to enjoy all that we enjoyed, or get messed up with in our lives.
The news comes just as it is reported that the notes of a social worker, taken after visiting Arthur’s home, were lost days before the start of the murder trial.
According to The Sun, the social worker found them halfway through Coventry Crown Court proceedings.
Emma Tustin (left), the stepmother of the boy, was indicted last week and sentenced for at most 29 years for him murder. Thomas Hughes (right) was sentenced for 21 years for manslaughter.
She was questioned over the notes in court, to which she replied: ‘I take my job extremely seriously.
‘If at any point there were any safeguarding concerns I would have acted immediately to safeguard those children.’
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has backed plans for ‘Arthur’s Law’, which would see anyone who carries out the murder of a child sent to prison indefinitely.
The pledge followed a warning from a senior MP that tens of thousands of ‘ghost children’ are at risk of abuse after failing to return to school following the lockdowns.
Robert Halfon (chairman of the Commons education Committee) stated that 100,000 children were ‘lost’ in the system and so vulnerable to domestic cruelty.