This horrendous photograph shows the horrific bruises that six-year old boy suffered two months ago after he was beaten to death by his father, stepmother.
The image was taken by Arthur Labinjo-Hughes’ concerned grandmother in a desperate attempt to convince the authorities he was in danger.
Joanne Hughes explained to jurors that she had called social services to request a photograph, and they declined to do so. When social workers visited the next day, they put the marks down to ‘child play’ and recorded ‘no concerns’.
The trial was later informed by one of the social worker that Arthur suffered a yellowing bump on the back. Later, Ms Hughes was shown a photo of Arthur and was shocked at how severe they had been.
Arthur was said to have died after being subjected to systematic abuse that matched the “medical definition” of child torture. He was made to stand 14 hours per day, starved, and then poisoned with salt.
Arthur’s father Thomas Hughes (29), and his stepmother Emma Tustin (22) deny the murder of Arthur in their Solihull home, West Midlands. Multiple counts of child cruelty were also dismissed.
Arthur Labinjo Hughes’ worried grandmother took this image in desperate attempts to prove that he was not in danger.
The CCTV footage that Arthur was unable to move after being forced into the living room five days in succession, was shown to jurors on Tuesday.
Yesterday heartbreaking CCTV captured the young man in distress, as his pajamas hang off of him. He grimaced in pain and tried to grab his Avengers pillow.
This haunting video was shot just hours before the trial on June 16, and shows how the sad boy struggles to stand. He then slumps to the floor in the living area.
Arthur, who is struggling to move to the other end of the room due to a limp, cries out “noone loves me” four times.
He takes more than 2 minutes to get up and pick up his duvet, then he can walk for about two meters to the door to another room.
Audio clips were released along with the West Midlands Police video and played before the court today. Arthur can also be heard saying “no one will feed me” seven times in just 44 seconds.
After being exposed to cruelty that amounted to the “medical definition” of child torture, the court was informed the victim suffered a permanent brain injury.
Jurors were informed that this included being starved, made to stand 14 hours per day, and poisoned with salt.
Hughes and Tustin denied the murder of Arthur, as well as multiple charges for child cruelty.
Arthur Labinjo Hughes, six years old, attempts to get duvet off the floor where it was laid.
This heartbreaking clip features Arthur Labinjo Hughes, an exhausted man whose pyjamas seem to have fallen off, and he grimaced in pain while attempting to get his pillow and cover back.
He is barely able walk and can be heard screaming “Nobody loves me”
Audio clips of Arthur crying were sent to Tustin via voicemails. They have been prominently heard throughout the trial.
According to Tustin, Hughes would frequently message Hughes after he left the house with an audio file of Arthur crying and a text containing words such as’still going’ or “started again.”
Tustin was accused of recording more than 200 notes over a three month period.
Arthur has been heard calling for his uncle and grandmother in some of them.
Also, he was recorded asking for water. In other clips Tustin could also be heard saying “stand still” and giving similar instructions.
Jurors saw CCTV footage showing Arthur trying to lift his duvet, after he was forced to stay in the living area for five consecutive days.
Arthur died in the last hours of his life. Jurors told him that he couldn’t lift the bed when he woke up the 16th of June.
It is claimed that Tustin had beaten the head of the schoolboy repeatedly against a hard surface, leading to his death.
Blake Hughes, Arthur’s uncle, told court that Arthur broke down in tears last month after Tustin pushed him against the wall and called him ugly.
Prosecutors claim that Arthur Labinjo Hughes, six years old, was damaged by salt poisoning, starvation and months of abuse. (See father Thomas).
The court heard him tell it: “He claimed that his mom didn’t love and abandoned him.
“He started crying. He said that no one loved him.
Jurors heard that Tustin sent Hughes notes about Arthur crying every time he left the home.
Hughes replied with messages like “dig Arthur’s Grave”, “I’ll take off his neck,” and “The kid is getting it when he gets back.”
He also sent texts saying that he would take his ‘c*****g jaw off his shoulders’ and told his partner ‘put him out with the rubbish’.
Hughes said earlier this week that he will also apply pressure points to Arthur’s neck in order to discipline him after watching videos of police brutality online.
These pressure points would be used for about 10 to 15 seconds to discipline the boy.
Jonas Hankin the Prosecutor stated that Arthur suffered from a lot of physical and verbal abuses by Hankin and Hankin.
On Tuesday, jurors in Coventry Crown Court were shown the disturbing footage. Emma Tustin, 32 and Thomas Hughes, 29 are both accused of murdering Arthur at their Solihull, West Midlands home last June.
In a previous case, jurors heard that Arthur was repeatedly poisoned in salt-contaminated fluids and food.
He stated to the court that neither he nor his family can justify their actions to Arthur. Arthur was an entirely dependent child, completely defenseless on their well-being.
“Arthur became the target of derision, abuse, and systematic cruelty to inflict significant mental and physical suffering.
Arthur was brought to Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital, where his life support was stopped at 1am.
Hughes and Tustin (of Shirley, West Midlands) both denied Arthur’s assassination.
Arthur was placed in the care of his dad after Olivia Labinjo/Halcrow (his mother) was accused of murdering her new partner in February 2019.
Hughes and Tustin were first connected online by Hughes’ mother-of-4 children. The couple then moved into Arthur’s house near Solihull, West Midlands after the Government placed a lockdown because of the outbreak.
The trial is scheduled to continue today, but has been rescheduled for later in the week.