A man has been sentenced for 21 years, and his accomplice for an average of 29 years in connection with the killing and torture of his six-year-old son Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. Emma Tustin, 32, killed the boy after inflicting a fatal head wound inside her residence in Solihull on the 16th of June last year.She took a picture of the victim lying on the floor and sent the picture for his dad Thomas Hughes, 29.
Hughes was found guilty of manslaughter for the child.
In his sentencing, Justice Wall told Coventry Crown Court that the matter is “one that was the most traumatic and troubling” cases he’s ever had to deal with. The judge said neither defendant did not show any regret and their behavior was “spiteful or sadistic”. A particularly disturbing aspect, he claimed the fact that Tustin’s two children “lived happily in the home” just a few feet from the spot the place where Arthur was subjected to a sexy brutal abuse.
The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) will issue a report about West Midlands Police’s interactions with the incident in the coming days however it has said that it “found no evidence that any person was acting in a way that warranted disciplinary action”. Emma Tustin and Thomas Hughes, The jury heard that Arthur was poisoned by salt, subjected to frequent beatings, not allowed food or drinks and forced to stand for hours in the hall.
The jury was told Tustin executed an attack that killed him through violently shaking the boy and repeatedly banging his head against the hard surface. even though Hughes wasn’t present at the time the incident occurred, he was found guilty of the death because the jury heard that he “encouraged” violence towards his son and slapped him with beatings. Emma Tustin refused to leave the prison and appeared in the courtroom to hear her sentence Friday. She did not show any guilt at any time throughout the two-month trial. Thomas Hughes did apologise via his lawyer, however it’s hard to believe this will be a big deal with the family members present at the trial and many of them were crying.
Judge Mark Wall praised Arthur’s two grandmothers, Joanna Hughes and Madeleine Halcrow and told them that they’d been brave to go in court to read the impact of their actions on victims statements.Nine of the eleven jurors returned to the courtroom to hear about the two who were sentenced to prison. It’s been a difficult trial for all. This is a story that has touched everyone who has read, seen or heard about it. There’s more to come since further investigations will establish whether there was a missed opportunity to intervene, and perhaps help Arthur.
