Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

**Arthur Samuel Alex Labinjo-Hughes** (January 4, 2014 - June 17, 2020) was a six-year-old child living in the West Midlands, England who was abused and subsequently killed by his carers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Events

### Backstory

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was the son of Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow and Thomas Hughes. The two separated shortly before his second birthday. Both Arthur's parents shared custody of him whilst he lived with his mother. When his mother was imprisoned, Thomas Hughes assumed full custody of his son.

In August 2019, Thomas Hughes met Emma Tustin on the dating website Plenty of Fish. Thomas Hughes introduced his son to Tustin early on in the relationship and she later stated that she and Arthur were 'friends straight away'. As Arthur returned to school after the summer holidays, a teaching assistant stated that she had 'no concerns' about his wellbeing. However, the child's uncle noted that Thomas Hughes seemed to be becoming stricter with the boy, and Arthur appeared to be more fearful of getting into trouble.

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of all schools in the UK and a national lockdown. Arthur and his father were staying in Tustin's home. Though Thomas Hughes's mother asked that he and Arthur come to her house, he refused, instead deciding to move in with Tustin's at her home in Solihull for the duration of the lockdown.

### Abuse

In April 2020, Thomas Hughes returned home with his son for a few days due to a disagreement with Tustin. Whilst he was at his grandparents' house, Arthur said that he had been pinned against the wall by Tustin, called a "horrible ugly brat", and his grandmother found several bruises on his back.

Thomas Hughes soon returned to his partner's house and refused the grandmother's request to leave the boy at her house for longer, prompting her to report him to social services. The next day, a social worker went to visit Hughes and Tustin's household. She was told that Arthur's injuries had been sustained in a fight with Tustin's son. The social worker concluded that Arthur was 'very happy and very safe' and that there were no safeguarding issues in the household.

In May 2020, Arthur was frequently made to stand in the hallway for long periods of time as a punishment for his alleged misbehaviour. Tustin reported these incidents to Thomas via text messages and audio clips of him crying. In these clips, the child could be heard crying for his grandmother and uncle, and at one point said "nobody loves me". The couple used insults such as "Satan", "Hitler", "Devilchild", "weasel" and various swear words to refer to the boy. HE would threaten violence against Arthur regularly. By the end of the month, Arthur was moved out of Tustin's son and daughter's bedroom and made to sleep on the living room floor. He was made to sleep there even when the other children slept elsewhere.

When Arthur's school reopened on 8 June he was not in attendance; Thomas Hughes was contacted by the school about the matter but provided various excuses for the child's absence. The couple installed a camera at home to monitor Arthur during his isolation. Arthur spent 35 hours of the three-day period between 12 and 14 June in the hallway having been forced to go there by his father and step-mother. He was slapped by Tustin for entering the living room. The camera also recorded the couple and Tustin's children enjoying food and leisure activities which Arthur was not allowed to participate in. On 15 June, Tustin took Arthur with her to spend most of the day at her hairdresser's house. Throughout the six hours Tustin was there, she forced the boy to stand by the door, and frequently shouted and swore at him. The child collapsed to the floor as they left the hairdresser's but was not helped by either Tustin or Thomas when he arrived. Later that evening, Thomas belted Arthur's legs and later told Tustin to "Just end him".

### Murder

On the morning of 16 June, Arthur appeared on CCTV footage to be weak, in visible pain and struggling to lift his bedclothes. Thomas Hughes, Tustin and Arthur went back to the hairdresser's house where Arthur was constantly shouted at by the former two. The child was secretly given a drink of water by the hairdresser's partner, who later described him as "gaunt", "malnourished" and "a poor little kid who was broken". After getting home, Tustin went upstairs to use cosmetics at about 2pm. Later at trial, the prosecution argued that she gave Arthur an overdose of salt in the bathroom at around this time though Tustin denied this. Additionally, Tustin photographed Arthur crying in the hallway at 2:15pm.

Tustin is believed to have carried out the fatal assault at 2:29 p.m when she went into the hallway, where Arthur was located. She shook Arthur and hit his head against a hard surface multiple times. The assault is believed to have lasted one minute. Twelve minutes later, after phoning Thomas Hughes, Tustin called 999 and told medics that he "fell and banged his head and while on the floor banged his head another five times". Tustin then took a photo of the dying boy, which she sent to Hughes. Paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance Service and officers from West Midlands Police arrived on scene shortly after the emergency call was made. Arthur was left with an unsurvivable brain injury. Arthur was taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital; however, doctors were unable to save him and he died later that night. He was six years old. At the time of his death, a medical review found that he was covered in 130 bruises, that he had been poisoned with salt, and that the extent of his injuries were compared to torture.

## Aftermath

The case made a significant impact on the local community and particularly football fans. Arthur's favourite team, Birmingham City F.C, named a children's area in its stadium after him and supporters sung his name on a march through Birmingham prior to a match. More broadly the child was honoured at various football matches on 4 December 2021. The head of Solihull council reported that social workers had been forced to leave their homes due to abuse and threats related to the case. The incident provoked discussion of the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the welfare of vulnerable children.

### Conviction and Trial

Due to the nature of Arthur's injuries and the accounts given by Tustin and Thomas Hughes, both parents were arrested on the evening of 16 June initially on suspicion of assault and then murder. Police officers examined hundreds of videos, audio files and photos found on Tustin's and Hughes' mobile phones, and analysed thousands of messages they sent each other. They uncovered significant evidence of abuse inflicted on Arthur by both.

Emma Tustin was convicted of murdering Arthur Labinjo-Hughes at Coventry Crown Court in December 2021, and was given a life sentence with a minimum of 29 years. She is being held at HMP Peterborough.

Thomas Hughes was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 21 years. He is being held at HMP Wakefield.

## News

*For news articles on Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, see here.*

## In popular media

### Podcasts

* The Smart 7: Ep. 542 (6 December 2021)
* Today in Focus: The death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and the crisis in social work (8 December 2021)