Arthur Labinjo Hughes, Death, Cause of Death: Arthur Labinjo Hughes, 6-year-old Boy. passed away tragically. He was murdered by his dad and stepmother after they starved and fed him with salt. The six-year-old boy was subjected to months of abuse by his father and stepmother before they killed him by banging his head ‘repeatedly against a hard surface’, a court has heard. Arthur was deprived of food and made to stand for several hours. He was poisoned before he was killed in his home in June 2020.
It is alleged that the youngster was killed by his father and stepmother. Thomas Hughes, 27, and his partner Emma Tustin, 31, are on trial accused of murdering their son Arthur Labinjo-Hughes by leaving him with a life-threatening brain injury in June 2020. His stepmother Tustin allegedly assaulted Arthur constantly while looking after him at her home in Solihull, West Midlands. While Arthur lies down dying, she snaps pictures of him. She called 999, 12 minutes later, telling medics he had headbutted her and, after falling and hitting his head, ‘banged his head another five times’ by himself.
On Several occasions Hughes texted Tustin telling her to punish him by making him stand for several hours without him moving a muscle or putting him outside with the trash. In another text he suggested in the text that ‘Just end him’ and ‘I’ll fill him in when I get back.’ Some days before the six-year-old passed away, his dad told the neighbors not to pay attention to anyone saying “don’t kill me”, ignore it, I’m not hurting him.’ Tustin has admitted to one charge of child cruelty by ‘forcing [Arthur] to stand, isolating him within the family home, and physically or verbally intimidating him’, with Huges denying a similar charge.
They were both charged by the court with three further counts of child cruelty against the boy by administering salt, assault on multiple occasions, and withholding food or drink. They both deny murder as well as further charges. The trial continues.