Arthur Labingo Hughes: Starting a national investigation into the murder of a six-year-old | UK news

[ad_1]

There will be a national investigation into the murder of six-year-old Arthur Labingo Hughes.

It comes as Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Sky News: “The most vulnerable in our society need the utmost protection.”

The boy, from Solihull, West Midlands, was poisoned, starved and beaten by his stepmother Emma Tustin, 32, and his father, Thomas Hughes, 29, in a long campaign of “vicious abuse”.

Photo: Arthur Labingo Hughes was poisoned, starved and beaten by his stepmother and father

A review will look at how social services and local authorities connect to the criminal justice system to learn lessons from Arthur’s death in June last year.

He sustained an unsurpassable brain injury while in Tustin’s care, with the boy’s body also covered in 130 bruises.

The broader investigation will take place alongside a review of the prison sentences handed down to Arthur’s stepmother and father.

Tustin was sentenced to at least 29 years in prison for the murder of Arthur, while Hughes was sentenced to 21 years for manslaughter after encouraging him to kill his son.

More on Arthur Labingo Hughes

The national investigation will also go beyond the independent domestic protection review already underway.

Speaking to Sky News about the case, Raab, who is also the attorney general and father of two, said he “couldn’t imagine how cruel anyone could be”.

“We’ve made these rulings for the parents, and the attorney general has made it clear that he wants to review them as we have a mechanism to do that,” he told the Trevor Phillips Show on Sunday.

“There will be a local protection review which will look at the actions of the local authority – whether any lessons could have been obtained earlier, and whether any warning flags could have been raised earlier.

“And the Prime Minister has made it clear, in addition, that we want to see how social services and local authorities communicate with criminal justice agencies and what other lessons we can learn.”

Photo: Emma Tastin and Thomas Hughes convicted of abusing and killing Hughes’ six-year-old son.

The Education Ministry is expected to make an official announcement of the national inquiry later on Sunday.

Education Minister Nadim Zahawi is due to make a statement in the House of Commons on Monday on the issue.

The Sunday Times reported that a large-scale investigation is expected to look at whether protection guidelines for at-risk children would be introduced in the event of future national lockdowns.

Please use Chrome browser for an accessible video player

0:55 A tearful greeting from Arthur’s mother read by his grandmother

Raab told Sky News there were “multiple dimensions” to child cruelty issues.

“There is a fact that the individuals responsible for any of this brutality can be very cruel,” he said.

“There is also a response from the local authority. I would say that I think the social workers on the front lines are doing an incredible job.

“As part of the response to the pandemic, we have invested nearly £5 billion to give local authorities the support they need.

“Because one of the things we know about lockdown, while a lot of families enjoy spending more time together, for those who are victims of domestic violence, it’s been a very dangerous time, and some of those risks have been amplified.”

Raab also noted his recent announcement of tougher sentences for those found guilty of child cruelty.

This came on the heels of a campaign for “Tony’s Law” by the adoptive family of Tony Hodgill, who was severely disabled after being abused by his parents.

[ad_2]