Solihull woman convicted of six-year-old's murder, his father convicted of manslaughter
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes collapsed and died from a brain injury
Last updated 2nd Dec 2021
The step-mother of a six-year-old boy has been convicted of the murder of her step-son while the child's father has been convicted of manslaughter.
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes collapsed and died after suffering a brain injury in Solihull in June last year.
Emma Tustin was found guilty of murder and child cruelty. Thomas Hughes was found guilty of manslaughter and child cruelty.
The court heard during the trial that they had never seen a child with so many head injuries and they could not have been self inflicted.
Prosecutors argued that 32-year-old Tustin carried out the fatal assault while having sole care of Arthur, and fetched her mobile phone immediately afterwards to take a photograph of the youngster as he lay dying in the hallway of her home in Cranmore Road.
29 year-old Hughes was accused of aiding and abetting in the murder, including by sending a text message to Tustin before his son's fatal collapse telling her "kid's getting ended when I get back".
Prosecution lawyers also stated that the pair carried out a "campaign of cruelty", amounting to "torture", against Arthur, in which he was force-fed salt-laced meals, kept isolated in the home, starved, dehydrated and routinely beaten.
During the trial, Tustin admitted two counts of child cruelty, but continued to deny murder.
They'll both be sentenced tomorrow.
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