Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Step mum accused of labelling boy, six, 'devil child' days before his death

A woman accused of murdering her boyfriend's six-year-old son labelled him a "devil child" in the days leading up to his death.

Messages read out in court show Emma Tustin, 32, referred to Arthur Labinjo-Hughes as a 'little t***', 'little p****', 'little f***' and 'little c***' in messages to her boyfriend Thomas Hughes, 29, in the weeks before the boy suffered fatal injuries, Coventry Crown Court heard.

Tustin and Hughes are accused of "poisoning" the child with salt before killing him by "banging his head against a hard surface".

Arthur collapsed at Ms Tustin's home in Solihull, West Midlands, on June 16, 2020. He died the following day at Birmingham Children's Hospital having suffered a serious brain injury. The court was told Tustin sent numerous texts claiming the young boy was screaming, not eating his food as well as attacking her.

Ms Tustin text her partner: "I want you but not him. I'm not being treated like that by him."

Hughes replied: "It can't be one and not the other. Unfortunately, it's got to be both or none."

In response, the court was told, Tustin messaged: "Cya." Ms Tustin has pleaded guilty to one count of child cruelty but denies further charges. Mr Hughes also denies child cruelty offences.

Other messages shown in court made reference to Mr Hughes hitting Arthur, as well as kicking a door.

Opening the case on Thursday, Mr Hankin said: “His clothes looked dirty, his lips cracked, he could barely open his mouth to speak, his hair was dirty, his nails were dirty and he looked malnourished, gaunt and worn-out”.

Arthur was “segregated and isolated” for “up to 14 hours a day”, often made to stay on the step next to the hallway by the front door, and prevented from having food and drink.

Mr Hankin said: “The evidence you will hear, the prosecution say, indicates Arthur was physically and verbally abused, isolated, access to food and drink were controlled or restricted, he was deprived of basic living comforts; a bed, clothing.

“And he suffered psychological maltreatment – bullying, in ordinary language.”

Mr Hankin told the jury at Coventry Crown Court that “Arthur was made to sleep on the living room floor” at Tustin’s home in Cranmore Road, Solihull, and that, after his death, “a duvet was found in a cupboard under the stairs”.

He added: “It is striking, the prosecution say, that there is no clear evidence of the presence of Arthur living in that house.”

Medical evidence revealed the youngster died from a “head trauma inflicted on him by an adult, the most likely mechanism being that he had been vigorously shaken and his head banged repeatedly against a hard surface”.

Notes from hospital doctors who treated him after his collapse at the two-bed house Tustin shared with Hughes also revealed he had been “poisoned with salt” and had suffered extensive bruising over his frail body.

Jurors were shown photographs of Arthur in the house as he was “compelled” into “forcibly standing in isolation and he would be punished for unauthorised movements, including attempts to sit down”.

Tustin took pictures and recorded audio clips and videos of Arthur being punished, sending them to Hughes.

In one example the boy was shown standing by the fridge as punishment, and numerous audio clips were played of him “crying and wailing” for long periods.

Hughes also “pressure-pointed” Arthur as punishment, jurors were told.

Tustin and Hughes exchanged messages referring to Arthur in derogatory terms, and there were “many examples of threats of violence”.

On May 6 2020, Hughes texted Tustin, telling her: “Tell him not to move a muscle – put him by the fridge, put him outside or wherever, give him away.

“Put him out with the rubbish.”

The prosecutor said Tustin recorded more than 200 audio files of Arthur in “various stages of distress”.