UK - Arthur Labinjo Hughes, 6, killed, dad & friend arrested, June 2020

[Tortoise]

13:06JAMES CARTLEDGE
Tustin 'can't explain' why she hit Arthur's head
The court is played the footage from the evening of June 15 which shows Tustin bend down and swipe her hand at the back of Arthur's head.

Tustin accepts at that moment she suspected Arthur may have had a headache and concussion from falling and hitting his head on the concrete earlier in the day.

Mr Richmond asks why she slapped him in the exact place she thought he was suffering pain.

Tustin: "At that point I didn't know the extent of it. I just thought he was being difficult. Looking back I can see more clearly he was ill and weak. In that situation I thought Arthur was being difficult. That behaviour was every single day.

"I didn't know how bad his head was hurting. I didn't know if he had a headache, I didn't see it. I accept I shouldn't have done these things."

Judge Wall asks Tustin to explain why she hit Arthur's head.

Tustin: "I don't know. I cant explain the reason why I did that."

Girlfriend accused of murdering boy says: 'I would not kill a child' - updates

 

[Tortoise]

13:13JAMES CARTLEDGE
Tustin says she never hit her own children
Mr Richmond says she either made a 'conscious decision' to hit Arthur or that she was so 'wound up' she did not have control of her actions.

Tustin: "I wasn't wound up."

She adds it was a 'deliberate act'.

Tustin also accepts the incident was 'assault'. Mr Richmond asks her to look at count three on the indictment - an offence of child cruelty relating to 'wilful assault' of Arthur, which Tustin has pleaded not guilty to.

Tustin: "I didn't say I had hit him. I pulled the pillow from underneath his head. I didn't realise that was assault. The clip where I clipped him, it's not forceful. I didn't know whether that was assault. It wasn't like I had actually struck him.

"I didn't know if that warrants that but if it does then I'm guilty of that."

Judge Wall reads a question from a juror and asks if Tustin ever hit her own children when they were naughty.

Tustin: "No I did not."

Girlfriend accused of murdering boy says: 'I would not kill a child' - updates

 

[Tortoise]

confusing - trapped by her own lies I reckon.

Judge Wall asks Tustin to explain why she hit Arthur's head.

Tustin: "I don't know. I cant explain the reason why I did that."

---

Tustin: "I didn't say I had hit him. I pulled the pillow from underneath his head...

 

[Noseyjosie]

BBM

The clip where I clipped him, it's not forceful. I didn't know whether that was assault. It wasn't like I had actually struck him.

So she is acknowledging the difference.....hmm

 

[Tortoise]

13:29JAMES CARTLEDGE
Tustin accepts she engaged in a 'random act of cruelty' against Arthur
The footage of Tustin pulling the blanket from underneath Arthur shortly after 7am on June 15 is replayed.

Tustin confirms she understood Arthur to be asleep at the time.

Mr Richmond: "That was an unpleasant, cruel thing to do to a child designed to shock them and make them feel immediately uncomfortable and immediately anxious."

Tustin: "Yes. I didn't think about it when I did it. I acted without thinking."

She accepts if Hughes had done the same thing to her children it would have caused an argument.

Asked how many times she had woken Arthur up in that way Tustin replies: "No more than twice."

Mr Richmond: "Yet again you are engaging in a random act of cruelty to this child."

Tustin: "Yes I did."

Girlfriend accused of murdering boy says: 'I would not kill a child' - updates

 

[Dotta]

This trial is so long - if only half of this time was devoted to analyse Arthur's family situation, he would now live happily with an adoptive family.

A family that appreciates the gift of having a child.

Strange is this world

 

[Tortoise]

13:54JAMES CARTLEDGE
Tustin denied Arthur tried to get out of the front door before he collapsed
Mr Richmond puts it to Tustin that, shortly before Arthur collapsed, he was trying to get out of the front door.

Tustin denies that was the case.

Mr Richmond tells the court that, while in custody, Tustin had an argument with a former cell-mate who 'didn't believe you when you said he banged his head off the floor'.

He confirms the woman made a statement and adds: "You screamed at her 'little *advertiser censored**** tried to get out of the front door and I stopped him'."

Tustin: "Not on that occasion. He had tried that previously. On three or four occasions Arthur had done that. But not on this occasion."

Girlfriend accused of murdering boy says: 'I would not kill a child' - updates

 

[Smkd]

There are no videos of that.

Just as prosecution said yesterday that the only admissions Tustin made to physically hurting Arthur related to 3 events that were captured on the living room camera. The camera was only in the living room a total of 4 days before he died! And he spent his waking hours in the hall so the only times he was in the living room appears to be as he was allowed in there late in the evening to set up his bed on the floor and waking up and leaving the room next morning.

I still need to catch up with today’s testimony but that makes me believe her less tbh. Even if the camera wasn’t there for long, she was still in the habit of recording videos and voice notes with her phone and I find it weird that she’d do that for everything else and not for something that is arguably more notable and concerning than crying or screaming.

 

[Tinksx]

Her absolute disdain towards Arthur even in death and her use of language towards a child that died in her care, absolutely knocks me for six. She was caught three times in four days of inflicting cruelty on that poor child, at that was only limited in scope to one room. What happened in other rooms that weren’t covered by cctv? Or in the days before the cctv arrived? I hope they wipe the floor with her…..

 

[Smkd]

She’s admitting to a whole lot on the stand

Also, the fact that she has so much contempt towards Arthur that she would tell a cellmate “little *advertiser censored**** tried to get out of the front door and I stopped him” is incredibly telling. The nerve of this woman to insult him after what they did to him, and after he’s died as a result….

 

[Chessgirl]

I absolutely detest this woman now. She has zero empathy or remorse. She killed that boy in cold blood. If I’m understanding this correctly, did he try to escape and she stopped him and then beat him to death? Is that what this looks like? Poor child probably knew he was going to die and tried to make a run.

13:54JAMES CARTLEDGE
Tustin denied Arthur tried to get out of the front door before he collapsed
Mr Richmond puts it to Tustin that, shortly before Arthur collapsed, he was trying to get out of the front door.

Tustin denies that was the case.

Mr Richmond tells the court that, while in custody, Tustin had an argument with a former cell-mate who 'didn't believe you when you said he banged his head off the floor'.

He confirms the woman made a statement and adds: "You screamed at her 'little *advertiser censored**** tried to get out of the front door and I stopped him'."

Tustin: "Not on that occasion. He had tried that previously. On three or four occasions Arthur had done that. But not on this occasion."

Girlfriend accused of murdering boy says: 'I would not kill a child' - updates

She’s admitting to a whole lot on the stand

Also, the fact that she has so much contempt towards Arthur that she would tell a cellmate “little *advertiser censored**** tried to get out of the front door and I stopped him” is incredibly telling. The nerve of this woman to insult him after what they did to him, and after he’s died as a result….

 

[Dotta]

This woman should have been treated in mental hospital after her suicide attempt, not looking after 5 kids!
Such is a procedure in my country.
Children are taken into Foster care, mother is psychiatrically treated.
Only the doctors and Family Court can decide if a person is given back the parental rights.

And I dont even mention Germany or Sweden where the children are taken from parents even if there is a suspicion of abuse! They act immediately!!!

 

[Tortoise]

14:33JAMES CARTLEDGE
Tustin is accused of encouraging Hughes 'not to blame her for anything'
Mr Richmond asks Tustin about her first visit to court and states it was after Hughes' first police interview.

Tustin: "Possibly."

Mr Richmond: "On returning to the police station on that journey he asked to see the interviewing officer. Then in his second interview he said absolutely everything was to do with him and nothing was to do with you."

Tustin: "I'm aware of the interviews.

Mr Richmond: "What you had been encouraging and getting him to do from the moment Arthur had collapsed was not to blame you for anything."

Tustin: "No that was not my intention and certainly not what I did."

Mr Richmond: "You were using the fact you were carrying his baby."

Tustin: "I wasn't doing that I was entirely expecting to miscarry. I never used my child. I would never use my baby as a weapon."

Girlfriend accused of murdering boy says: 'I would not kill a child' - updates

 

[Tortoise]

14:42JAMES CARTLEDGE
Tustin breaks down as she is accused of 'saving' abortion news 'for time she could cause maximum pain'
Mr Richmond asks Tustin when she told Hughes she had had an abortion.

Tustin says she never told Hughes because she was in custody and was not allowed to speak to him.

Mr Richmond: "You were saving that up for a time you could cause maximum pain to Mr Hughes."

Tustin breaks down in tears. She says: "Pain to Tom? I was the one who gave birth to our child. I went through that alone. His pain could not amount to the pain I went through. That's all I have to say."

14:44JAMES CARTLEDGE
Tustin is accused of 'planting seeds that Hughes's family were trying to take over'
Mr Richmond moves on to the start of their relationship.

Tustin confirms she met Hughes on the 'Plenty of Fish' website.

Mr Richmond says members of the Hughes family have claimed Tustin criticised Hughes for 'being too soft' on Arthur.

Tustin: "That isn't true."

Mr Richmond says she criticised Hughes' mother Joanne Hughes for 'trying to become Arthur's mother'.

Tustin: "No, that was something Tom had said to me."

Mr Richmond: "You were planting seeds in Tom's head his family were trying to take over."

Tustin: "That never came out of my mouth that came out of his."


Girlfriend accused of murdering boy says: 'I would not kill a child' - updates

 

[Ironside]

Hughes seemingly being willing to take all the blame reminds me of Nathan and Shauna from the Becky Watts murder trial.

 

[Smkd]

This woman should have been treated in mental hospital after her suicide attempt, not looking after 5 kids!

Snipped by me

I’m pretty sure she did lose custody of the first two, it was mentioned yesterday I think? I’ll see if I can find it and edit this comment.

EDIT: Yes it was on the Birmingham live trial coverage on the 24th day of the trial (so on Tuesday) on the 11:36 update:

“Tustin states she had her first child aged 17. She says she had to move into a mother and baby unit because she 'wasn't get on' with her own mother.

Tustin tells the court she had her second child aged 20. She says they were aged four and six when the time came they no longer lived with her.

Tustin confirms she tried to kill herself by jumping from the sixth floor of a multi-storey car park.

She confirms she suffered fractures to her skull, pelvis and spine while her ankle was shattered.

Tustin states she was in hospital for five months. She confirms her two children went to live with their fathers and have not returned to live with her. “

Sorry, don’t know how to link to the specific update

 

[Tortoise]

15:02JAMES CARTLEDGE
Tustin 'dripped' poison to Hughes about his parents, barrister alleges
Mr Richmond says Tustin 'put words in Arthur's mouth'.

Tustin: "That didn't happen. I do think words were put in his head by the Hughes family."

Mr Richmond: "Everything was going OK until the Christmas you came on the scene. You kept drip, drip, dripping poison to Tom about his parents."

Tustin: "No. I didn't drip poison. What you are suggesting isn't the truth."

Tustin confirms the 'pink chair' was her idea adding: "As a thinking step yes."

She tells the court Arthur was supposed to sit on the chair for 'five minutes' if he was naughty and an 'additional five minutes if he done something else'.

Mr Richmond says by April 2020 Tustin had 'worked tirelessly to isolate him (Arthur) and Tom from his family'.

Tustin: "You think it was worth putting the work in. I didn't convince him to do anything. Tom did this when his mum called social services. He said she was a disgrace. It was me saying 'just pack him off, send him back, let him see them'. It was Tom that wasn't allowing him to."


Girlfriend accused of murdering boy says: 'I would not kill a child' - updates

 

[Tortoise]

15:07JAMES CARTLEDGE
Tustin recalls Arthur's 'horrendous' bruises but says he did not have them while at her home
Mr Richmond asks Tustin if her account is that she was generally supportive of Hughes and Arthur.

He says: "What you are telling us is that you were a dream girlfriend for a single father?"

Tustin: "No I had my own battles. As Shane (Hawkins) would call me, I was a nightmare, my heart was in the right place but I was a nightmare because of the issues I had."

Mr Richmond asks about the bruises to Arthur's back, captured in the photograph taken by Joanne Hughes in April.

Tustin says Arthur had cuts and marks on his face - as did her own son - but denies he had those bruises while at her home.

She says: "Those bruises are horrendous. I have no idea where they came from. I know when they came back they wasn't there. When social services came they wasn't there."

Tustin asks for a toilet break.

Girlfriend accused of murdering boy says: 'I would not kill a child' - updates

 

[Tortoise]

I wouldn't be surprised if the social worker saw the wrong child with no bruises on his back.

 

[Tortoise]

Snipped by me

I’m pretty sure she did lose custody of the first two, it was mentioned yesterday I think? I’ll see if I can find it and edit this comment.

EDIT: Yes it was on the Birmingham live trial coverage on the 24th day of the trial (so on Tuesday) on the 11:36 update:

“Tustin states she had her first child aged 17. She says she had to move into a mother and baby unit because she 'wasn't get on' with her own mother.

Tustin tells the court she had her second child aged 20. She says they were aged four and six when the time came they no longer lived with her.

Tustin confirms she tried to kill herself by jumping from the sixth floor of a multi-storey car park.

She confirms she suffered fractures to her skull, pelvis and spine while her ankle was shattered.

Tustin states she was in hospital for five months. She confirms her two children went to live with their fathers and have not returned to live with her. “

Sorry, don’t know how to link to the specific update

Yes, she's 32 now, so those two sons were taken from her in around 2012/2013. She hasn't seen them in around 8-9 years and she didn't tell Hughes about them.