UK - Logan Mwangi, 5, found dead in Wales River, Bridgend, 31 July 2021 *arrests, inc. minor* #2

[Dotta]

So....
Everything is clear for me as far as the youth's family situation after today's testimony.

 

[DC50]

In my experience we've spent more time getting to "know" the youth in the last few months than any social worker will have. Current expectation is a visit to each child on their case every six weeks. If he was being passed pillar to post along with potential changes in SW goodness only knows how many things slipped through thanks to "procedure".

 

[HongKongPhooey]

So how come the social worker said in court that she never heard of the threats?

Exactly.

 

[ChloLo]

Scratch everything I just said. Thanks WalesOnline for leaving important details out again. He stayed with the foster family for a few weeks last summer. Made repeated threats to kill Logan and the foster parents definitely told Debbie Williamson.
Adding another summary, I think most of it’s been covered though.

Youth accused of murdering five-year-old spoke of killing people, court hears

 

[BabaVanga]

not excusing his behaviour but being assaulted by his mother, being sent to foster parents and being sent from family to family it seems like, this boy must have felt very unloved and like no one cared about his existence. Whereas by all accounts Logan was cherished and was a happy boy, he would have resented this. Must have made him jealous and angry

Or maybe it all started because he was just born bad. Maybe his mother couldn’t handle his behaviour and that’s why he was sent to foster homes and foster care.

 

[Seattle1]

So how come the social worker said in court that she never heard of the threats?

Seems to me that the social worker believed the teen was being dramatic and excited about the series being released. Taking note the social worker also didn't react to the teen referring to her in very derogatory terms. I think the social worker was more interested in being a "cool caseworker" in the eyes of the teen rather than an advocate for both the foster parents and the ward. MOO

From today's testimony:

The statement continues with the woman describing how the youth would speak to her in a "belittling" manner, and would walk around with a smirk on his face which "unnerved" her.

She says the youth talked about the horror film series The Purge, and said he told her that when the new film came out he was going to kill her, her husband, her daughter and their dog - a comment which "horrified" her. The foster mum said she told the teenager’s social worker about what the boy had said but "she just brushed it off as if it was nothing".

Youth accused of murdering boy, 5, had 'desire for violence' , jury told

ETA: add links to "The Purge"

The Purge - Wikipedia

The Purge

 

[nothinonyou]

Or maybe it all started because he was just born bad. Maybe his mother couldn’t handle his behaviour and that’s why he was sent to foster homes and foster care.

yes maybe but I think this might not have helped his situation, especially the violence. Reminds me of Kim Edwards, not long before her boyfriend murdered her mum and her sister, her mum had punched her in the face on an occassion. I think this can lead to resentment and a feeling that her mum loved her sister more than her and that she wasn't wanted

 

[JuicyLucy]

rsbm

Also to the average person these are glaring red flags. To someone who works with difficult/troubled or whatever word you want to use teens, would this be a bit more normalised. Do social workers become by the nature of the job a bit desensitised?

I think this is spot on. Most of us here would find much if not all of the youth defendant's behaviour completely unacceptable, but a large proportion of a social worker's caseload is obviously going to involve working with young people for whom boundaries have not been clear-cut and the behavioural bar is set low. If using a baseball bat to vandalise the local park (for instance) were regarded as a sufficient red flag to move a child from family or foster care to a secure setting, there would be an immediate crisis in the local authority care sector. Interjecting swear words into every sentence probably barely registers as unusual; I expect many of the adults that social workers interact with do it too. I'm not saying any of this is right, just that social workers are clearly working within the parameters of what's possible, and constantly making relative evaluations rather than absolute ones, still less ideal ones.

Having said that, the behaviour that led to his leaving the foster family, i.e. repeatedly terrorising them with threats of violence and deliberately harming their dog more than once, plus his reaction to being removed back to his family, are all distinct red flags and should have been acted on more proactively. I suppose what I'm saying is that imo the social work input here is a mixture of individual/team failure and systemic/political failure. The tedious 'lessons learned' narrative that I agree will follow is a reflection of that shared blame.

She says on the day the youth was due to leave the family’s care and return to his parents he "turned into a monster", and she had to leave the house.

I've probably missed something, but do we know exactly who was meant by "his parents" when he left the foster carers? It would be interesting to know who he was so anxious about being reunited with that the prospect "turned [him] into a monster".

JMO

 

[Dotta]

Seems to me that the social worker believed the teen was being dramatic and excited about the series being released. Taking note the social worker also didn't react to the teen referring to her in very derogatory terms. I think the social worker was more interested in being a "cool caseworker" in the eyes of the teen rather than an advocate for both the foster parents and the ward. MOO

From today's testimony:

The statement continues with the woman describing how the youth would speak to her in a "belittling" manner, and would walk around with a smirk on his face which "unnerved" her.

She says the youth talked about the horror film series The Purge, and said he told her that when the new film came out he was going to kill her, her husband, her daughter and their dog - a comment which "horrified" her. The foster mum said she told the teenager’s social worker about what the boy had said but "she just brushed it off as if it was nothing".

Youth accused of murdering boy, 5, had 'desire for violence' , jury told

ETA: add links to "The Purge"

The Purge - Wikipedia

The Purge

I have never seen this Purge (and undoubtedly will never watch it, ugh)
BUT
I guess this production is 18+, as the violent games he played.

Did anybody censor the teen's enertainment?

Or tried to interest him with other worthwhile activities, apart from this martial art he practised (which probably turned deadly)?

 

[Alyce]

Scratch everything I just said. Thanks WalesOnline for leaving important details out again. He stayed with the foster family for a few weeks last summer. Made repeated threats to kill Logan and the foster parents definitely told Debbie Williamson.
Adding another summary, I think most of it’s been covered though.

Youth accused of murdering five-year-old spoke of killing people, court hears

Thanks Chloe - yet again, gaps in the reporting. Although I shouldn't complain, at least we are getting a blog, unlike so many other cases when there is nothing at all.

 

[Alyce]

I've probably missed something, but do we know exactly who was meant by "his parents" when he left the foster carers? It would be interesting to know who he was so anxious about being reunited with that the prospect "turned [him] into a monster".
JMO

I think that part is either being deliberately left vague - or the court does know the details but the reporters are not being allowed to publish the information.

 

[tedtink]

Thank you for the updates.

When you are a foster parent, you don’t just sign up to foster cute little babies. You know that most children in the system are going to have multiple issues, and if you are fostering for the right reasons, you hope you are going to be able to work through them with those children. You don’t just toss them out at the first sign of trouble.

That's not trouble though is it? They are serious threats- Bright red flags that should have warranted a psychological evaluation by a child psychiatrist IMO. Cruelty to animals by children is often displaced hostility and anger which can escalate to violence towards people.

15:47Jason Evans


John Hipkin QC begins cross-examination
Barrister John Hipkin QC, for the youth defendant, asks the social worker whether anyone who spent time with the teenager would see that he would "say, shout, even sometimes sing things which were "designed to provoke, to get a rise out of people" - the witness agrees that is the case.

The barrister asks whether the teenager could be "aggravating" or annoying in a physical sense such as poking or kicking - again the witness says yes, adding that sometimes when he was travelling in the back seat of her car, for example, he would pull the seat belt.

The court hears the teenager was originally taken into care after allegedly suffering a "serious assault" at the hands of his mother.



Youth accused of murdering boy, 5, had 'desire for violence' , jury told

Interested to know the dynamics of this relationship here IF involving JC. However I'm not excusing an assault on a child.

Or maybe it all started because he was just born bad. Maybe his mother couldn’t handle his behaviour and that’s why he was sent to foster homes and foster care.

IMO People aren't born bad - Nature/Nurture.

 

[Alyce]

As details of the teen's behaviour was read to the court, Angharad Williamson began crying loudly from the dock.

The foster family said they had continuously raised concerns about the accused's behaviour and threats with a social worker, Debbie Williams, but these were dismissed as "nonsense"."She just brushed it off as if it was nothing," the foster mother said in her statement.

In evidence, Ms Williams denied she was ever told about these concerns.

She told the court how she had visited the accused at a number of addresses - at first virtually, and then in person as Covid restrictions eased.


I wonder why there were no virtual meetings for Logan ?



Logan Mwangi: Murder-accused, 14, was 'a monster'

 

[Dotta]

I wonder why there were no virtual meetings for Logan ?

Logan Mwangi: Murder-accused, 14, was 'a monster'

But was Logan assigned to a social worker?
I thought only the teen was.

 

[ChloLo]

Logan’s social worker said she had weekly phone calls with AW

 

[Dotta]

Logan’s social worker said she had weekly phone calls with AW

But what was the purpose of a social worker for Logan?

Were there any problems before?

 

[tedtink]

A teenage boy accused of murdering a five-year-old had a “desire for violence” and spoke of killing people, a court has been told.

The body of Logan Mwangi, also known as Logan Williamson, was discovered in the River Ogmore in Sarn, Bridgend, South Wales, on July 31 2021. He had suffered more than 56 injuries to his head and body.

His mother Angharad Williamson, 30, stepfather John Cole, 40, and a 14-year-old boy are on trial at Cardiff Crown Court for Logan’s murder.
In statements read to the court on Monday, the former foster family of the teenage defendant said he had made their lives “hell” during the several weeks he lived with them last summer and that they were “terrified” of him.

They also said that on a number of occasions the youth had told them he wanted to kill Logan, but when they raised the concerns with the youth’s social worker, Debbie Williams, she dismissed their claims.


Ms Williams, who works as a senior social worker for Bridgend County Council, denied any knowledge of the threats while being cross-examined on Monday.


The foster mother said she had become increasingly worried about what seemed like the teenager’s “desire for violence”, detailing how he wanted to spar with every person he met.

He also told members of the family he wanted to kill them all, explaining he would do so if The Purge – a film about a fictional holiday in the US when all crime, including murder, becomes decriminalised – became real.

The foster father said he had become “terrified” of the youth, who had told him he wanted to “punch his lights out”, adding that the youth would walk around chanting about wanting to kill people.



The family also told of the youth’s behaviour towards the family dog, who he insisted on pulling up by his hind legs and keeping him dangling even though he was aware the dog had an injured pelvis.

He was also witnessed spraying a can of deodorant into the dog’s eyes.

The jury heard that on more than one occasion the teenager, who was 13 at the time, had said he wanted to kill Logan.

The foster family have insisted they contacted Ms Williams about the youth’s behaviour and threats several times but she said their claims were “nonsense”.

“She just brushed it off as if it was nothing,” the mother said in her statement.

Under cross-examination by Williamson’s counsel, Peter Rouch QC, Ms Williams denied she was told about the threats.

Mr Rouch asked her: “(The mother) said he told her, ‘I want to kill the five-year-old’. The five-year-old being Logan. Did that come back to you?”

“Absolutely not,” Ms Williams replied.

Talking about the day the youth left their home, the foster mother said: “In the morning of that day he turned into a monster. There was no controlling him whatsoever. We tried calming him down but to no effect.”

She said she ended up leaving the house to escape.

She added that when Ms Williams arrived to get him the youth was throwing his possessions down the stairs and all the family members were upset.

Logan was found dead in the river shortly after the youth left the care of the foster family.

)
As details of the teenager’s behaviour were read to the court, Williamson began crying loudly in the dock.

Ms Williams said she had visited the youth at a number of addresses, at first virtually, during the Covid-19 pandemic, and then in person as restrictions eased.

She said he often swore at her and she often considered it to be “banter” and how the youth communicated, adding that he could also be polite.

Questioned by John Hipkin QC, defending the youth, she said it was common for the youth to say or even sing things deliberately “to get a rise out of them”.

Ms Williams made an unscheduled visit to the flat where Logan lived in Lower Llansantffraid just before 2pm on July 30, the day before he was found in the river.

Williamson and Cole would not allow her in because they said Logan had tested positive for coronavirus and was self-isolating.

During the conversation Ms Williams had on the doorstep with the defendants, Cole asked about claiming benefits, while the youth told her to “*advertiser censored** off” and that he did not need her any more.

When she asked about Logan, Williamson said he was “so-so”.

Ms Williams said she did not see or hear Logan that day.

Asked to describe him, Ms Williams broke down in tears, saying: “He was a delight, a delightful little boy. He was a happy boy. Bright eyes.

“He was very polite and he would always be like ‘Hello Debbie!'”

Sheryl Lewis, a neighbour of Cole’s property in Maesglas, Sarn, told the jury she saw Cole outside at around 9.20pm on the evening of July 31, several hours after Logan was found.

She told the court: “When I was coming back out I saw John Cole on the phone. He was crying on the phone.

“He said, ‘Help me, help me! What should I do, what should I do?'”

A friend of Cole was called as a witness and told the jury he received a call from the defendant shortly before he was arrested, during which he told them about Logan’s death and said: “I’ve brought him up since he was a baby. What should I do?”


Youth accused of murdering five-year-old spoke of killing people, court hears

The trial continues.

 

[Jay_Tec]

I imagine JC was speaking of the 'youth' when he stated "I've brought him up since he was a baby. What should I do?"

This could explain why he had been allowed to be the care taker of the youth instead of the youth being put into some form of detention (very costly).

The story of the youth's abusive mother may also point to whom they were all hoping to blame for 'abducting' poor Logan. They maybe believed the youth's violent mother is so 'known' to police and so disliked and unreliable that they were all quite literally going to get away with murder by pointing the finger at her.

 

[89leanne89]

My opinion only but I personally think the youth is responsible for logans death and the others guilty of covering up for him. Especially considering JC remarks about taking the rap for him.

 

[tedtink]

My opinion only but I personally think the youth is responsible for logans death and the others guilty of covering up for him. Especially considering JC remarks about taking the rap for him.

There are other charges separate to the... 1- murder charge.

2- Causing or allowing the death of a child. (important imo JC /AW)

3- PTCOJ.


Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004

Causing or allowing a child to suffer serious physical harm/ Causing or allowing a child to die – Sentencing