Logan Mwangi murder trial continues with defendant giving evidence
Logan Mwangi murder trial continues with John Cole to give evidence – follow live from court
30 March 2022
13:29KEY EVENT
"I believe Angharad said to me ‘Just get him out of here’"
John Cole is still in the witness box talking about the early hours of July 31 last year. He was asked whose decision it was to take Logan out of the property. As the defendant described this Angharad Williamson could be heard crying loudly and she lowered her head into her lap.
He said: “I carried it out. I believe Angharad said to me ‘Just get him out of here’.”
Mr Elias said: “When you took Logan out of the house did you know where you were going?” Cole said: “No.”
Mr Elias said: “The jury know you ended up going to the river,. Do you accept you did that?” Cole said: “Yes.”
Mr Elias said: “Why was it you ended up going to the river?” Cole said: “I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking clearly. My head was all over the place and I didn’t know what to do. I was panicking.” He added: “I put him down in the riverbank but I didn’t put him in the river and that’s what confuses me.”
Mr Elias said: “When you left the house was there anyone with you.” Cole said: “I thought I was alone…. When I put [Logan] down by the riverbank I heard a noise and saw [the youth] on the riverbank.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you take Logan out of the bag?” Cole said: “Yes.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you go into the water?” Cole said: “No.”
Mr Elias said: “When you the heard [the youth] what did you do?”
Cole said: “I came back up, I saw [the youth].... I went back to Angharad’s.”
Mr Elias said: “Were you with [the youth] side by side?” Cole said: “Yes.”
Mr Elias said: “Was there any discussion?” Cole said: “No.”
Mr Elias said: “Where was Angharad?” Cole said: “In the bedroom…. When I came back Angharad gave me the dinosaur top and told me we need to get rid of this so I took it out.”
Mr Elias said: “Where was she when she gave you the top?” Cole said: “In the kitchen…. It was all screwed up. I put it in my pocket and walked out of the property.”
Mr Elias said: “Was anybody with you?” Cole said: “[The youth].”
Mr Elias said: “Did you get rid of it?” Cole said: “Yes, I put it where I told the police it would be…. I threw it in the bushes…. Because it had been ripped earlier…. By Angharad when she picked him up.”
The trial adjourns for a lunch break and will resume at 2pm.
13:26KEY EVENT
"I got woke up just after 2am to Angharad screaming: ‘Logan’s dead’"
Defendant John Cole, who is in the witness box, describes the moment he claims he last saw stepson Logan Mwangi alive.
The defendant said: “He kept jumping out of bed, slamming on the floor and on his knees……….. We spent hours putting him to bed.”
His barrister David Elias QC said: “Did you hit him in any way? Cole said: “No.”
Mr Elias said: “How did he seem?” Cole said: “Annoyed.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you have any concerns about his health?” Cole said: “No.”
Mr Elias said: “What was he wearing?” Cole said: “He still had his dinosaur top on and dinosaur bottoms.”
The defendant said he went to bed at midnight and took his medication. He said: “[Williamson] was originally in bed with me but because Logan was kicking off she went to sit on a chair in his bedroom.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you see her going into Logan’s bedroom?” Cole said: “Yes.”
Mr Elias said: “When you went to sleep where were you?” Cole said: “I was in the bedroom.”
Mr Elias said: “Was Angharad with you?” Cole said: “No, she was still sat in the bedroom with Logan.”
The court hears Cole’s account of Logan’s death and the decision to take his body to the river.
Mr Elias said: “What was the next thing you were aware of?”
Cole said: “I got woke up just after 2am to Angharad screaming: ‘Logan’s dead’.”
Mr Elias said: “What did you do?” Cole said: “I went through to Logan’s bedroom and attempted to do CPR on him.”
Mr Elias said: “When you got into the bedroom where was Logan?”
Cole said: “He was on his bed, had legs cocked up towards his stomach, and his head was tilted to his right-hand side,. His eyes were wide open.”
Mr Elias said: “How did you feel?” Cole said: “I tried to do CPR on him when Angharad said he was dead and she heard him take his last breath. I was trying to save him, I was literally trying to do CPR on him.”
Mr Elias said: “What he was wearing?” Cole said: “He just had his pyjama bottoms on…. I started giving chest compressions and breath. I moved him to the floor and did CPR for ages, like 10 to 15 minutes.”
Mr Elias said: “Did it have any effect on him?” Cole said: “No.”
Mr Elias said: “Who was in the room?” Cole said: “Angharad and me.”
Mr Elias said: “What happened then?” Cole said: “I continued for ages, 10 to 15 minutes. There was no response at all. Eventually Angharad said: ‘Stop, please stop’ She was crying and said: ‘He’s dead’.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you know why Logan was in that state?” Cole said: “No… I just got woke up to that just after 2am. It just didn’t make sense at all.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you stop?” Cole said: “Yes.”
Cole was asked about what happened next. He said: “Angharad put a Spiderman T-shirt on, I helped her put it on him, I put him in the Nike bag and carried him out.”
Mr Elias said: “Who suggested putting a Spiderman top on him?” Cole said: “I don’t remember…. He didn’t have a top on when I went through to give him CPR.”
Mr Elias said: “Was there any conversation between the two of you before the top was put on and you put Logan in the Nike bag?” Cole said: “We were panicking, both of us were – we didn’t know what to do. We mentioned about phoning the police and ambulance but Logan was already dead.”
Mr Elias said: “Why were you panicking?”
Cole said: “Because I had just come in to a dead child – it didn’t make sense…. Why he was dead.”
Mr Elias said: “Had you done anything at all to lead to his death? Did you know what caused him to die?”
Cole said: “No.”
Mr Elias said: “What was going through your mind?”
Cole said: “Angharad said to me: ‘What do we do? What do we do?' I said: ‘What do you want me to do?’ We went backwards and forwards for a good five minutes or so.”
Mr Elias said: “Why didn’t you call for an ambulance?”
Cole said: “Shock, panic…..The situation didn’t make sense and I didn’t know what to do….. I wasn’t thinking properly….. Logan was deceased, he was already dead.”
13:11PHILIP DEWEY
Cole says Logan went to bed 'with no food' after refusing to eat
John Cole is in the witness box. He continues to talk about Logan’s behaviour on July 30, 2021.
He said: “We had to pick him up a few times when he refused to get up when he was in the kitchen room and the hallway….. Underneath his arms, took him to his bedroom and back to the naughty corner.”
His barrister David Elias QC said: “What did you do?”
Cole said: “I put him on the bed, dropped him down, and walked out….. It weren’t a throw, I just dropped him sort of thing.”
Mr Elias said: “How did he land on the bed?” Cole said: “I don’t know…. He just growled at me.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you see Angharad do anything to Logan?” Cole said: “She went to clip him around the head and caught his cheek. She picked him up by his collar and his top ripped.”
Mr Elias said: “What was Logan doing?” Cole said: “We were in the kitchen, he asked to do something. Angharad went to clip him and it caught him around the cheek…. She didn’t punch him, it weren’t any major force.”
Mr Elias said: “What was Logan wearing?” Cole said: “He had his dinosaur pyjamas on.” He said Williamson picked Logan up by the back of the collar and it ripped. Mr Elias said: “What happened to Logan?” Cole replied: “I don’t know, I think she took him to the bedroom.”
The defendant was asked about Logan’s meals on that day. Mr Elias said: “Had Logan eaten anything that day?” Cole said: “No he had breakfast but he didn’t eat anything.”
Mr Elias said: “Was that your decision or his decision?” Cole said: “His decision.”
Mr Elias said: “Did that cause you concerns?” Cole said: “Obviously yes…. We tried to feed him at lunchtime and at dinner time but he wouldn’t eat.”
He added: “He put the food in his mouth and he wouldn’t swallow it, he wouldn’t chew, so we put him to bed with no food eventually.”
Cole said he and Williamson gave Logan a shower. He said: “Showering Logan is never a straightforward process…. He doesn’t like water, he was climbing out the bath and wouldn’t stay still… We had to get him to sit down by the plughole.
Mr Elias said: “Did you do anything during the shower to cause any injury?”
Cole said: “Not that I’m aware of…… He was running around and slipping and sliding all over the bath…. It’s what he always did.”
12:59KEY EVENT
Day before Logan's death was 'crazy'
John Cole, who is in the witness box, was asked about the events of Friday, July 30, 2021.
He said: “It was crazy. Logan was kicking off, running around all over the place, not doing what he was told to do, refusing to eat, just misbehaving.” Mr Elias said: “How long did it go on?” Cole said: “All day.”
Mr Elias said: “What did you do in relation to Logan’s behaviour?” Cole said: “I’d put him in the naughty corner, put him in the room. Angharad tested him. He came back as negative so we decontaminated his room but we were still being cautious.”
Mr Elias said: “Why did you do that?” Cole said: “Because of Covid.”
Mr Elias said: “How many times did you put him in the corner?” Cole said: “A lot.”
When asked if he did anything Cole said he "smacked [Logan's] hand and clipped him around the back of his head".
Mr Elias said: “Why would you [slap his hand]?” Cole said: “When he was doing dangerous things.”
The defendant said Logan threw a toy, which bounced off the wall and hit him causing a small mark.
He said: “I smacked his hand I believe. I didn’t swing – it was just a tap.”
Cole also indicated smacking Cole back to the head. He said: “I didn’t swing, it was just a clip…. Just to stop him from doing dangerous stuff.”
Mr Elias said: “What effect did that have on Logan?”
Cole: “Nothing really… He was annoyed.”
12:49PHILIP DEWEY
Defendant asked about Williamson's medication
John Cole, who is giving evidence, was asked about Angaharad Williamson’s medication and he said he was not aware of any side effects.
He said: “She’s been on this medication long-term so her body is kind of used to it.”
Mr Elias said: “Did she express any concerns about the medication and side effects?”
Cole said: “Not really.”
12:33PHILIP DEWEY
Cole says Williamson 'shook Logan by his arms' days before he died
Defendant John Cole is asked about the events of Thursday, July 29, 2021.
He said: “Angharad [Williamson] phoned me up because something had happened to her laptop and her stereo and she wasn’t happy at all.”
Cole said he went back to 5 Lower Llansantffraid.
He said: “Angharad wasn’t in a good mood…. I kind of dismissed it and I wasn’t taking it seriously."
Mr Elias said: “Had what happened to the stereo have anything to do with you?”
Cole said: “No…. me and Angharad had a conversation. [Logan] had wiped a booger on the stereo and banged the keys on the laptop. Angharad shook Logan by his arms as he wouldn’t spit it out as he kept saying: ‘The reason is, the reason is, the reason is...’ Me and Angharad had an argument about it and she stormed out of the house.”
Mr Elias said: “Who was in the house?”
Cole said he, Angharad, Logan, and the youth defendant were there and the youth went after her. Mr Elias said: “What was the next thing you knew?”
Cole said: “They came back in, me and Angharad spoke and that was it…. We just carried on the day, cooked dinner, just the usual things.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you hit Logan on that day?”
Cole said: “No, not at all.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you see Angharad hit Logan?”
Cole said: “No.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you see [the youth] hit Logan or do any sweeping move?"
Cole said: “No.”
Mr Elias said: “Did you tell [the youth] to do a sweeping move?”
Cole said: “No.”
Mr Elias said: “Were you aware of any injuries to anyone in the house?”
Cole said: “No, not that I was aware of.”
