UK - Logan Mwangi, 5, found dead in Wales River, Bridgend, 31 July 2021 *arrests, inc. minor* #4

[Sooty]

That was my baby and I loved him dearly'
Concluding his questioning of his client Angharad Williamson barrister Peter Rouch QC said: “Did you play any part at all in the events that led to Logan’s death?" Crying, Williamson said: “No I didn’t.”

Mr Rouch said: “You told us you took your tablets at 10pm. Were you up during the course of the night?” Williamson said: “No I wasn’t.”

Mr Rouch said: “Were you aware of John Cole carrying Logan’s body out?” Williamson said: “No I wasn’t, that was my baby and I loved him dearly.”

Logan Mwangi murder trial latest as mum gives evidence

 

[mrazda71]

I don't think she was a victim of violence at the hands of her co-defendant. She has testified that he has never harmed her physically.

This case is about his violence towards her 5 yr old son.

There is FAR more to 'domestic violence' than physical abuse.

 

[Skigh]

A reminder of her behaviour after Logan was found.

Logan Mwangi trial: Mother accused of murder was 'sarcastic' with police when they quizzed her | Daily Mail Online

 

[Alyce]

What about the lights and curtains, which were happening while she claims she was sound asleep?

At the hospital, her son was full of bruises and injuries. Those could not have happened in the short window of time that she is claiming she was not present, IMO.

I am expecting the other QCs to cover the lights and curtains. Peter Rouch won't want to go there. He is just trying to make her look like the victim.

 

[Sooty]

….
I still don’t believe my son is dead now'
David Elias QC, for John Cole, begins his cross-examination of Angharad Williamson.

He said: “John Cole was a phenomenal dad wasn he?”

Williamson said: “At first…. It changed when he started getting stricter with Logan….It started getting really bad…. He was good when he was good but when he lost his temper he was bad.” She added: “As he got more comfortable with the relationship he became angrier so he was not a phenomenal dad all the way through.”

Mr Elias said: “Why did you say he was a phenomenal dad in your interview?” Williamson said: “Rose-tinted glasses…..It’s since I’ve looked back I realised how controlling and strict he was…. I thought everything he did was for the good of me, I didn’t see the overbearing, controlling, strict behaviour.”

Mr Elias said: “It suited you to find anything to put Mr Cole down when you were arrested.”

Williamson said: “Not at all…. Jay said he was in the SAS, I genuinely thought he would kill me.”

Mr Elias said: “Why did you lie to the police?”

Williamson said: "I was ashamed, I had been overpowered by a man before and had been overpowered by a man again. I didn’t want to admit I was scared….. Jay said he was going to kill me…. I couldn’t say I was scared because he would kill me.”

Mr Elias said: “You went into great detail about the threats to kill and his connection with the SAS. He told you his family were founders of the SAS. What did you think of that?”

Williamson said: “He showed me videos…. Why would I not believe him?”

Mr Elias said: “How many videos did he show you on a small black phone?”

Williamsons said: “It was a green screen and was behind enemy lines with people on it…. He said he was part of the team…."

Mr Elias said: “Part of the helicopter team?”

Williamson said: “You’re implying I’m crazy…… I had no reason to disbelieve him and it matched up with things Jordan Hunt told me…. We watched SAS Who Dares Wins together.”

Mr Elias said: “Is that where you got this from?.... Do you watch programmes in a fantasy world?”

Williamson said she liked watching documentaries and crime dramas.

The barrister refers to videos involving crocodile tears, drug dealers, and acid baths.

She said: “I was curious about the world and different documentaries and headlines…. I’m into finding out the truth about things……”

Mr Elias said: “Do you cry crocodile tears?”

Williamson said: “I know what you’re implying but no. You can’t fake tears like this when your son is dead.”

She was also asked about watching a video about a child abuse case.

Williamson said: “Yes, unfortunately there are a lot of child abuse cases on at the minute. It popped up and I watched it.”

The defendant was asked why she was embarrassed about being scared of Cole.

She said: “It gives him power, it shows him he’s got to me.”

Mr Elias said: “You’re in a police station, arrested for murder. Were you wanting to tell the truth?”

Williamson said: “Yes that’s all I’ve done and I didn’t want to admit Jay scared me…. I was ashamed and embarrassed.”

Mr Elias said: “Why did you tell those who assessed you you never feared Jay ever?"

Williamson said: “I was still hoping and praying Jay wouldn’t have done this…… he’s not scary. When I look back at the relationship, I was scared.”

Mr Elias said: “Does it suit you to say that now?”

Williamson said: “No it doesn’t, Jodie Simmonds witnessed what happened to me and knows I was scared.” She added: “I never thought anybody would believe me.”

Mr Elias said: “Jay never did assault you.” Williamson said: “He did, he put his arms around my neck.”

Mr Elias said: “Any other time? Williamson said: “No….. He didn’t slap me or punch me, he pushed me.”

Mr Elias said: “That was when you were up in his face shouting at him."

Williamson said: “I was shouting and crying but I wasn’t up in his face.”

Mr Elias said: “What you told the police about not being scared of Jay was true and when you said he never laid a finger on you that was true wasn’t it?” Williamson denied this.

She said: “I didn’t want him to be involved in any of this. I loved him so much, I loved him so so much.”

Mr Elias said: “Even when he had been accused of murdering your son?”

Williamson said: “I still don’t believe my son is dead now…This man I loved was going to spend the rest of his life with me and marry me and start a family with me. I didn’t want to believe he was involved in Logan’s death. I had no idea what happened to him and didn’t want to think he was involved.”

Mr Elias said: “Do you know how Logan died?”

Williamson said: “No I don’t…. I do know because of the autopsies.”

Mr Elias said: “Do you know who did that?”

Williamson said: “No, I don’t.”

Mr Elias said: “Do you remember sitting on the stairs at Maesglas when you were arrested by the police. You heard [the youth] upstairs. The police were doing a sensitive job, I think we can all agree. You shouted up, what did you shout?”

Williamson said: “I said: ‘You haven’t done anything wrong’......I didn’t think he was capable of that.”

The trial adjourns until 2pm for a lunch break.

Logan Mwangi murder trial latest as mum gives evidence

 

[Kikicatfood]

So she said she put pics of Logan on her FB.
Sorry, but as a teacher I noticed that the more photos of kids there, the less attentive parent in real life.

Yes exactly that. I know lots of let’s say ‘not so great mothers’ who plaster Social media with posts about how great their family is and how much they love their kids etc.

 

[katydid23]

There is FAR more to 'domestic violence' than physical abuse.

Of course. But this little boy was brutally killed. And this trial is about figuring out who was responsible. So far, I haven't seen any evidence that his mother was incapable of protecting him if she set out to do so. She was not being physically abused by JC, and she had her own money coming in and her own apartment. And she had a social worker who helped her escape her previous abuser.

So I am not going to blindly accept the DV excuse in this particular situation. I think the evidence and testimony, so far, shows there was more to it than that. JMO

 

[HilaryHormone]

But as a victim wanting a fairytale family, did she just not want to admit it was all that bad once she was calm? Maybe JC, in his efforts to calm her down, promised to make better efforts? Its very difficult when there is DV involved. IMO it's impossible to know or even understand the full situation, even when you are the victim.

I think she may well have minimised it at the time to keep the peace and maintain the status quo. The dynamics of domestic abuse and how that impacts parenting is obviously complex. It’s possible to recognise AW was a victim of abuse in her own right, but also an adult, a parent, who failed to prioritise her child’s needs and ultimately contributed to his tragic death and was involved in the poor attempts to cover it up afterwards.

 

[RusselSprout]

He's not scary, I was scared...she seems to be contradicting herself.

Why didn't you tell the truth, firstly she was scared, then embarrassed and ashamed. Make your mind up AW

 

[JuicyLucy]

I believe she should have, and could have, done much more.

But she was, if any of her testimony is true, also a victim. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally. We can only go by what is reported, and it's a very difficult case to fathom any sort of truth. I am not being sympathetic towards her, just wanted to highlight the difficulties around DV situations.

You are spot on. There's a lot of ignorance around domestic abuse, not particularly here but in society in general, and especially when the abuse is psychological not physical and the perception is that the victim "could easily have left". There's some evidence that it takes around seven attempts before women successfully leave an abuser, leaving aside the fact that the process of coming to see yourself as abuse victim also takes time and is slowed by completely normal feelings of denial and resistance, and in AW's case perhaps also the shame of admitting that she'd made the same mistake again. For many women, but not all, the abuse of a child is a galvanising factor. I don't think it's controversial to say that no one who hasn't been in that position has the first idea how they would really behave if they were.

All of this has a very real bearing on the trajectory of this trial. Personally, I believe that this was an abusive relationship, and that the coercive nature of JC's influence in the household is a valid factor for the jury to consider. That's not to say that AW is not also guilty of being abusive to LM, nor that she didn't play her part in his murder or the disposal of his body. But I think the verdict and sentence AW gets will reflect the fact that she was a victim as well as an aggressor.

Why It's So Difficult to Leave | Women Against Abuse
Why don't women leave? - Womens Aid
Barriers to leaving - Refuge Charity - Domestic Violence Help

JMO

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I think she’s lying through her teeth and was no more a victim than the other two beasts.

JMO

 

[Sooty]

Logan Mwangi murder trial latest as mum gives evidence

Rsbm


She was also asked about watching a video about a child abuse case.

Williamson said: “Yes, unfortunately there are a lot of child abuse cases on at the minute. It popped up and I watched it.”

…. the irony

 

[Cherwell]

Williamson said she was threatened in prison and changed her appearance
The court heard the defendant was charged with perverting the course of justice and was taken to HMP Eastwood Park, a women’s prison in Gloucestershire.

Barrister Peter Rouch QC asked his client Angharad Williamson: “Tell us what happened at Eastwood Park?”

Willaimson said: “I turned up, I got bombarded with abuse from the other girls. ‘Child murderer, kill yourself before we kill you, wrong’un, nonce’.

“I was locked in a cell….I was on [the induction wing] a month because of all the death threats I was getting….. It wasn’t safe, I didn’t come out of my cell for two weeks.”

Williamson was then placed on the medical ward and was on 24-hour watch for a month.

Mr Rouch said: “Because of what you say was happening to you did prison authorities try to assist?”

Williamson said: “They can’t protect you from everything, they isolated me off from everybody …. They changed my name from Angharad to Angie and where I had bright pink hair, they said dye your hair, here are some glassed, change your image, we’ll try to blend you in as much as we can.”

Williamson got offered a cleaning job on the induction wing in the staff areas. She was asked about witness and fellow inmate Joanne Brooks but the defendant said she didn’t get on with her or discuss her case with her. She said other inmates were supportive of her. Williamson said: “She had a double bed to herself so she felt like the queen bee.”

Mr Rouch said: “How long were you in that situation?”

Williamson said: “I was there until I got taken to Bristol police station.”

Mr Rouch said: “Is that when you were charged with the offence of murder?”

Williamson nodded. She said: “I got put back on the induction wing…. I had to be isolated off again."

Logan Mwangi murder trial latest as mum gives evidence

This is hardly relevant to the case. Just trying to get a pity party going.

 

[Sooty]

He threatened to kill my son and assaulted my child'
The trial resumes.

Angharad Williamson, who is being cross-examined by David Elias QC for John Cole, is asked if it was the case that everything she mentioned about Cole before her arrest was good. She said: “Yes…. You only talk about the good times, not the bad times.”

The defendant said she did not consider Cole pushing her as domestic abuse.

She said: “He threatened to kill Logan and said because he was in the SAS he could find me. I assumed if I told anyone what he had done he would kill me."

Williamson said Cole had never said the words ‘I will kill you’ to her.

On July 29, 2021, Williamson said Cole threatened to kill Logan.

Mr Elias said: “How did that make you feel?”

Williamson said: “That’s a stupid question, he threatened to kill my son and assaulted my child…. I was scared…”

Mr Elias said: “For who?”

Williamson said: “Logan.”

Logan Mwangi murder trial latest as mum gives evidence

 

[RusselSprout]

she was scared for Logan yet went and took medication that apparently knocks her out, aye right AW

 

[wowiezowie]

If she's sticking to her 'i was asleep' story then how on earth is she going to explain Logan's bedroom lights going on and off and the curtains moving when JC and the youth were out dumping the body?
There's nothing she can say that can explain that.

 

[Sooty]

'I was scared and ashamed'
David Elias QC, representing defendant John Cole, continues cross-examining Angharad Williamson.

Mr Elias said: “The day after [Cole] threatened to kill your son and assaulted him you went to the shop to buy pop and tobacco?”

Williamson said: “He said if I ever left him he would kill Logan…. Jay said could we get some fizzy drinks. It was five minutes, Logan was okay…. Everything was calm. I thought it would be fine. Jay wanted a relationship with me and I didn’t think he’d hurt Logan again.”

Mr Elias said: “Are you lying?” Williamson said: “I’m not lying….. Was it my best judgement call? Probably not.”

Mr Elias said: “Were you happy to leave him in the house alone with [Logan]?” Williamson said: “For 10 minutes.”

Mr Elias said: “There was no assault on the Thursday was there?” Williamson said: “Yes there was, he punched my son in the stomach, [the youth] pushed his head to the floor. They assaulted my son.”

Mr Elias said: “Why didn’t you tell the police about that in your first interview?”

Williamson said: “I was scared and ashamed.”

Logan Mwangi murder trial latest as mum gives evidence

 

[Overthinker77]

2.14am the last video to be watched on YouTube..2.43am JC & the youth seen going the river..in that time lights going on & off in Logan’s room & other apps accessed..the last pimple popper video was at 1.40am & the ingrown toenail video at 1.41am..hmmmm…don’t know why this is relevant but something to bear in mind.

 

[nothinonyou]

she was scared for Logan yet went and took medication that apparently knocks her out, aye right AW

so scared for him that she fled the house on her own and was going to leave him there with two people that threatened to kill him

 

[Sooty]

Extract of phone call from prison read out
Angharad Williamson was asked about Logan’s injuries at post-mortem. She cries throughout this line of questioning.

David Elias QC, representing John Cole, said: “You knew Logan had been found with serious abdominal injuries. Why didn’t you immediately upon seeing that tell the police about what happened on Thursday?

Williamson said: “On Thursday [Cole] didn’t hit him that hard…. If I thought he had hurt him that much I would have taken him to hospital…. You do not get it from two punches or anything like. Logan’s injuries are like something from a car accident. You don’t get that from two punches.” She added: “I was trying to find a way of getting away from [Cole] and then my son was found dead (Crying).”

Mr Elias said: “Did you tell the police you were trying to get away from him? Why not?”

Williamson said: “I didn’t want to admit what happened on the Thursday…. I ran out of the house screaming and shouting and nobody stopped to help.”

Mr Elias asked about the van stopping and asked her if she saw it. Williamson said: “Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid, I did see it. I was there.” She added: “[The youth] put his arms around me…… He’s stronger than you think.”

Mr Elias said: “It was nothing more than a silly argument about a booger and a stereo and you have turned that to suit your own ends.”

Williamson said: “No I’m not……My child was assaulted by [the youth] and John Cole.”

The defendant said Logan was left with a red mark on his stomach but no other injuries.

On September 28, 2021, a call between Williamson and her mother Clare Williamson was recorded when the defendant was in prison. It references the incident when Williamson claims Cole pushed her.

Mr Elias quotes the phone conversation. Reading Williamson’s line, he said: “I got up in his face and he pushed me….. What happened was I got very hysterical and crying shouting in Jay’s face….. I was very erratic…..I was overemotional…. I got in his face, he pushed me out of his face and that was it….. It was overdramatic over something so small.”

Williamson confirms this was the conversation between her and her mother.

Logan Mwangi murder trial latest as mum gives evidence