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

[Cherwell]

So, for today the Jury's task will only be to elect a leader/chairman I guess.
And maybe a quick voting to find out what are the Jurors' opinions concerning the guilt of each defendant.
A kind of organizational stuff.

Yes, people often have unrealistic ideas about how long a jury will take to reach a verdict. But the preliminaries take up a fair bit of time. You've summed it up pretty well there. Add to that everyone wanting to go to the loo, plus perhaps tea or coffee being provided, and there's an hour gone straight away.

 

[Dotta]

Yes, people often have unrealistic ideas about how long a jury will take to reach a verdict. But the preliminaries take up a fair bit of time. You've summed it up pretty well there. Add to that everyone wanting to go to the loo, plus perhaps tea or coffee being provided, and there's an hour gone straight away.

It reminds me of organising exams at school.

 

[Alyce]

14:09Benjamin Wright

Court reassembles
The court is reassembling after the lunch break, and the judge is about to resume her summing up.



Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[VioletLilac]

Thank you to everyone who's been updating. Much appreciated. I've sometimes been 10 pages behind when it's fast moving but I manage to catch up in the breaks

 

[HilaryHormone]

11:42Jason Evans

Youth defendant's foster family evidence: 'Youth picked up dog by its back legs'

The judge is now reminding the jury about evidence relating to the youth defendant - because of his age, he cannot be named - which was in the form of written statements from a foster family who cared for him. In the statement the foster mother described the youth as having a "desire for violence" who was always "sparring" with himself and with anyone who came to the house "as if to prove he was bigger and better" than anyone else, something which could be intimidating to visitors. She also said on one occasion the youth grabbed the family dog - which had an injured pelvis - by the back legs and picked it up, and on another occasion was seen squirting deodorant into the dog’s eyes

The judge also describes how on occasion he tried to get her to play down by the river on her own but she was scared by this and did not go, and how he also tried to get her young nieces to play a "murder game" and put them in black bags.

The witness describes how one day he slashed a paddling pool with a knife, and how he told her that when the new Purge film came out he was going to kill her parents.

The judge reminds the jury that a social worker dealing with the youth had a "different view" of some of these incidents, and attributed some of the issues to "problems in the foster family".


Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

Was this foster placement before Logan’s death? How horrific. I am very much an advocate for trauma informed practice, of trying to understand the hows and why’s of behaviour, but this is highly concerning. The youth may well have been a child in need of care and protection, but the above just highlights the risk he posed to others.

Still can’t fathom why it was considered appropriate to place him with a man who had a lengthy record like JC, a man who had seemingly been part of the youths inadequate upbringing. The intention of alternative care is for a child to experience a ‘re upbringing’, be exposed to alternative, socially acceptable behaviours and relationships in the hope they can heal and change. Family placements aren’t always the best environment for that, JC’s influence seems to have reinforced the youths inappropriate behaviour. What a mess.

 

[Alyce]

Just looked on Law Pages for accurate timings.
These updates are about 15 minutes behind real time.

 

[HilaryHormone]

Just looked on Law Pages for accurate timings.
These updates are about 15 minutes behind real time.

Thank you for keeping the thread updated, it is much appreciated.

 

[Alyce]

14:29Jason Evans

The 999 call

The judge continues to sum up the evidence for the jurors by reminding them of the 999 call Williamson made to police in the early hours of July 31. The judge says she is not going to go through the entire call as jurors have the transcript but she reminds jurors Williamson told the call handler her son was gone, that she had tucked him up in bed the night before but now he was not there. The judge reminds the jurors Williamson sounded like she was hyperventilating, and the call handler was trying to get her to breathe.



Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[Alyce]

14:30Benjamin Wright

Neighbour's evidence

The judge turns now to the evidence of Paula Heath, whose partner Paul Dodd lived in the block of flats where Logan lived. The witness said that she spent the night of July 30 / 31 at her partner’s flat, and was woken at 5am by the sound of "bickering". Miss Heath said she then heard a woman shouting: "What have you done with my son? Where is my son? I want my son." Miss Heath said she then heard a male shouting: "I have done nothing with your son".



Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[Alyce]

14:31Jason Evans


Paramedics and police officers' evidence
The judge now reminds the jurors about evidence they heard from paramedics and police officers who responded to the report of a missing child, and about what the defendant Williamson said to them. She says the defence contend that Williamson’s interactions with the officers are what you would expect from a woman who had woken to find her child missing, while the prosecution asks the jury to draw the opposite inference that it was "all part of an act".


Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[Alyce]

14:35Jason Evans

Police officers: 'Williamson was hysterical'

The judge reminds the jury about the evidence of PC Andrew Abdullahi, who arrived at Logan’s flat around 5.30am on July 31. The officer said when he pulled up in his car he could see a lady outside the address shouting ‘Logan’ quite hysterically.

The judge also reminds jurors about the evidence of PC Ryan Matthews who said he saw Williamson outside the property and that “She was distressed and very upset, extremely hard to understand. She was outside the house screaming and shouting”. The officer also said he went into Logan’s bedroom and noticed there was no sheet on the bed.


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[Alyce]

14:55Jason Evans

PC Richard Lea's evidence

The judge now turns to the evidence of PC Richard Lea, and to what the officer said about Williamson becoming unwell and lying on the floor. The PC said he had seen people having fits before and Williamson’s behaviour was consistent with someone with epilepsy. He said that when Williamson regained consciousness she began asking him about what was going on, saying: “I’ve watched enough cop programmes, I’m not stupid. Where is my son? Tell me what’s going on’.”

Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[Alyce]

14:57Jason Evans


Body worn footage
Mrs Justice Jefford reminds the jury about body-worn video footage from PC Matthew Davies showing Williamson, Cole, and the youth defendant in the Lower Llansantffraid flat. The video runs for around an hour. The judge reminds jurors they have a transcript of what was said on the video.


Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[Alyce]

15:07Jason Evans

Youth defendant's behaviour

The judge now turns to the evidence of PC Ceri Lougher, including her description of the youth defendant’s behaviour in the flat. The officer described the boy as being “quite agitated, not fazed by police”, and said he seemed to be “angry and upset” that the police were present.

The judge also reminds the jurors about the evidence of detective constable Clair Griffiths who described Williamson as being "very distressed". The detective had also said that Williamson had told her she should arrest her because she had failed to keep her son safe by not locking the back door properly.


Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[Alyce]

15:07Jason Evans

Family liaison officer

The judge reminds the jury about the evidence of detective constable Clare Edwards, a trained family liaison officer who first spoke with Williamson in the family room at the Princess of Wales Hospital. In her evidence the DC said Williamson had told her "she would do whatever it takes for us to find out what happened to him – we could search her house and she would consent to anything". The officer also said the defendant had mentioned there was a problem with the backdoor of the flat, and that it hadn’t been "locking properly".

DC Edwards also said that although Williamson seemed to be wailing and making noises of crying or sobbing, "there were very little or no tears".


Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[Alyce]

15:28Jason Evans

Nurse's evidence

The judge now reminds the jury about the evidence it has heard from emergency department nurse Rosie O'Neill. The nurse recalled Williamson attending the hospital with an "Olaf" pillow which had Logan's name embroidered on it, and she described the defendant as being "frantic and wailing" as I would have expected any grieving mother to be in that situation. She described how Williamson’s legs "seemed to be giving way" under her.

In her evidence the nurse recalled a comment Williamson had made about how she should have taught her son to swim. The nurse also described how Williamson seemed "frightened" to touch Logan's body with her hand hovering above him, and how she kissed his forehead but only after "making sure I was watching". She added people were different and had their own ways of grieving but in her view Williamson was "making a point" of kissing Logan.


Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[ChloLo]

I expect in this case it will be longer, however, there was a recent case where the jury spent just 18 minutes deliberating before returning their verdict.

The foster placement was last summer, when the youth was taken into care after allegedly being quite seriously assaulted by his mother.

 

[Alyce]

15:38Benjamin Wright

Police interview: Cole

The judge now reminds the jurors about evidence from detective constable Carolyn Brown who questioned defendant John Cole about the events of July 31. The officer told the court Cole had said he and Angharad [Williamson] woke around 6am, and Angharad went to take Logan to the toilet. He said the next thing he knew Angharad was shouting "Where’s Logan? Where’s Logan?". The officer said Cole told her a neighbour called Kev had told him the gate was unlocked, and that he had thought: ‘Oh ***** he got out’. He knows not to go out." She said Cole had told her he knew Logan couldn’t swim and was terrified of water.


Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[Alyce]

15:39Jason Evans

Claire Willicombe's evidence

The judge turns to the evidence of Claire Willicombe - she knew John Cole through her friend Daniel O’Brien. In her evidence Miss Willicombe described talking to Williamson and Cole on the day of July 31, saying Williamson was “very upset” and Cole was “red-eyed, upset“. She said both seemed “very lost”.

The judge also reminds the jury about evidence from Clare Williamson - Angharad Williamson’s mother - who said she had absolutely no doubt that Angharad was showing “genuine distress”.



Logan Mwangi murder trial - live updates

 

[Alyce]

16:20Jason Evans

HMP Eastwood Park

The judge now reminds the jury about the evidence of Jasmin Short, a prison offender manager at HMP Eastwood Park who had a number of conversations with Williamson after she had been remanded into custody. This witness told the court that Williamson said Logan had been hit hard by her partner and started crying, and she had comforted her son and put him to bed with Calpol. The witness said Williamson had told her she had woken up at 5am to find Logan was missing and had panicked. The prison officer also said Williamson would watch the TV news in her room “to keep up to date with what people were saying about her”.

The judge also reminds the jurors about evidence from Natalie Thomson, a trainee forensic psychiatrist at Eastwood Park prison. In her evidence she said Williamson had told her she had suffered domestic abuse at the hands of a previous partner but that Cole had “never laid a finger on her” - however Williamson said she was now fearful of Cole after he had been charged with murdering Logan.


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