UK - Arthur Labinjo Hughes, 6, killed, dad & friend arrested, June 2020 #2

[ScottishSam]

Definitely. So many questions.
I use the NSPCC for the SCRs. Some of the details I've read about previous cases are horrifying.

 

[ChloLo]

Definitely. So many questions.
I use the NSPCC for the SCRs. Some of the details I've read about previous cases are horrifying.

Oh I’ve read some absolutely horrific ones. There’s no test to prove someone will be a good/capable parent and anyone (well almost with everything there are exceptions) can have children.

 

[ScottishSam]

When I had my first I was shocked at the lack of any professional input between our first few weeks at home, when you've got MW and HV. Then nothing until they get their jabs. I could have been doing anything to her, and there was no1 to pick it up.

 

[Carroll520]

Elaine Pritchard takes the stand. Anyone know who she is??

 

[julahoop]

ET's cellmate

 

[Carroll520]

ET's cellmate

Stop the lights!!!! This will be a hard one to hear

 

[Tortoise]

10:41JAMES CARTLEDGE
Day 35 of the trial has begun
Good morning.

The trial resumes on day 35.

Bernard Richmond, defending Hughes, calls Elaine Pritchard to the stand.

11:02JAMES CARTLEDGE
The court is told of Ms Pritchard's previous convictions
Ms Pritchard confirms in November 2020 she was in custody at HMP Eastwood Park, in Gloucestershire, having been recalled to prison.

She tells the court she was recalled because while staying in a hotel in Worcester she 'had too much to drink', lost her keys, kicked a window through and cut an artery in her leg.

Mr Richmond proceeds to read out her previous convictions which include theft, failure to surrender, dangerous driving and ill-treatment/neglect/abandonment of a child.

Ms Pritchard explains her drug-taking at the time was 'taking over everything'.

Mr Richmond continues with her convictions telling the court they include breaching a supervision order, driving whilst disqualified, failing to provide a specimen for analysis, assault, grievous bodily harm, criminal damage, possession of a knife, assaulting a police constable, drink-driving, battery and possession of drugs.

Ms Pritchard also confirms she was involved in Cuckooing - where drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person to use it as a base for supplying drugs.

She says most of her offending has been fuelled by drink and drugs.


Stepmum accused of murdering Arthur was 'catalyst' for tragedy

 

[ChloLo]

This is very interesting, that THs defence has called ET cell mate.

 

[suebaloo]

Yowser!!! This is hectic.

 

[suebaloo]

Pritchard is hardly the paragon of virtue. Are the jurors going to believe anything she says??

 

[Carroll520]

Sounds like she wasnt the best with kids either but fair play to her for testifying against ET. Maybe shes off the drugs now

 

[Noseyjosie]

Well at least it sounds like she knows what to look for in a "wrong 'un" This could be interesting.....

ETA
Sorry, I phrased that badly. I didn't mean that in a derogatory way, I meant she's come into contact with liars, manipulative, exploitative people and should be able to spot them

 

[ScottishSam]

To be fair to her, she's probably not had the best childhood either. Lots of the people I work with have charge sheets like hers.
Didn't they have an argument- EP said she didn't believe ETs version of events?

 

[Smkd]

10:41JAMES CARTLEDGE
Day 35 of the trial has begun
Good morning.

The trial resumes on day 35.

Bernard Richmond, defending Hughes, calls Elaine Pritchard to the stand.

11:02JAMES CARTLEDGE
The court is told of Ms Pritchard's previous convictions
Ms Pritchard confirms in November 2020 she was in custody at HMP Eastwood Park, in Gloucestershire, having been recalled to prison.

She tells the court she was recalled because while staying in a hotel in Worcester she 'had too much to drink', lost her keys, kicked a window through and cut an artery in her leg.

Mr Richmond proceeds to read out her previous convictions which include theft, failure to surrender, dangerous driving and ill-treatment/neglect/abandonment of a child.

Ms Pritchard explains her drug-taking at the time was 'taking over everything'.

Mr Richmond continues with her convictions telling the court they include breaching a supervision order, driving whilst disqualified, failing to provide a specimen for analysis, assault, grievous bodily harm, criminal damage, possession of a knife, assaulting a police constable, drink-driving, battery and possession of drugs.

Ms Pritchard also confirms she was involved in Cuckooing - where drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person to use it as a base for supplying drugs.

She says most of her offending has been fuelled by drink and drugs.


Stepmum accused of murdering Arthur was 'catalyst' for tragedy

Wow, busy lady!

 

[Dotta]

Yowser!!! This is hectic.

I thought the same haha

 

[JimSteel]

Good for EP coming forward. The contrast between “normal” level of criminal neglect and this case is important. And emphasise that even other prisoners with crimes vs children are still utterly appalled at the abject depravity of this case.

 

[Sooty]

Tustin admits a child cruelty charge
Tustin formally changes her plea from not guilty to guilty on count three, which relates to child cruelty by wilfully assaulting Arthur.

Ms Prior says that she admits the offence on the basis of the three assaults captured on CCTV between June 12 and June 16.

Judge Wall says the prosecution does not accept that was the full extent of the allegation.

He now proceeds to give the jury legal directions.

copied from Birmingham Live

 

[Noseyjosie]

11:32KEY EVENT

'She just said that Tom, the little boy's dad, it was him'

Ms Pritchard confirms at one stage Tustin was her cellmate. She says initially they got on fine but she did not know what she had been charged with.

Ms Pritchard confirms she was not aware Arthur had died and says Tustin did not really speak about him, only her own children.

She tells the court she found out about injuries to Arthur from paperwork Tustin left in their cell. Ms Pritchard says Tustin never told her any of the details about the case herself.

She adds: "She just said that Tom, the little boy's dad, it was him. That's why they were going to court. Why she was in custody."

Ms Prtichard: "She came back from court, a few things were said, then she said 'he didn't even look at me'. She was saying it was Tom, the father."

Mr Richmond asks what Tustin claimed Hughes had done to Arthur.

Ms Pritchard: "Kept saying it was him. First of all she was saying it was just the little boy, her son and his son had a fight. Because Arthur had got the better of her son, she was angry about that."

 

[Noseyjosie]

11:39JAMES CARTLEDGE

Inmate 'threw Tustin out of her cell' after she read Tustin's case papers

Ms Pritchard confirms she looked at Tustin's case paperwork without her permission. She says:

She tried to take them from me. She was in the cell with me. I just saw a comment from the paramedic and that there were 137 bruises on his body and that she showed no emotion.

I ended up throwing her out of my cell. I wasn't very happy. I asked her why wouldn't she know about all those injuries. I asked whether she had bathed him or showered him. She said 'I didn't do that, I just gave him a towel and he went in on his own'. I was quite angry that somebody had 137 bruises on their body.

She sat on her bed or chair with her knees up. I got angry. I started throwing her stuff into the corner of the room. I pressed the bell for the staff to come and get her out. I feared I would end up staying in prison. She just showed no emotion, nothing at all.

When we were arguing, she says 'you had your kids taken off you'. I said 'yeah I did, you're not going to get your kids back, you have murdered a little boy'. She wasn't interested. The only thing she spoke about was her own two children. She never spoke about Arthur."

 

[squish]

ET has changed her plea to guilty for one of the child cruelty charges, regarding her assaults caught on CCTV.