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

[ChloLo]

“A period of time” is very vague, could have been weeks or months.

 

[Sooty]

Would we be likely to expect the youth to give evidence in court? Or would they use police video interviews as evidence perhaps?
Personally, I think I will be surprised if any of the defendants give evidence -but I hope they do.

 

[Alyce]

Snipped from above.....

leave the family’s care and return to his parents

It would be very interesting to know how young the child was at this point ?

 

[Alyce]

Would we be likely to expect the youth to give evidence in court? Or would they use police video interviews as evidence perhaps?
Personally, I think I will be surprised if any of the defendants give evidence -but I hope they do.

I think AW will for sure - she will want to let us all know what a great parent she was

 

[Alyce]

Because placements need time to settle, moving children all the time creates it own set of problems.

A child who attacks the family dog and threatens to kill the foster parents and daughter doesn't need time to settle - he needs to be in a secure institution being given appropriate treatment.

 

[Skigh]

Snipped from above.....

leave the family’s care and return to his parents

It would be very interesting to know how young the child was at this point ?

He must have been of an age where the foster mother thought it was acceptable to buy him a metal baseball bat and let him go to the park .

 

[Alyce]

He must have been of an age where the foster mother thought it was acceptable to buy him a metal baseball bat and let him go to the park .

Yes, that's what I thought - so the details don't really make sense, age wise

 

[ChloLo]

A child who attacks the family dog and threatens to kill the foster parents and daughter doesn't need time to settle - he needs to be in a secure institution being given appropriate treatment.

Oh I agree. However, SW will try to place in a foster family before a secure home, as it is believed a family unit can help the child, positive roll models etc. plus the child would get more time and attention from adults. Children’s homes/secure units can breed institutionalisation.

 

[Alyce]

12:57Jason Evans

Youth told girl 'I'm going to kill your parents'

The next piece of evidence the jury is hearing - again in the form of a written statement - comes from one of the young daughters of the foster couple who cared for the youth defendant.

In her statement she describes how the defendant was "always talking about killing people" because of the computer games he liked to play.

She 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 statement continues with a description of the time the defendant picked up the family dog - which was recovering from surgery to its pelvis - by its back legs, and that after this he was never allowed to be alone with the dog again.

The witness says that over time the teenager’s behaviour "escalated".




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

 

[Alyce]

12:58Jason Evans

Social worker: 'Logan was bubbly and bright'

The next evidence will come from Chloe Paddick, who was Logan’s social worker.

In response to questions from prosecution barrister Caroline Rees QC she tells the court that she only managed one visit to the family due to Covid but during the course of that hour-long visit at the end of June 2021 she found Logan to be "a bubbly, very bright little five-year-old boy". She says she spent time alone with Logan in his bedroom looking at pictures he had drawn, and that she had no concerns about his welfare.

The social worker says she spoke to defendant Angharad Williamson around once a week over the phone, and describes her as "very chatty, very confident, calm".

Under cross-examination from John Cole’s barrister, David Elias, the witness confirms she had no concerns about Logan and that "everything seemed fine".



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

 

[Dotta]

Now I understand why JC was appointed the carer of the teen.
As a no nonsense disciplinarian.

 

[Alyce]

13:07Jason Evans

Court breaks for lunch

That concludes this morning’s evidence. The court breaks for lunch, and the trial will resume at 2pm when the jury will hear from the youth defendant’s social worker.

 

[Alyce]

snipped from above

Chloe Paddick -Logan’s social worker.
she tells the court that she only managed one visit to the family due to Covid but during the course of that hour-long visit at the end of June 2021


I wonder how long she had been Logan's social worker - was he on her case files prior to March 2020 ?
If yes, then wouldn't there have been some checks done during the 15 months up until June 2021 - via phone calls, zoom chats.
Or was this a new case for her, hence the only visit was June 2021

 

[ChloLo]

So are we now looking at potentially two social
workers involved?

 

[HongKongPhooey]

A child who attacks the family dog and threatens to kill the foster parents and daughter doesn't need time to settle - he needs to be in a secure institution being given appropriate treatment.

Definitely. And he wouldn’t staying my house a second longer either. Has to be a cut off point surely.

 

[Skigh]

Definitely. And he wouldn’t staying my house a second longer either. Has to be a cut off point surely.

Social services must have known about his background ,he did not become that violent over night ,so never should have been placed in a home with pets or young children.

 

[Kitkat28]

I think we need to be careful about categorising children as “monsters” or “angels” without any actual concrete evidence or insight into what may have gone on in their lives.

 

[Cherwell]

I do not understand why the foster family kept him for so long. The moment he hurt the dog or threatened violence ,social services should have removed him.

Because placements need time to settle, moving children all the time creates it own set of problems.

Are you serious? I would have demanded his immediate removal if he'd hurt my dog. Non-negotiable.

 

[Kitkat28]

Are you serious? I would have demanded his immediate removal if he'd hurt my dog. Non-negotiable.

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.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I think we need to be careful about categorising children as “monsters” or “angels” without any actual concrete evidence or insight into what may have gone on in their lives.

Anyone who sprays deodorant in a dog’s eyes is a monster in my book. I don’t care who they are, or what age, or actually what their background is. But that’s just me.