UK - Logan Mwangi, 5, found dead in Wales River, Bridgend, 31 July 2021 *arrests, inc. minor* #3

[Alyce]

Can't wait for cross. This man thinks we're all stupid. Will the lawyers for the other 2 also cross examine JC?

they can do if they think it will help their clients

 

[Alyce]

What is the point of his testimony?
There are no revelations here.
We already heard it all.

Am I missing something?

I've been thinking the same too, that we won't have any more insight after this.

I'm hoping the cross examination might be more useful

 

[Sherlockhames]

What is the point of his testimony?
There are no revelations here.
We already heard it all.

Am I missing something?

It’s all about him minimising while also trying to subtly shift the blame to AW. But there is and awful lot of references to “a tap” here or a shove or something there. I think he’s trying to create the narrative that none of them knew there was anything wrong with him and that there was no reason for them to call an ambulance as they didn’t perceive him to be sick. But what he doesn’t appear to realise is that he’s just creating a narrative of a v violent household where hits and slaps and taps are being thrown around the place. Whereas the autopsy clearly demonstrates there was a lot more than that going on. So he’s not really addressing that. Just trying to minimise or excuse his own behaviour.

 

[Seattle1]

Can anyone recall whether Ben Mwangi referred to him and AW having some sort of “reunion” when he last saw her? Or is this all a bit odd? Is this projection from JC trying to insinuate something happened and so attributing it to Logan. Or do we think this is actually true?

^^bbm

AW's mother [witness Ms Williamson] testimony is the best link for AW's relationship history with names and dates.

Appeared to me that AW's longest relationship was with Logan's dad, Ben Mwangi (works/lives in Essex). I believe they met around 2010 but did not start dating until around 2014 and according to Ben, their relationship lasted about 2.5 years.

Logan was born March 2016. When AW became pregnant, she moved in with her mom because she was having a difficult pregnancy, had seizures, couldn't drive and her mom would drive her to Essex to see Ben. After Logan was born, Ben tried living with AW, Logan, and Ms. Williamson but that didn't last very long and he moved back to Essex. Ben testified that he had fairly regular contact with Logan after they broke up until AW married Jordon Hunt (April 2017). Three years later, out of the blue, AW made contact with Ben and visitation resumed until 2019 (she met JC).

2017 AW met Jordan Hunt and they got married in April 2017. AW and Logan continued to live with Ms. Williamson because Hunt lived in the barracks. They lived with AW's mom until 2019 AW met JC.

AW became pregnant very soon after meeting JC and once she was pregnant, that was the last in-person visit both AW and Logan had with Ben. (AW told Ben JC didn't like it).

Ben testified that after JC interfered with his visiting Logan, he continued his contact with Logan via video chat whenever Logan was visiting his grandmother. But this too came to an end in 2020 because Logan was no longer allowed to visit his grandmother. Ben said his last video chat was 2020 and had no info about Logan until police contacted him about his death in July 2021.

IMO, if Logan ever told anybody including JC that AW and Ben were sleeping in the same bed and kissing (per JC), I think it was because either AW or JC told him to say it. I just think it very odd for an at the time 2.5 yr old child to keep repeating this story.

Murder trial hears evidence from five-year-old's grandmother

 

[Sooty]

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.”

Logan Mwangi murder trial continues with defendant giving evidence

 

[SausageDog]

Another thought…why are they keeping Logan locked in his room while he’s got covid to prevent “spreading” when they’re bathing him, lending him the laptop, “picking him up” and smacking him?

seems like another form of torture for the poor little boy, if indeed it is true

 

[Sooty]

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.

Logan Mwangi murder trial continues with defendant giving evidence

 

[neteditor]

Nope, not buying a word of it.

 

[nothinonyou]

Logan was carried out in a bag? I thought on the cctv description his arms were seem wrapped around JC's shoulders?
I actually do believe and can imagine AW saying "just get him out of here" and then concocting a kidnap story. The whole thing is very thrown together and no thought process behind it

 

[katydid23]

It’s all about him minimising while also trying to subtly shift the blame to AW. But there is and awful lot of references to “a tap” here or a shove or something there. I think he’s trying to create the narrative that none of them knew there was anything wrong with him and that there was no reason for them to call an ambulance as they didn’t perceive him to be sick. But what he doesn’t appear to realise is that he’s just creating a narrative of a v violent household where hits and slaps and taps are being thrown around the place. Whereas the autopsy clearly demonstrates there was a lot more than that going on. So he’s not really addressing that. Just trying to minimise or excuse his own behaviour.

Yes, he is trying his hardest to minimise, but in reality, he is telling us the child didn't eat a meal all day, was slapped on his hand repeatedly, and clipped on the back of his head by both parents, was put in the naughty corner over and over, was picked up under his arms and carried to his room, and 'dropped' onto his bed by them a few times, was picked up by his collar, which ripped his Pajama top in pieces, so it must have been done with some force, was shaken by both arms in anger, and was screamed at to 'tell the truth',screaming right into his face.

 

[starcrossx]

Logan was carried out in a bag? I thought on the cctv description his arms were seem wrapped around JC's shoulders?
I actually do believe and can imagine AW saying "just get him out of here" and then concocting a kidnap story. The whole thing is very thrown together and no thought process behind it

I think that might be the bag with the dog tags mentioned yesterday in the statement of facts. It wasn't really clear from the previous reporting about it.

 

[Alyce]

Snipped from above ....


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.”


does he really think anyone on the Jury is buying this ?

 

[tedtink]

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.”

So JC is placing AW on a chair in LM's bedroom - Very interesting.

 

[neteditor]

Logan was carried out in a bag? I thought on the cctv description his arms were seem wrapped around JC's shoulders?
I actually do believe and can imagine AW saying "just get him out of here" and then concocting a kidnap story. The whole thing is very thrown together and no thought process behind it

BBM - which makes me wonder if they genuinely didn't think he was as sick as he was. They'd have had a plan put together long before if they'd known they would need one. The question is "why" didn't they think he was that bad? For me, the position he died in tells me that little boy was in absolute agony (legs drawn up). If the description tells me that, how did they not know? Were they just hoping against hope that he'd be ok?

 

[Bluedaisy100]

I'm infuriated listening to this. I wonder how the jury is taking it

 

[tedtink]

So according to the youth's testimony, a black bin bag full of rubbish looks the same as an adidas holdall containing the body of 5 year old?

 

[DC50]

Someone (the youth) witnesses you disposing of the body of your so called stepson and no conversation takes place? Nonsense.

 

[nothinonyou]

BBM - which makes me wonder if they genuinely didn't think he was as sick as he was. They'd have had a plan put together long before if they'd known they would need one. The question is "why" didn't they think he was that bad? For me, the position he died in tells me that little boy was in absolute agony (legs drawn up). If the description tells me that, how did they not know? Were they just hoping against hope that he'd be ok?

I think it's very similar to Arthur's case, they made themselves believe he was a trouble child and an attention seeker and any indication he was suffering or in pain was attention seeking and looking to make their lives harder.

 

[katydid23]

AW is going to be forced to testify now. He is laying this whole murder at her feet. He is even leaving the youth out of the whole thing.

 

[katydid23]

So according to the youth's testimony, a black bin bag full of rubbish looks the same as an adidas holdall containing the body of 5 year old?

And didn't the youth say there were 5 black bin bags full of trash, ready to go, and JC just grabbed 3 of them, as they left?