Inquiry launched into murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes
A national inquiry into the death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes will take place to consider how children can be better protected.
Arthur, aged six, died after he was was subjected to a ‘campaign of cruelty’ which amounted to ‘torture’ from his dad and step-mum, a court heard.
‘Evil’ Emma Tustin was convicted of murder while her partner Thomas Hughes was found guilty of manslaughter and both were jailed last week.
As well as having serious head injuries, Arthur was found to be poisoned with a huge dose of salt when he died.
HIs grandmother had tried to raise the alarm with social services, while Arthur’s uncle tried to tell police there was a problem but was warned he himself could face prosecution under Covid lockdown rules if he went back to visit the home in Birmingham.
The National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel will lead the review, which will ‘upgrade’ the existing local review which was launched shortly after Arthur’s death in June 2020.
It aims to determine what improvements are needed by the agencies that came into contact with Arthur in the months before he was murdered at home in Solihull.
The action comes after it emerged in court the boy had been seen by social workers just two months before his death, but they concluded there were ‘no safeguarding concerns’.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: ‘I am deeply distressed by this awful case and the senseless pain inflicted on this poor boy, who has been robbed of the chance to live his life.
‘I have taken immediate action and asked for a joint inspection to consider where improvements are needed by all the agencies tasked with protecting children in Solihull, so that we can be assured that we are doing everything in our power to protect other children and prevent such evil crimes.
‘Given the enormity of this case, the range of agencies involved and the potential for its implications to be felt nationally, I have also asked Annie Hudson, chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, to work with leaders in Solihull to deliver a single, national review of Arthur’s death to identify where we must learn from this terrible case.
‘We are determined to protect children from harm and where concerns are raised we will not hesitate to take urgent and robust action.
‘We will not rest until we have the answers we need.’
A targeted area inspection will be also commissioned and led jointly by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and HM Inspectorate of Probation.
It will consider what improvements are needed by all agencies who protect vulnerable children in Solihull, including how they work together.
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said this morning that ministers are determined to see what lessons can be learned.
Asked if there would be an inquiry, Mr Raab said ‘yes’ and told Sky News: ‘The Prime Minister made clear that we want to see how social services liaise with the criminal justice agencies, and what lessons we can learn.
‘It is right that we look at the criminal justice end and in between that I think the job of social workers – particularly those looking at children at particular risk – we need to learn the lessons.’
He added: ‘I do think we have got to make sure a more precautionary approach which looks at the risk to those particularly vulnerable young children and see what more we can do to read those early signs earlier and better.’
The Department for Education is expected to formally announce the investigation later today.
During a trial, the court heard how Arthur had his head banged ‘repeatedly against a hard surface’ at the hands of Tustin in Solihull in June 2020.
She lied to police about what happened, saying he must have thrown himself down the stairs, despite evidence he was barely strong enough to stand.
Jurors heard how Hughes encouraged the killing, sending a text to Tustin 18 hours before the fatal assault saying ‘just end him’.
He later allegedly told his son: ‘Watch you little c***, I’ll bury you six feet under.’
Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza said the system ‘must listen to the voices of children’.
She told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show: ‘First I think it’s so important we’re here talking about Arthur’s case. The life of a child is of inestimable value and his voice was not heard and that’s where we need to start.
‘Obviously there’s a serious case review under way and we need to see what that says but we must take decisive action and now. Now my concern is that here we are 20 years since this post was set up and we’re still having these cases and there are two things that I think we absolutely have to do and do now.
‘One – Arthur raised concerns, he was not a baby, he was six years old, he raised concerns and the system did not hear him. We must listen to the voices of children and secondly, no doubt with these reviews and national reviews that are absolutely right that they happen, they tend to make the same recommendations… it’s not a matter of system recommendations, it’s a matter of delivery.’
It comes after it was announced that the sentences given to Emma Tustin for murder and Thomas Hughes for manslaughter would be reviewed to see if they were too lenient.
A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has confirmed they had been referred ‘for review to determine whether they were too low’.
The AGO has 28 days from the date of sentence to review a case, assess whether it falls under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme, and make a decision as to whether to refer a sentence to the Court of Appeal, who can decide to increase sentences.
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