Father and his girlfriend held over death of 6-year-old boy
A FATHER and his girlfriend were being held in connection with the death of his six-year-old son last night after the child suffered fatal head injuries.
Tom Hughes, 27, and Emma Tustin, 31, were arrested after the ‘cheeky’ schoolboy, named locally as Arthur Hughes, died in hospital early on Wednesday.
Residents in the West Midlands street where the couple lived told yesterday how one neighbour had been called around to attempt to resuscitate the child.
Another resident said he had been told Arthur had fallen off a trampoline.
Warren Powell, 47, a builder, who lives on the road in Shirley, Solihull, said: ‘It is just horrible.
‘He was a nice kid. I used to call him “cheeky boy”. He used to walk by with his dad while I was cleaning the car.
‘He was a car nut like me and used to ask about the car. His dad was a Birmingham City fan like me so we had something in common.’
Another resident added: ‘ The boy’s not her [Miss Tustin’s] son, it’s his. I’ve seen him a couple of times. He was a nice little boy.’
Miss Tustin also goes by the
‘Completely and utterly shocked’
name of Emma Dutton on social media. A police crime scene operation remained in place outside the semi-detached property yesterday, where floral tributes had been left in the front garden.
Another resident said the boy had been living at the address for around seven months, adding: ‘ The police have been here for a few days and rumours were going around that the little kid had died.
‘We were all so worried about him. It’s so sad. He was a beautiful boy – always laughing and smiling. I used to call him “cheeky” as he was always smiling. He used to stop to talk to me and my dogs when he walked past.’
Miss Tustin is believed to have two children with her former partner, and shared custody of them with him.
Vicky Coggins, a former schoolfriend of the suspect, described her as ‘lovely’, adding: ‘ I’m completely and utterly shocked that she has been arrested in connection with something like this.’ Miss
Coggins, 31, from Solihull, said she believed Mr Hughes moved in with his girlfriend around eight months ago.
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: ‘A man and woman have been arrested after a six-year-old child from Solihull was taken to hospital with serious head injuries on Tuesday. Sadly the boy died in the early hours of the following morning.
‘Police were called to Cranmore Road around 3pm and an investigation has now been launched to determine how the child came about his injuries.’
A post-mortem examination is still to take place.