‘No one loves me’
Murder trial listens to recording of Arthur, 6 before he collapsed
RECORDINGS of a six-year-old boy crying “no one loves me” and “no one’s gonna feed me” before his death have been played at the murder trial of his father and stepmother.
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes died in hospital from a brain injury after what prosecutors claim was a “campaign of cruelty”, amounting to “torture”.
Thomas Hughes, 29, and Emma Tustin, 32, face multiple counts of child cruelty, after it was alleged the boy was force-fed saltlaced meals, kept isolated, starved, dehydrated and routinely beaten. They both deny murder.
Hughes sent text messages to Tustin saying to “dig Arthur’s grave” and “kid’s getting ended when I get back”.
Jurors sitting at Coventry crown court have heard the boy had 130 injuries, both old and new, all over his body, including 30 alone on his head and neck. Tustin
has also admitted recording more than 200 audio files of Arthur while he was being punished, claiming they were to show Hughes how his son was behaving. In one, Arthur can be heard crying and pleading: “No one loves me,” repeating the phrase four times in a 23-second clip. In another audio file of 44 seconds, Arthur cries “No one’s gonna feed me” seven times. Arthur collapsed while he and his father were staying at Tustin’s home in Solihull, West Midlands, on June 16 last year. He did not have a bed and slept on the lounge floor without a mattress. Though not present for the alleged fatal assault, Hughes, of Solihull, is accused of aiding the killing, and also faces three counts of child cruelty. He denies any wrongdoing. Tustin has admitted one count of child cruelty but denies two other similar charges. The trial, adjourned until later in the week, continues.