Arthur Labinjo-Hughes RIP

physichull · 3 Dec 2021 at 20:27

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Emma Tustin and Thomas Hughes jailed over killing - BBC News

Before I had a child of my own, I'd react to this headline in the sense that this story was really awful to read about. Now that I have had a child of my own, this story absolutely moves me to tears. It absolutely broke me up when I read about this afternoon, the footage, the words "nobody loves me" will haunt me for a very long time.

Aston Villa, and hopefully many other football clubs (BCFC hopefully too) are going to hold a minutes applause on the 6th minute, a nice tribute.

I just can't shake this story from my head, how can people do such cruel and callous things. Children are pure and innocent. I feel sick, sad and tearful just thinking of this.

RIP Arthur.

Fubsy · 3 Dec 2021 at 20:32

Children may be pure and innocent, but there will always be children that grow up to have the capacity to breed and do this to their offspring. It's why everyone needs to be vigilant and the relevant authorities do their jobs, have teeth and can make meaningful interventions.

There were chances to stop this it seems, but it was softly softly and they got to point of murder.

I should add, RIP little guy.

robfosters · 3 Dec 2021 at 20:33

Had tears in my eyes too reading about it and watching the awful video.

I hope those evil ***** suffer for every day in their miserable lives. A severe beating every day would not be too much, and I hope it leads to serious reform about the way these cases are dealt with by police and social services.

Uther · 3 Dec 2021 at 20:35

Been seeing the headlines over the last week or so, but have absolutely no wish to delve into the details. Poor kid

vanandjuanunited · 3 Dec 2021 at 20:41

No sentence would be long enough :mad:

PapaLazaru · 3 Dec 2021 at 20:48

Absolutely horrific, much like the Daniel Pelka case. Both moved me to tears. They can go and rot in prison, I do hope others get to them. That poor kid.

FoxEye · 3 Dec 2021 at 20:58

Uther said:
Been seeing the headlines over the last week or so, but have absolutely no wish to delve into the details. Poor kid

This. Whenever people say, "It was so distressing and awful reading the details and looking at the photos," I can't help but think, "Why did you want to look for them, find them, and then go through them?"

I'm not sure it helps anyone for people to pore over the horrific details of cases like this.

But it seems quite a common thing (e.g. the mass killing threads, murder by vehicle, etc), for everything to be recorded and then for people to watch it on YouTube or whatever. And then to come to the internet to say how awful it was. Morbid curiosity?

Gerard · 3 Dec 2021 at 20:59

Pair of grade a *****. :mad:

Minstadave · 3 Dec 2021 at 20:59

I do a lot of children's safeguarding work and have been involved in some horrible cases, even in the last year or two. Even so, watching that video today caused me real anguish, still find it painful hours later. Truly evil what they did to that poor boy, not even the sentences they received today come close to justice, but nothing would.

My heart goes out to those jurors too.

Minstadave · 3 Dec 2021 at 21:04

FoxEye said:
This. Whenever people say, "It was so distressing and awful reading the details and looking at the photos," I can't help but think, "Why did you want to look for them, find them, and then go through them?"

I'm not sure it helps anyone for people to pore over the horrific details of cases like this.

But it seems quite a common thing (e.g. the mass killing threads, murder by vehicle, etc), for everything to be recorded and then for people to watch it on YouTube or whatever. And then to come to the internet to say how awful it was. Morbid curiosity?

The one positive from these awful cases is it raises the profile of safeguarding and shows how utterly we fail the children of the UK sometimes.

Johno please? · 3 Dec 2021 at 21:36

Fubsy said:
Children may be pure and innocent, but there will always be children that grow up to have the capacity to breed and do this to their offspring. It's why everyone needs to be vigilant and the relevant authorities do their jobs, have teeth and can make meaningful interventions.

There were chances to stop this it seems, but it was softly softly and they got to point of murder.

I should add, RIP little guy.

Its ok don't worry because.... "lEsSoNs wIlL bE lEaRnEd"

Humans are a plague.

Fubsy · 3 Dec 2021 at 21:54

Johno please? said:
Its ok don't worry because.... "lEsSoNs wIlL bE lEaRnEd"

Humans are a plague.

Lessons won't be "learned". We already know what needs to be known following past tragedies. The problem is that it's too damn easy to look the other way while this **** goes on.

VincentHanna · 3 Dec 2021 at 21:56

Fubsy said:
Lessons won't be "learned". We already know what needs to be known following past tragedies. The problem is that it's too damn easy to look the other way while this **** goes on.

The social care sector needs huge investment and a lot more, qualified, social workers.

Sadly more people are leaving the profession than joining.

Hotwired · 3 Dec 2021 at 21:57

So the kids mother is currently in jail for stabbing her partner to death in 2019.
Now his father and his fathers partner will also be in jail for torturing and killing him in 2020.

What a lovely bunch.

Minstadave · 3 Dec 2021 at 22:02

Hotwired said:
So the kids mother is currently in jail for stabbing her partner to death in 2019.
Now his father and his fathers partner will also be in jail for torturing and killing him in 2020.

What a lovely bunch.

This kind of thing happens a lot. Broken families, kid get abused by one parent and gets placed with another family member but often the whole family is a mess and they're not much better off.

VincentHanna · 3 Dec 2021 at 22:06

Minstadave said:
This kind of thing happens a lot. Broken families, kid get abused by one parent and gets placed with another family member but often the whole family is a mess and they're not much better off.

Yep.

In my own experience of an issue with my Nephews child being taken off him, the social workers seem to prioritise keeping kids with family members, rather than ensuring they are with a family that can give them everything they need.

They bend over backwards to try and keep kids with their parents, even when the parents don't seem to give a stuff.

When my nephew's 1 year old son was taken away, his development suddenly skyrocketed.

GreatAuk · 3 Dec 2021 at 22:10

Saw this the other day and it really upset me in a way news stories rarely do. The thought of that poor helpless boy being treated like that is just sickening.

One of those cases where a even a whole life sentence seems far too good for the stepmum and dad (not that either of them have even been given that). Breaking on the wheel might be a start.

It does seem like this will be another one of those 'lessons will be learned' cases though. Surely with the multiple concerns raised with social services by Tustin's ex-partners, grandparents etc, they should have been keeping a closer eye on him and noticed things were off at home. Plus you'd think school might have been keeping a closer eye on him given the history and would have found the repeated 'he hurt himself playing' calls suspicious, even if schools were closed due to lockdown in Arthur's final weeks (at least I think that's the case - possible his school may have reopened in the weeks before as some were starting to reopen but guess they didn't in his area as the reports don't mention him being in school and talk about lockdown).

RIP

gary996 · 3 Dec 2021 at 22:12

guess we will hear the same old 'lessons will be learned'

cheesefest · 3 Dec 2021 at 22:15

A friend and his brother and two sisters were brought up by his grandparents - they used to be my neighbours as their mother neglected them. Their father (whose parents looked after his children) did nothing.

Minstadave · 3 Dec 2021 at 22:16

VincentHanna said:
Yep.

In my own experience of an issue with my Nephews child being taken off him, the social workers seem to prioritise keeping kids with family members, rather than ensuring they are with a family that can give them everything they need.

They bend over backwards to try and keep kids with their parents, even when the parents don't seem to give a stuff.

When my nephew's 1 year old son was taken away, his development suddenly skyrocketed.

There is a reason for this. Ovetall children placed outside their families have poorer outcomes than those placed in family but there are several examples I've come across where this hasn't worked well and felt obviously predictable at the time.