‘Lenient’ sentence for Arthur Labinjo-Hughes’ abusers to be reviewed

The prison sentences of the couple who killed six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes are to be reviewed, the Attorney General has confirmed.

Arthur was left with a severe brain injury while in the sole care of Emma Tustin, 32, who was jailed for life after being convicted of murder by repeatedly assaulting the defenceless child at her home in Birmingham on June 16, 2020. He died the following day in hospital.

A total of 130 bruises were discovered on his body because he had been subjected to months of abuse by his “spiteful and sadistic” carers. He had been poisoned with salt, denied food and drink and made to stand for hours in the hallway.

Tustin was given a minimum term of 29 years in prison. Arthur’s father, Thomas Hughes, 29, was sentenced to 21 years for manslaughter after being found to have “encouraged” the abuse.

It comes after Julian Knight, the Conservative MP for Solihull, said on Twitter he would be referring the sentences for review.

Shortly after laying flowers at a shrine for Arthur in the Shirley area of Birmingham where the boy lived, Mr Knight said: “There’s a palpable sense of real loss and tragedy over this. And also, frankly, a sense of anger and questions about how this was allowed to happen, how these monsters were allowed to inflict this horrible torture on this young defenceless boy.

“My view is simple on this. We need to get to the bottom of how this happened and we need to ensure those who have failed him are accountable.

“But, also anyone reflecting on those sentences yesterday who think they were too lenient: my intention is to try to refer this to the unduly lenient sentencing scheme as soon as possible.”

The Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme requires the case to be reported to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) within 28 days of the prison sentence being imposed.

A spokesperson for the AGO said: "The Attorney General's thoughts are with those who loved Arthur. I can confirm that the sentences given to Emma Tustin and Thomas Hughes have been referred to the Attorney General for review to determine whether they were too low."

Once referred to the Court of Appeal, the judges can increase the original sentence if it is too low, keep it the same or decide to refuse to hear the case.

Wendy Thorogood, the director of the Association of Child Protection Professionals, said Arthur should have been the top priority for local social services.

However, due to lockdown and the closure of schools, there may have been fewer chances for the authorities to identify him as being at risk.

“I can’t comment on what they actually witnessed, but you have to remember he was at the hands of quite cruel people who could manipulate him, his environment and professionals,” she told Times Radio.

“We have to remember this was under Covid, so he wasn’t actually getting additional oversight from school and education.”

A serious case review is under way into circumstances around Arthur's death after it emerged social workers had visited the house in the months before he died and found no cause for concern.

Anna Edmundson, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the NSPCC, warned that other children who still have not returned to classes could be at risk of falling off social services radar.

“We know from the tragic case of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and the increase in contacts to our helpline from adults with concerns about the safety of children, that there was an increased risk to some young people while schools were closed during the lockdowns,” she said.

“Worryingly, too many children who are known to be vulnerable are still not attending school and they cannot be allowed to slip off the radar. Authorities need to work together to establish where these vulnerable children are, whether they are safe and well and how they can be supported to be back in school.”

Lord Laming, who led the public inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie and reviewed the case of baby Peter Connelly, said the training of social workers may need to be reviewed to ensure they are able to spot the telltale signs of abuse.

“I think that the quality of the training of social work needs to be looked at again,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

“I think the marked reduction in funding of local authorities in the last 10 years has had a real withdrawal from frontline services and I think it’s become something of a crisis service rather than a preventive service.

“The whole organisation ought to focus on the front line, on what’s happening to children and making sure they intervene earlier rather than later and when it is too late.”