An unimaginable level of grief
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes grandad, Peter Halcrow, says his grandson’s killers should never be freed.
As reported in multiple outlets, Halcrow – the father of Arthur’s birth mother – says dad Thomas Hughes and step-mother Emma Tustin should “never see the light of day again” after they were jailed for life on Friday.
The 61-year-old went on to add that “No punishment could ever be enough for this pair”, 29 and 32 respectively. A national review is set to be launched as police investigate the six-year-olds tragic death, who was reported to have been starved, poisoned and beaten to death.
The grieving grandfather went on to say: “I have never favoured the death penalty because I know mistakes can be made by courts, but in my view they have forfeited their right to live.
“It will burden taxpayers but, as we don’t have capital punishment, they should certainly never leave prison as long as they live for such cruelty and inhumanity.”
He added that following the story online left him feeling “physically sick” and described his own it as something he’ll “never get over”, with his daughter having also gone to prison for murder and now losing his grandson to fatal abuse.
Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow and Thomas Hughes gave birth to Arthur after moving to the West Midlands before their relationship broke down and his mother moved in with a new partner, Gary Cunningham; she went on to be charged with his murder and jailed for 11 years.
Candlelit vigils took place across the nation this weekend with applause resounding around football grounds on the sixth minute of games in Athur’s memory.
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