She described her six-year-old son as ‘the light of my life’ and ‘best friend.’
The mother of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, who was killed by his dad and stepmom, has paid tribute to her son from prison.
Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow, who is serving a jail term for killing her boyfriend, described her son as “the light of my life” and “best friend.”
In a statement from her prison cell she wrote: “The details of Arthur’s case are harrowing and incomparable.
“From the moment Arthur was born he filled my life with joy. He was always smiling and had the most inquisitive little mind.
“Arthur was the light of my life. He wasn’t just my only child, he was my best friend.
“Never did I imagine he would be taken from this world so early in his life.
“If Arthur could ask for one final thing it would be that he is remembered for his superpower.
“That will always be what I remember him for. Arthur’s superpower was his smile.”
On Thursday, Emma Tustin, 32, was convicted of murdering Arthur, with her partner and Arthur’s father Thomas Hughes, 29, found guilty of manslaughter.
They had subjected the six-year-old to a campaign of “evil” abuse.
Arthur suffered an “unsurvivable brain injury” on June 16, 2020 after being assaulted by Tustin.
Arthur’s grandmother, Madeleine Halcrow, also paid tribute to her grandson, describing him as “my sunny delight”, adding that he was always “happy, smiling, loving, caring.”
Halcrow described Tustin and Hughes as “cold, calculating, systematic torturers of a defenceless little boy”, and said they got a “perverse” pleasure out of torturing him.
The pair will be sentenced at Coventry Crown Court on Friday.
In court, they were described by prosecutors as “utterly ruthless, unthinking and pitiless.”
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- Child abusers could now face life in prison under government-backed plans
- Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Dad and partner found guilty of killing boy who was tortured and starved
Tustin carried out the fatal assault on Arthur, violently shaking him and repeatedly banging his head, likely against the hallway wall.
She then took a photo of the boy and sent the image to Hughes, who then took 12 minutes to call 999.
The pair lied to medics, saying that Arthur “fell and banged his head”, with Tustin then telling the court during the trial that he must have thrown himself down the stairs.
There was also evidence of the systematic abuse Arthur was subjected to, with evidence that he was so starved that he could barely stand, the Mirror reports.
After his death, he was found to have 130 injuries, after being hit, slapped, kicked, punched and beaten “over and over.”
Tustin admitted two counts of child cruelty, admitting to assaulting him and isolating Arthur at home by making him stand up to 14 hours a day in the hallway.
Hughes was also convicted on both counts and of manslaughter after encouraging the killing by his actions, including sending a text message to his partner 18 hours before the assault with told her to to “just end him.”
