Dec 21, 2021
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes ‘Respectfully Resign’ petition rejected
Petitions calling for professionals in Arthur Labinjo-Hughes case to step down are rejected for fear it may cause them ‘personal distress or loss.’
While the nation mourned the news of Arthur’s torturus murder, the Government announced a national review and declared ‘lessons would be learned’. But is another review enough?
At just six years old, Arthur’s life was tragically taken when his ‘stepmother’ Emma Tustin, 32 from Solihull, spearheaded a campaign of abuse that finally ‘ended him’ on 17thJune 2020.
Looking at his innocent ‘always happy’ face makes it hard not to question, what kind of person could do this?
Emma Tustin was widely described as Arthur’s ‘stepmother’, but this is not a title she deserves. Not only was Tustin not married to Arthur’s father, Thomas Hughes (29), but she also failed to fulfil the role of a mother. The father of one of her four offspring told The Mail, ‘She is a ruthless predator with no maternal instinct whatsoever’.
Tustin first ran in to trouble when she was just fourteen — a time when Children’s Services were duty bound to protect her. She had a history of fighting, shoplifting and suicide attempts, and left school without qualifications.
Falling pregnant at 16, Tustin was clearly what social services would describe, as a ‘child in need’. And yet, just like Arthur, Tustin’s childhood cries for help were not heard.
One might think that her attempt to throw herself out of a window, causing her to break her leg, or jump off the top floor of a multi-storey car park, causing her pelvis to shatter, might cause authorities to keep a closer eye on her, but seemingly not…
In March 2020 Tustin met Hughes online. Due to lockdown, they quickly moved in together and lived as a ‘blended’ family with their three children in their semi-detached Solihull home.
But It didn’t take long for Arthur’s relatives to know something wasn’t right, and after just one month, they raised concerns with Social Services.
Sadly, even with Tustin’s history, these concerns were minimised by Social Services and not investigated at all by Police.
The following Individuals tried to raise the alarm that Arthur was suffering:
· John Dutton — Stepfather of Emma Tustin: made an anonymous referral to Social services in May 2020
· Joanne Hughes — Paternal Grandmother: tried to inform authorities more than once in the months up to his death
· Daniel Hughes — Uncle of deceased Arthur: raised the alarm twice with WM Police (and sent in photos of bruises)
· Neighbour of Tustin and Hughes: contacted social services anonymously
· Peter and Madeline Halcrow — Maternal Grandparents: contacted Social Services raising concerns.
Children’s Services have a duty to protect vulnerable children until they turn eighteen years old. Police have a duty to investigate crime. Frequently though, when social services are involved, Police dont investigate the criminal offence, and the buck is passed.
A growing number of people feel that professionals who failed Arthur should resign as a mark of ‘respect’.
However, multiple petitions to this effect have been flatly rejected by the Government Petitions team:
‘We know many people have been deeply affected by the death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and want to start petitions relating to this, but we can’t publish petitions which could cause personal distress or loss. This includes petitions that could intrude into someone’s personal grief or shock without their consent…We also can’t publish petitions calling for people to lose their job or to resign.’
[UK Government Petitions Team Dec 2021]
Professionals involved in Arthur Labinjo Hughes case, which is now under -review, include:
· Kerry Forsyth-Benson — CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) practitioner: decided there should be ‘No further action’ taken after her short-term involvement.
· Aileen Carabine — Special Educational Needs Coordinator at Arthur’s school: recorded Arthur was becoming “fixated” with his dad disappearing from his life, and his dad killing him.
· (NOW RESIGNED) Sarah Turrell — Teaching assistant at Dickens Heath Community Primary School, where Arthur was a pupil. She said in Court that she spoke to Arthur’s dad on the phone who said ‘he had no concerns’.
· Jayne Kavanagh — Social worker who visited Arthur at his home on April 17th 2020. She carried out a ‘threshold of needs assessment’ that led to no further action being taken. This was just two months before Arthur’s murder.
· Angela Scarlett-Coppage — Family Support worker who attended the home with Jayne Kavanagh. She saw faint bruises but accepted that Hughes didn’t consent to further involvement. She agreed to the case being closed.
· (NOW RESIGNED) PC Todd Bennet — received photos of Arthur’s bruising sent by his uncle and eventually raised it with his Sergeant Lee Norbury.
· Sgt Lee Norbury — After delayed discussion about photos, decided there was no further role for Police as ‘social workers were involved’.
Although invited to, none of the professionals above chose to comment ahead of the National Review.
Key Facts:
· Emma Tustin begged her partner to take Arthur to his grandparent’s house, but he refused.
· Tustin had four children with three different men, and was pregnant when she killed Arthur.
· Arthur told school, “I’m worried dad will kill me.”
· Arthur’s uncle sent photographs of bruising to the police. He was assured they would be discussed with a sergeant but this was delayed.
· West Midlands Police closed the case stating ‘Social Services are dealing with it.’
· The pair were sentence to a toal of fifty years imprisonment at Coventry Crown Court on 3rd December 2021
· The combined cost of keeping Hughes and Tustin behind bars will be at least £4.3million
The domino effect of failings in this case are hard to ignore. One failed child in Need grows up and causes another child to need protecting. Neither children’s needs were met and unnecessary death and suffering was the result.
Agencies such as Social Services and Police exist to protect children like Arthur. Without urgent overhaul and proper financial investment — it’s surely only a matter of time before we hear that Government’s mantra again:
Are the public happy to pay for these reoccurring lessons that professionals never actually seem to learn? At the cost of a little boys life, plus the £2.4 million to keep Tustin imprisoned until 2050 - it’s an expensive lesson not to learn from.
When-and-not-if this happens again, will the Government add ‘too little too late’ to their repertoire of reactions?
(Regretfully at the time of writing another needless child death occurred – RIP Star Hobson – ‘lessons will be learnt’).
Professional culpability and individual responsibility are essential if we want to ensure children in the UK are safe.
Annie Hudson, chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, will lead her organisation’s first national inquiry into the suspected failings within Arthur’s case. The full review is expected in May 2022.
