Emma Tustin and Thomas Hughes #2

[Michelle1980]

Poor little Arthur. This case has truly traumatised me. I cant get Arthur's beautiful little face and sweet smile out of my mind. I have cried for the last 5 days straight, I can"t sleep or eat. To think how anyone could be so cruel is hard to comprehend. My daughter is 5 months older than Arthur was and my son a year younger. This morning when his little face appeared on TV my son asked if it was this way as it was poor Arthur that had to live the terror amd suffer daily. It eats me up how he must have felt in his little mind. I cant even feel anger at this stage, just an overwhelming sadness. RIP little one, I wish the world had been kinder to you. You deserved so much more xx

Sorry but I just to vent x

Poor little Arthur. This case has truly traumatised me. I cant get Arthur's beautiful little face and sweet smile out of my mind. I have cried for the last 5 days straight, I can"t sleep or eat. To think how anyone could be so cruel is hard to comprehend. My daughter is 5 months older than Arthur was and my son a year younger. This morning when his little face appeared on TV my son asked if it was this way as it was poor Arthur that had to live the terror amd suffer daily. It eats me up how he must have felt in his little mind. I cant even feel anger at this stage, just an overwhelming sadness. RIP little one, I wish the world had been kinder to you. You deserved so much more xx

Sorry but I just to vent x

Sorry I meant to say I feel quilt that I feel this was as it was poor little Arthur that had to live it and suffer daily. Breaks my heart.

 

[Snowjoke]

His background would have had him classed as a highly vulnerable child. They said he had separation anxiety, was worried his dad would kill him, use a baby voice, school would have known about his mum, he was known by SS from the age of 3. Any children not coming online we’re escalated to our senior management team or year group leaders to chase them up. I think all schools have now learnt how to handle lockdowns better, many didn’t get it right the first time but it’s a huge huge shame. He was a vulnerable child before this.

Imagine being worried that your dad would kill you tears in my eyes. That poor little boy

 

[heatmagazine]

Thing is I do slightly agree maybe this thread needs to close. It's gossip? Digging out Arthur's background. Part of me thinks we need to remember Arthur highlighted what abused children have to live and what they live through right now.

But I do think maybe we're wrong to gossip?

The trouble is people do not talk about these things. They do not speak about child abuse, childhood sexual assault, paedophiles, etc. Most brush it under the carpet as it’s hard to talk about - which it is! I think it is important to speak about it as unfortunately paedophillia and child abuse is quite common. I’d even go on to say it’s quite normal in our society as it happens that often, you’ve probably walked past 1000 paedophiles in your life time or have friends and family that are one. But people refuse to talk about it, don’t want to know, think it ends when a court case does, until the next one makes it to court, well if it does. How many people did not say anything when Arthur was being abused? Why was that? What can we learn about this?

 

[Freddo10]

SS have no argument they can’t say lack of resources or blame Covid cause they went out within 24 hours of reviving the call and visit the house in person they just didn’t do their job properly.
A immaculate house is a red flag when you have kids. The fact that TH wanted to meet in a car park was a red flag this is all basic safeguarding training yet these were supposedly experienced professionals.

I don’t want to hear any more lessons learnt as the lessons are NEVER learnt

Having an immaculate house is absolutely not a red flag in safeguarding.

 

[CariettaWhite]

They just seem so easy to fool. Turn up - parent says not today thank you - SW goes “Oh ok” and goes away.
I know a woman - A - who tried to adopt a child as a single person and had them so fooled that she actually ended up with a child placed with her. The only thing left to do was the formality of making it official. This woman is hideous - selfish, narcissistic, and a pathological liar. She told them everything they wanted to hear.
Luckily (which will sound odd but bear with me) the child had problems stemming from her earlier life so her behaviour was challenging. A had no intention of making any effort with the child and lasted a week before handing her back. Lucky for the child. Of course then the story she told everyone was “SS took the child away for no reason”.
The point is she fooled them. Easily.

 

[bluecups]

That whole thing in the old thread with Arthur's uncle is all a bit "he said, she said".. Obviously the sister of the man Olivia killed is gonna defend him to the hills. He's dead & its easy to forget all the bad shit when he was murdered. I can also believe the story with the police. I had issues with my son and his dad. The police wouldnt get involved and said it was a family dispute. They could do a welfare check and that was it. I was fuming but what can you do? It's the law! I do believe the courts need to step in as I think it's downright disgusting that families are arguing over this. It's not right that he's not been laid to rest because neither side can agree. Surely you'd just let it lie and hold your own little service and let him go. Olivia's family (as far as i know) arent in the press or on facebook making statements, but the hughes family are joining groups and writing messages.

It's all so messy and it needs to stop. Arthur is dead. They have been sentenced. Lay the boy to rest and move on with your lives so you can all grieve properly.

It wouldn't have been so bad if the Hughes family had released a formal, well worded statement clarifying speculation around the funeral disputes. Angry outbursts on Facebook just seem inappropriate and crass.

 

[Mrs_honestyx4]

Its actually irrelevant though. The fact is that was their job and they didnt do it properly in this case. Its not exactly rocket science. She needed to speak to Arthur alone. She needed to ask probing questions not 'tick box' questions pitched like a game. She needed to ask to see his bedroom. She needed to actually check for bruises. When she saw the photos a few days later and was 'shocked' she needed to follow up. I dont care that people think the job is a load of crap with crap pay etc, so is mine. But when you have accepted a responsibility then you carry out your duties - that is the choice you have made, noone else. That poor boy depended on her to do her job right and she failed him. She should hang her head in shame.

I work in canteen for a school on minmum wage. We have to ensure allergies are accounted for etc. I could go prison if I fail to ensure food is suitable for allergy sufferers. Just because the pay is crap, no job satisfaction doesn't mean I won't do it properly

So, this lady explained perfectly why the SS cannot be excused.

 

[FitiverMin]

I’ve been following this case with such a heavy heart like all of you. If there’s any consolation, I do believe the current parole terms would not allow Tustin to be released ever. She’ll be constantly pushed back, and most likely will die in jail ( hopefully not by her own hand).

I’m all for rehabilitate and diversion for prosecution in a a lot of cases, but for this I believe something like “White Bear” from Black Mirror would be the only appropriate punishment for Tustin and Hughes.

 

[Lucyxxxx]

That freak Thomas Hughes got 3 years added on to his sentence and the loser had been appealing for a reduction. Sadly the womans sentence remains the same.

 

[Tlyfe]

The hairdresser and her boyfriend testified in court. When you read their account of ET's visits to their house it's astounding that they didn't immediately call the police.

Shaking six-year-old looked 'skeletal' the day before he died, murder trial hears

A six-year-old boy alleged to have been murdered after months of cruelty appeared to be "skeletal", had shaking legs and collapsed into a car on the day before he was fatally injured, a witness has told a court.

www.shropshirestar.com

Disgrace and this hairdresser had kids of her own too! How could you be in the same house allowing this to happen

 

[Gamu]

We can all say what we think we would do. But although they had suspicions that things were not right they did not know what was actually going on and NOBODY knew the extent of the abuse. Some people are very intimidated by the police and social services. If they would have took him yes it would have been kidnap! You could be outside their house kicking and screaming, but it would be you getting taken away not the child. If your name isn’t on the birth certificate you do not have parental responsibility (rights). They did the best they could with what the had. The ones to blame are the people that murdered him.

I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but I think the fact that people knew there was abuse to the extent it was reported and ET's mother asked Arthur not to visit as it upset her too much to see him . sorry this wasn't 100% behind closed doors. That hairdresser and her boyfriend saw him at death's door and said nothing. And yes I'd gladly be taken away if only to draw attention to what is going on.
And saying that is not blaming we all know who the murderers are but I think it needs to be acknowledged.

 

[Snowjoke]

Another update from Daniel:

I agree with this sentiment, but we have not gone back on any arrangement. My family isn’t in the press or on TV, telling lies about when Thomas picked Arthur up the last time he saw his maternal grandmother. It’s just odd things to lie about. My mother picked up Arthur that day as it’s also my brother Blake’s birthday. We were going out for a family meal and Thomas wasn’t back from work yet. There’s literally no reason for anybody to lie about that.

We all agree child killers deserve life imprisonment. No arguments here. We thought “Arthur’s Law” would be more suited to a law giving extended family more rights when concerned about a child welfare.

We as a family want to be able to give Arthur the send off he deserves and then be left alone to grieve. How can that happen when people are lying constantly?

I’ll step away from social media soon. The messages of support are amazing and have definitely helped.
Then another interview or article appears that is littered with falsehoods. And then the cycle of abuse begins again.

It’s tiring and for my own health, I’ll step away.


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Did anyone watch the interview with Olivia's mum on Daybreak this morning? What was said?

I noticed it on someone's TV while I as taking my children to school (I'm nosey ) but I've not had time to watch on catch up.

I don’t think Daniel is coming across very well

 

[Scoobadob]

I don't think I've commented on these threads but I have on Star's and I can 100% confirm you are not alone. Hearing Arthur shout and cry that no one loved him and no one was going to feed him will never, ever leave me. Nor will seeing him limping and too weak to fold his blanket on the morning of his death. I just want to pick him up out of the screen, give him a big cuddle and bring him home with me to a warm comfy bed and as much yummy food as he wanted and never let anyone raise a hand to him again. I can only imagine his friends' families feeling the same too. I have sobbed at the most random time over him. My 2 children are 4 and 6. Both little blondies and like you with your grandson, they remind me of Arthur. As Emmadale said, my youngest's birthday is days before Arthur died so I remember the time well, preparing gifts and a cake, all while Arthur suffered. While having dinner last night my 6-year-old was thanking me for a lovely meal and my partner said flippantly how lucky they are to have a mum like me and my thoughts went instantly back to Arthur being starved and off I went in tears again. My kids are getting away with all sorts because I can't bear to tell them off or have them upset. We were looking back on our lockdown memories the other day - we were "lucky" in that none of our families suffered any serious illness/financial loss etc through the pandemic and we "enjoyed" lockdown with lots of family time in the garden etc and to be honest, those happy memories are now tainted by the thought of Arthur and any other children who suffered while being kept at home. I don't know how to get over this, I don't think I will get over it, and at the same time, I feel silly that I am so upset when I didn't know him - I feel like I don't have the right to be upset? I see people comparing Arthur to Baby P and James Bulger, both of those poor boys were killed when I was still a child so it almost wasn't on my radar, if that makes sense? I feel like this is the first time I have really followed such a harrowing case as an adult and it is REALLY affecting me. I think my partner thinks I need to pull myself together as well but I just can't.

This is my experience also. I could have spoke these words myself

Just wanted to clarify something from the previous thread, about the school not doing enough to find out why he wasn't in, as I have a daughter the same age.

Reception and Year 1 were allowed to go back to school on Monday 8th June 2020 in England. It was socially distanced capacity classes. At my school we had a 'consultation' about a week before. Out of my daughter's class of 30, only 14 went back because parents were still very fearful of covid. The school were so overwhelmed they just said ok and carried on with what they could.

Arthur died only a week later on 16th June so I don't think the school missed anything by not checking up on him. If he left school in March 2020 not deemed at risk then I fail to see why they should have realised he was at danger just because he didn't come back in June because so many other families made the same choice.

I think because the school did know he was at risk. He was receiving support from the school where a staff member noted his rapid deterioration towards the end of 2019 and even that he was scared his dad would kill him. They even offered Hughes to send Arthur to school during lockdown but he refused. The welfare worker from the school called to speak to Arthur about 2 weeks before he was killed but was unable to assess his wellbeing. So when he didnt return to school on the 2nd day (after giving in the first excuse that Arthur had a bad night and would be in tommorrow) then said Arthur had lost weight and he was worried he wouod faint, then yes the School should have had massive alarm bells ringing and asked for a welfare check. So i do agree with others that the school did not do enough.

 

[Mrs_honestyx4]

Tbh, press are turning it into a gossip. No let's concentrate on making sure this never happens. Don't give the killers the attention they don't deserve

 

[misshydrangea]

All I want is to spend an hour with ET. That’s all I want. That piece of filth would be praying for the sweet release of death after 5 mins.
I am consumed with rage at what she’s done. I can only hope she’s abused for every single second of her life. If anyone knows anyone on the inside, please shed some light on how this works - myself and many others are happy to pay to ensure she suffers badly for the rest of her time on this earth.

 

[SmudgeTheCat]

I just know for a fact, if I was one of those social workers visiting Arthur, I would not have been able to leave that case until I knew he was safe. I wouldn’t have visited once and left it given the evidence of photos and also both sides of the family saying he was unsafe, no way

 

[Pablox]

I think it’s hard for people to process because of the amount of real time cctv evidence. It makes it very real and personal. It must be hard to switch off from.

Agreed. Without the CCTV and audio it wouldn't have had the same impact and that is what is unique about this case. I for one am glad that some of the cctv was released as, as painful as it is to view the scenes, I think that the effect it has had on people and the raising of awareness could save lives in the future, it's the only consolation I have been able to find in this distressing and desperately sad event.

 

[SmudgeTheCat]

I’m my own personal opinion it’s very much a “look the other way” approach now that something has went badly wrong. That kind of response doesn’t sit well with me. It’s basically saying it’s pot luck if they think your case is serious enough depending on what other cases they receive that particular day. You can’t iron out complex social work cases in a day. They should be regularly reviewed, revisited and challenged, especially given the other information which was presented to the police and concerned family members too. This wasn’t all presented to social workers on one day and closed, it was over a period of time. This doesn’t sit well with me but again it’s just my opinion

I agree, they should definitely be reviewed. I think cutting all vists at once is not enough. There should be consistent involvement atleast for a few months or more

I think it’s because we have never seen so much evidence or real time distress on camera of a child abuse case. It is not normal for a family to be abusing a child on cctv.

Yes the footage has definitely impacted so many

 

[This.is.me]

Oh but SW are so underfunded and underpaid and overworked and and and…

I for one am sick of the excuses. If the SW who didn’t see the bruises on Arthur had been paid more would it have magically improved her eyesight?

I don’t know if this social worker was agency or permanently employed but agency social workers are not underpaid, it’s an absolute joke, up to £50 an hour in some places because they are so desperate. £50 an hour for workers that are incompetent and some actually don’t care. The whole system does need an overhaul!

 

[SmudgeTheCat]

Just a bit of basic investigation was required. Talking to Arthur alone. Asking to see his bedroom. Talking to other people about their concerns. But they just took her word at face value, took a cursery look at the staged scene and left it. Even when the social worker saw the photos of bruises a few days after and was shocked she never bothered to follow up. Gross incompetence.

Exactly! The fact they never spoke to him alone just puzzles me, the fact they never revisited him like it wasn’t protocol? It’s just less than good enough…