UK probes death of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes tortured by dad, step mum

The United Kingdom has launched a national investigation into the death of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes to protect other children.

Labinjo-Hughes, from Solihull, died in June 2020 after being tortured by his dad and step mum for more than a year.

Thomas Hughes has been jailed for 21 years for manslaughter, while Emma Tustin received a 29-year penalty for murder.

A year after the boy’s murder, the government said it is also launching an urgent inspection of social care services in Solihull.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, UK Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, said:

“The most vulnerable in our society need to have the maximum protection.”

Similarly, Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, announced the national review on Sunday.

The development upgrades an existing local serious case review which had been started into Arthur’s death.

The local review is looking into the circumstances around his death after it emerged social workers had visited the house in the months before he died and found no issues, despite relatives raising concerns.

Mr Zahawi said he had asked inspectors in social care, health, police, and probation to investigate the safeguarding agencies Arthur was known to.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) this weekend confirmed to Sky News that Tustin and Hughes’ sentences are to be reviewed.

This is even as crowds of people gathered at Solihull Street, where Arthur lived, to hold a vigil for him on Sunday.

They released blue balloons – the colour of his football team Birmingham City FC – and broke out into applause. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy Channels TV)