Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: A life cut short by cruelty

[Hitchington]

This crime is a tragedy beyond comprehension and listening to this littles boy's cries to be loved and fed ripped my heart out and left me empty. The tragedy is ongoing for his family and one can only feel the upmost sympathy for them.

However we have a humane legal framework and through that we have justice and consequences for those who commit the most terrible of crimes.

The death penalty doesn't solve problems. It would just add to them.

On another note I am a practitioner in children's services and the pressure on the system is immense. Cuts to budgets, staff burn out and high turnover coupled with the pandemic and lockdown has in some way allowed abusers to go hidden.

It's grim and this government should be looking at why they've cut essential funding to councils and local services before they start applying blame.

RIP little Arthur.

 

[Cirrus]

have justice and consequences

I agree that there are consequences, and that the consequences are not immaterial, those, and many other sentences are not in my opinion "justice", neither of the sentences are long enough.

As PR mentions:

For what it's worth, Hughes didn't get life, he got a determinate sentence of 21 years.

The main difference being he is all but entitled to parole after he's done two thirds of the determinate term.

Thus he is looking at a realistic release date of 14 years from today, less any time he's already spent on remand.

14 years for his part in this horror (I hold him equally responsible, join enterprise if you will), is not comensurate with the deeds.

 

[Beebo]

The whole thing is a mess. How do people end up living like this. It must be generational.
I presume his short life totally shambolic with a mother killing her partner then ending up in this toxic house.
I can’t hold social Sevices too responsible for this. Lock down no doubt brought pressures but the 2 parents are 100% responsible.

 

[Rusty Nails]

The whole thing is a mess. How do people end up living like this. It must be generational.
I presume his short life totally shambolic with a mother killing her partner then ending up in this toxic house.
I can’t hold social Sevices too responsible for this. Lock down no doubt brought pressures but the 2 parents are 100% responsible.

While I don't directly hold Social Services as responsible for this they must bear an element of criticism for their inability to spot/follow-up on the actions that were going on in that family. It no doubt has a hell of a lot to do with work pressures, exacerbated by Covid, but what I cannot get my head around is how the boss of that Council SSD, who resigned immediately after the death, ever got the job soon after her previous SSD Head role was in another council where it was deemed to be failing due in part to poor management.

Is it just a managerial merry-go-round without any research/references carried out before appointment?

 

[BoldonLad]

While I don't directly hold Social Services as responsible for this they must bear an element of criticism for their inability to spot/follow-up on the actions that were going on in that family. It no doubt has a hell of a lot to do with work pressures, exacerbated by Covid, but what I cannot get my head around is how the boss of that Council SSD, who resigned immediately after the death, ever got the job soon after her previous SSD Head role was in another council where it was deemed to be failing due in part to poor management.

Is it just a managerial merry-go-round without any research/references carried out before appointment?

Agreed! X 10!

In addition some video footage was shown on BBC, I assume from a police body-cam. It would appear Police actually visited the house, accepted the step-mother’s platitudes, and left, without seeing the child, who, alledgedly was lying in the house, seriously injured. Absolutely unbelievable. But, as I said earlier I am sure “lessons will be learned” (not).

 

[Bromptonaut]

Local MP is referring the sentences to the Attorney General:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-59532071

 

[Pale Rider]

Local MP is referring the sentences to the Attorney General:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-59532071

I think Julian will do well to convince the system a 29 year tariff is too lenient for a female murderer.

As I've observed many times, gender equality has yet to reach sentencing.

As regards the male killer, the judge's sentencing guns were spiked as soon as the jury declined to convict him of murder.

I've seen that several times, both in person and in the media.

Exactly same happened with those dreadful young creatures who killed the copper by dragging him behind their car and stolen quad bike.

 

[Bromptonaut]

I think Julian will do well to convince the system a 29 year tariff is too lenient for a female murderer.

As I've observed many times, gender equality has yet to reach sentencing.

As regards the male killer, the judge's sentencing guns were spiked as soon as the jury declined to convict him of murder.

I've seen that several times, both in person and in the media.

Exactly same happened with those dreadful young creatures who killed the copper by dragging him behind their car and stolen quad bike.

Was he charged with murder?

If the jury are not so certain they are sure, or whatever the current formulation of beyond reasonable doubt is, then either that's right or the prosecution ducks were not in a row.

 

[Pale Rider]

Was he charged with murder?

If the jury are not so certain they are sure, or whatever the current formulation of beyond reasonable doubt is, then either that's right or the prosecution ducks were not in a row.

The original charges will be online somewhere, but might take some finding in the avalanche of publicity.

I'm all but certain both were charged with murder.

No one knows how the jury came to their decisions, but it appeared to me they likely convicted Hughes of the lesser charge because he was not present in the house when the fatal blows were struck.

I've noticed over years that despite the concept of joint enterprise, juries like their murderers to have played a direct hands on role in the killing.

 

[Bromptonaut]

I've noticed over years that despite the concept of joint enterprise, juries like their murderers to have played a direct hands on role in the killing.

That may well tell us that juries are ahead of the law. Joint enterprise, strictly interpreted, can egregiously unjust outcomes.

 

[Beebo]

The original charges will be online somewhere, but might take some finding in the avalanche of publicity.

I'm all but certain both were charged with murder.

No one knows how the jury came to their decisions, but it appeared to me they likely convicted Hughes of the lesser charge because he was not present in the house when the fatal blows were struck.

I've noticed over years that despite the concept of joint enterprise, juries like their murderers to have played a direct hands on role in the killing.

the fact he wasn’t at home at the time would be a huge hurdle to over come.
Could you find someone guilty of murder if they were miles away at the time?

 

[Pale Rider]

the fact he wasn’t at home at the time would be a huge hurdle to over come.
Could you find someone guilty of murder if they were miles away at the time?

They could be charged if the evidence indicated they had acted in concert with another to cause serious harm (as a minimum) to the victim.

There was a notorious cop killing up here in which the policeman arrested defendant one and put him in the back of a police car.

The policeman then went to tackle defendant two who killed him.

Defendant one was convicted of murder on the basis of joint enterprise, even though at the time the fatal attack was made he was sitting, handcuffed, in the back of a cop car.

Needless to say he went to prison feeling a crushing sentence of injustice.

Another more recent on was a lass who was charged with murder on the basis she had deliberately lured the victim to a park where he was killed by somebody else.

Moral of both tales is be very careful if you ever involve yourself in serious crime with another.

 

[Bromptonaut]

Now being reported that the Attorney General's Office is reviewing the sentences.

 

[Pale Rider]

Now being reported that the Attorney General's Office is reviewing the sentences.

As I posted in @icowden's separate thread, the attorney general will review all requests for reviewing sentences - that automatically follows the request.

The crucial bit is whether attorney general refers the case to the Court of Appeal.

 

[Bromptonaut]

As I posted in @icowden's separate thread, the attorney general will review all requests for reviewing sentences - that automatically follows the request.

The crucial bit is whether attorney general refers the case to the Court of Appeal.

As you've already said the life tariff is probably bomb proof. Less so I suspect that for the father.

The current AG is not at the forefront intellectually and may well see a referral, even with only limited chance of success as a political opportunity.