Logan Mwangi’s mother and stepfather, whose battered body was discovered dumped in a river, were today given a life sentence for the murder of the young boy.
A judge decided today that John Cole, 40, and Angharad Williamson, 31, must serve minimum sentences of 29 years and 28 years consecutively.
A 14-year-old child who was also convicted guilty of murder will serve at least 15 years in prison due of his age.
Williamson and the adolescent were also found guilty of perverting the course of justice, a crime Cole had previously confessed to before the trial.
On the morning of July 31, 2021, Logan, a formerly “smiling, cheerful little boy,” was found in the River Ogmore in Pandy Park, Bridgend, South Wales.
Just 250 yards from his home, police discovered him partially immersed, dressed in dinosaur pajamas and a Spider-Man top.
The helpless boy had been subjected to abhorrent treatment, including torture, starvation, being held as a “prisoner,” and being made to perform push-ups until he passed out.
Cardiff Crown Court heard evidence at the trial that the child had sustained 56 external cuts and bruises as well as “catastrophic” internal injuries that were comparable to those sustained in a high-speed car accident.
According to experts, Logan could only have been subjected to a “brutal and sustained assault” in the days or hours before his death if that is what caused the injuries.
The injuries were also described as “consistent with child maltreatment.”
Logan had allegedly been “dehumanized” by his family in the months and weeks prior to his murder, according to the prosecution.
It is stated that Logan’s stammer has gotten worse, getting particularly terrible around Cole. He started to cut himself and began to wet himself more frequently.
Cole allegedly told the couple’s friends that he disliked Logan, and other friends claimed that he became obsessed with the notion that Williamson had cheated on Logan with Ben Mwangi.
Cole was hesitant to let Logan see the baby after Williamson gave birth to his own child and later claimed the boy had attempted to smother the child.
Following Logan’s broken arm in August 2020, medical professionals referred a safeguarding case to the police.
By March, Logan and his younger sibling had been given their own social worker due to worries about Cole.
The family was taken off the child protection registry in June, a month before Logan passed away, indicating that it was thought there was no longer a serious risk of damage.
The youth’s foster family claimed to have overheard him telling them that he wanted to kill Logan.
The young person was also heard singing, “I love kids, I f****** love kids, I love to punch kids in the head, it’s orgasmic,” according to a support worker.
Logan injured his collarbone a few weeks before to his passing, but no medical attention was ever sought for him.
Logan was locked in his bedroom with a baby gate blocking his exit on July 20 after testing positive for Covid-19.
“He had been confined like a prisoner in his small bedroom in the flat you saw,” said Caroline Rees QC, the prosecutor. “Williamson likened it to a dungeon.”