Any content family would be glad to show off this video of a young five-year-old dancing with his older brother to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
However, there is a sinister truth concealed in this heartwarming video.
In one of the most frightening murder cases in recent memory, the elder kid went on to kill his little sibling only a few months after it was captured on camera.
Logan Mwangi was killed by Craig Mulligan, 14, who then assisted in dumping his body in a river 250 yards from his Bridgend, South Wales, home.
He has finally been revealed for the first time after a judge removed an order of anonymity.
And it has now been made public how, just five days prior to the murder, social officials approved his transfer into the family’s little apartment. The youngster entered despite threatening Logan with death before.
Logan was tortured and abandoned to die by Mulligan, along with the ‘defenceless’ boy’s’ mother, Angharad Williamson, 31, and his stepfather, the racist ex-convict John Cole, 40.
The boy’s murder is chillingly reminiscent of the tragic deaths of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and 16-month-old Star Hobson, both of whom were murdered after months of systematic abuse at the hands of their evil parents and being repeatedly let down by authorities who missed opportunities to intervene.
The local council has already started a serious case review into the tragedy, but MPs have now requested Wales, like England and Scotland, establish an investigation to look into the national social care situation.
In the meantime, overwhelming indignation over the loss of yet another young life has prompted calls for a revamp of the social care system throughout the UK.
The tragedy comes after the recent passing of two other children who experienced similarly heinous maltreatment.
This week, MPs in Westminster have been looking into the lockdown slayings of 6-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and 16-month-old Star Hobson, with council leaders admitting no social workers had been fired as a result of the tragedies.
Both were murdered by the partners of their parents during the epidemic because social workers failed to notice early warning indications of abuse.
In response to Logan’s passing, Mark Drakeford, the Labour first minister of Wales, has so far rebuffed requests for an outside review of children’s social work.
Jane Dodds, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and a child protection social worker for more than 25 years, said yesterday that there was “no reason” not to follow England’s lead.
Welsh Conservative social services spokesman Gareth Davies told the BBC in the meantime: “I don’t understand why the Cardiff Bay Labour government does not believe that an independent review of children’s services in Wales is necessary.
“The other three UK countries are now undertaking one, and Wales has the worst rate for children in foster care.”
Following Logan’s untimely passing, Welsh Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan has committed to “radically change” social care.
Following Cole’s application for guardianship of Mulligan, the secretive family courts authorized Mulligan’s move into Logan’s house, which was compared during the murder trial to “placing a lit match in an explosive keg.”
Mulligan looked up to Cole even though they were not blood relatives and referred to him as “dad.”
In stark contrast, he refused to name Logan his brother, referring to him instead as “the five-year-old.”
Social work officials expressed surprise that Mulligan was permitted to live with Logan, who had only been removed from the child protection registry a few weeks prior, to the Mail.
Logan’s mother, stepfather, and Mulligan—whom a foster care worker referred to as “pure evil”—were all found guilty of killing him.
In addition, Cole, Mulligan, and Williamson, who assisted them in staging a “callous” cover-up, as well as Cole, who the court claimed carried out the attack, received life sentences yesterday.
Williamson received a 28-year prison term, while Cole received a minimum of 29 years. Mulligan spent at least 15 years in prison.
Calls were made last night for Wales to follow England’s lead and launch a national investigation into child protection breaches in the wake of the shocking revelation of how Mulligan’s presence was authorized by those there to protect Logan.
Mulligan’s smug reaction to Logan’s death was exposed last night by frightening video of his arrest, which showed him chewing gum and seemingly displaying no emotion.
The baby-faced 13-year-old calmly lied to officers that when he and Cole were caught on CCTV carrying a black bag at 2.45am on July 31, it contained ‘rubbish’ from the back garden which they ‘chucked’ in the river.
In fact, Logan’s body was inside the black bag.