A mother has been found guilty of killing her five-year-old son along with his stepfather and teenager.
Logan Mwangi’s body was found in the Ogmore River in Sarn, Bridgend, last July, just a few hundred meters from the apartment he shared with his family.
The child, also known as Logan Williamson, suffered 56 “catastrophic” external injuries, similar to those found in victims of high-speed crashes or falls from a height.
His mother, Angarad Williamson, 31, and her partner, John Cole, 40, were convicted of murder by a jury of five men and seven women in Cardiff Court on Thursday after five hours of deliberation.
A 14-year-old boy, whose name could not be named due to his age, was also found guilty of murder.
Williamson fell to the floor of the dock, shouting “no, no, no,” as she was found guilty of killing her son.
She fought the dock officers as they led her, shouting at Cole, “You false filthy killer. You are a liar. ”
Logan’s father, Ben Mwangi, was also in court to hear the jury return his sentences.
The court had previously heard that Williamson reported that Logan had disappeared at 5.45 am on July 31, 2021, and accused a woman she hated of kidnapping him.
Logan Mwangi was found wearing only his inappropriate pajamas on the Ogmore River after being killed by his mother, stepfather and teenager.
(South Wales Police / PA)
Police later found Logan wearing only inappropriate pajamas in the river and confirmed he was dead at the hospital.
Cole and video were shown to the jury during the trial by Cole and the 13-year-old teenager, who left the family’s address in the early hours of July 31.
Cole was carrying something in his hands to the river, which he later confirmed was Logan’s dead body.
Experts said Logan’s injuries may have been caused only by a “brutal and prolonged attack” in the hours or days before his death. They also said the injuries were “consistent with violence against children”.
In the months and weeks leading to his death, Logan was “dehumanized” by his family, prosecutors said.
Logan’s pajama top with dinosaur was found near where his body was found
(South Wales Police / PA)
His stuttering is said to have worsened and become particularly bad around Cole. He urinated more often and began to injure himself.
Friends of the couple said Cole told them he didn’t like Logan, and others said his attitude had changed after he was obsessed with the idea that Williamson had cheated on Logan’s father.
After Williamson gave birth to his child, Cole was reluctant to allow Logan to see the baby and later claimed that the boy had tried to strangle the baby.
Medics turned to police after Logan received a broken arm in August 2020, with Williamson saying he fell down the stairs.
She took him to hospital the day after the incident and said she thought he had just dislocated his shoulder and tried to get him back.
She later told a friend that the young man had admitted to pushing Logan down the stairs, but it was not until January last year that she told police.
Police video of Logan Mwangi’s mother Angarad Williamson, 31, on the doorstep of their home hours before his body was found in a nearby river
(South Wales Police / PA)
Until March, due to concerns about Cole, Logan and his younger brother and sister were hired as their own social worker, Gaynor Rush.
In June, a month before Logan’s death, the family was removed from the Child Protection Registry – meaning they are no longer considered to be at risk of significant harm.
A foster family with the young man said he heard him say he wanted to kill Logan.
They said they had reported on the “teenager’s desire for violence” and threats to hurt Logan to his social worker Debbie Williams, but she seemed carefree. Mrs Williams denies this.
A maintenance officer also heard the young man sing, “I love children, damn I love children, I love hitting children in the head, it’s orgasmic.”
The bedroom where Logan was “held as a prisoner” in the days leading up to his murder
(PA)
Weeks before he died, Logan received a broken collarbone, but never received medical attention.
On July 20, Logan tested positive for Covid-19 and was locked in his bedroom with a baby gate that prevented him from leaving.
Prosecutor Caroline Rees said: “He was held as a prisoner in his small bedroom in the apartment you saw, a room that Williamson likened to a dungeon.
Williamson claims that two days before Logan’s body was found, the dispute over the spilled drink escalated and ended with the attack on Cole and the young man.
She accused Cole of hitting Logan twice in the abdomen and ordering the young man to “sweep” Logan if he stuttered or trembled.
View of the ground floor apartment where Logan lived
(Ben Birchel / Pennsylvania)
A moment later, the young man performed the martial arts maneuver, kicking his legs out from under him as he used his hand to hit his head on the ground.
Williamson said she was shouting to stop, but said Cole said, “The only way this boy understands is pain.”
Two days later, she called police at 5:45 a.m., saying Logan was missing – claiming she woke up to find him missing and accused a woman of taking him away.
Police arrived at the apartment to find Williamson in hysteria, while Cole and the young man could be seen walking around the area and calling to him.
Prosecutors said it was part of a “complex” cover-up devised by the defendants, and all three were accused of distorting the justice for which Williamson and the young man were convicted.
View of the Ogmore River in Sarn, Bridgend, Wales, near where Logan’s body was found
(Ben Birchel / Pennsylvania)
The judge adjourned the case for a verdict, which will be handed down at a later date, which is yet to be confirmed.
Speaking after the verdicts, Detective Inspector Leanne Rees, who is leading the murder investigation, said: “Logan was a beautiful, bright and innocent five-year-old boy with all his life ahead of him.
“It’s hard to imagine how Logan must have suffered at the hands of those he trusted, and it’s unthinkable that those who should have loved and protected him should betray him in the worst possible way.
“Attempts to cover up the crime in the hours after Logan’s death and the ensuing network of lies and deceptions that were to follow are an indication of their insensitivity and lack of remorse.
“The impact of Logan’s tragic death on so many people cannot be measured.
“Nothing can bring Logan back, but I hope that today’s result will bring some comfort to those who loved him.
Additional reports from the Press Association
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