Logan Mwangi’s killer mum LOSES bid to overturn murder conviction after boy, 5, beaten to death then dumped in river
LOGAN Mwangi’s evil mum has lost a bid to overturn her murder conviction after the youngster was beaten to death.
The five-year-old was found with “severe injuries” likened to falling from a great height or a “high velocity” car crash after being dumped like “fly-tipped rubbish” in a river.
His mum Angharad Williamson, 30, stepdad John Cole, 40, and 14-year-old Craig Mulligan were all jailed for murdering Logan in July 2021.
Williamson applied to the High Court for leave to appeal her conviction after maintaining her innocence.
But three High Court judges said the initial ruling by Mrs Justice Jefford was “impeccable” and threw out Williamson’s bid.
Her lawyers argued the trial judge “wrongly excluded bad character evidence” about Cole.
They said this would have “assisted the jury in deciding who inflicted the injuries which caused Logan’s death.”
The evidence, which was ruled inadmissible due to its historic nature, included allegations Cole was racist and had links to the National Front.
One of the statements claimed the killer would have made Logan’s life “hell” as he was mixed race.
Had jurors known this, it may have suggested a “motive”, Williamson’s barrister Peter Rouch KC said.
But Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon, said: “The applicant’s case Cole and or Mulligan must have delivered the blows that killed her son and she knew nothing of it because she was asleep at the time.
“Her account was that she did not wake up until 5am.
“We must note there was compelling evidence that that was not so particularly relating to the movement of curtains and lights in the room she was occupying and the use of her phone whilst Cole and Mulligan were out of the house.”
Logan was murdered at home on July 31 last year before the depraved trio hatched an “elaborate charade” to cover up his death.
Cole and Mulligan were chillingly seen on CCTV carrying the youngster’s lifeless body to the river in the early hours of the morning.
The 3ft 5ins youngster had been squeezed into a Nike holdall which measured just 2ft 2ins long.
He was pulled from Ogmore River close to his home in mis-matched pyjamas.
Tragic Logan suffered 56 external injuries to his head, face, torso arms and legs from “blunt force trauma”.
The horrific catalogue of injuries included a fractured shoulder, extensive bleeding to the scalp and back of his head and a significant trauma to the brain.
Logan had been so battered even his tongue was bruised but tragically he was still alive for several agonising hours after his liver and bowel were torn.
During a harrowing trial, jurors were told how Logan had suffered horror abuse leading up to his death.
Witnesses said Cole inflicted the gruesome torture methods on the youngster from the age of just three.
The abuse included forcing him to do press ups until he was in tears and standing for prolonged periods of time.
If his frail arms collapsed beneath him, Cole would make him get back in position and re-start the timer.
The 6ft 4ins National Front member branded the youngster “Coco Pop” and “dehumanised” Logan because of his mixed race heritage.
Cole, who has previous convictions for offences including burglary, theft, witness intimidation, blackmail, battery, and perverting the course of justice, also carried out other brutal punishments.
Little Logan was made to stand on the stairs for 30 minutes at a time and mum Williamson once used a hot teaspoon to burn his neck.
He also suffered emotional abuse and was blocked from eating takeaway food while his family tucked into KFC.
A safeguarding review published in November found there were multiple missed opportunities to save the youngster by various agencies.
It concluded Logan died in a “behind closed doors” killing after he was removed from the child protection register.
The review also found social workers were so consumed with Williamson and Cole and their three-way relationship with Mulligan’s mum that they missed what was happening to Logan.