Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Jail terms of boy's killers to be reviewed

Image source, Family handout

Image caption, Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was found with 130 injuries following his death

The couple who killed six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes will have their sentences reviewed after claims they are too lenient.

Emma Tustin was jailed for 29 years on Friday for murder and child cruelty and Arthur's father, Thomas Hughes, was given 21 years for his manslaughter.

The Attorney General's Office said the jail terms will be reviewed to "determine whether they were too low".

It comes after Tory MP Julian Knight said the sentences were too lenient.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Image caption, Emma Tustin was convicted of Arthur's murder while his father, Thomas Hughes, found guilty of his manslaughter

The Attorney General's Office has 28 days from the date of sentence to review a case, assess whether it falls under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, and decide whether to refer to the Court of Appeal.

It comes after several football clubs paid tribute to Arthur during Saturday's games.

Coventry City, who hosted West Bromwich Albion, Walsall, who met Swindon in the FA Cup second round, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who played Liverpool, asked supporters to take part in an applause in the sixth minute.

Elsewhere, supporters clapped during the West Ham vs Chelsea game as a picture of Arthur was shown on a screen.

Birmingham City - the club Arthur supported - tweeted on Saturday that players and fans staged a "touching tribute" by also clapping during their game away at Millwall.

Video caption, Birmingham City and Millwall fans pay tribute to Arthur Labinjo-Hughes with applause

In a video posted on Twitter on Saturday, Solihull MP Mr Knight said he was standing in Cranmore Road close to Tustin's former home where Arthur was tortured and died in June 2020.

He said there was a "real sense of palpable loss" over his death, adding there was also "a sense of anger and questions how this was allowed to happen, how these horrible monsters were allowed to inflict this horrible torture on this young defenceless boy".

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The Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme allows anyone to lobby the Attorney General to refer a case to the Court of Appeal for review.

Experienced senior judges then consider the term given to an offender and how it compares with any relevant guidelines on sentencing and previous similar crimes.

Sentencing the couple on Friday, Mr Justice Wall told Coventry Crown Court the case was "one of the most distressing and disturbing" he had ever dealt with, adding that neither defendant had shown any remorse and their behaviour had been "spiteful and sadistic".

Arthur died of a head injury inflicted by Tustin on 16 June.

Tustin photographed him lying on the floor, and shared the image with Hughes.

Video played to jurors showed Arthur just before he died struggling to pick up his pillow and blanket because he was so weak and crying out that nobody loved him.

After his death, he was found to have 130 injuries.

A serious case review is under way over his death after social workers visited the house in the months before he died and found no cause for concern.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would leave "no stone unturned" to find out what went wrong and Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said he would make a statement about the case to Parliament on Monday.

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