Logan Mwangi murder trial told youth threw boy down stairs

A teenager accused of murdering a five-year-old had previously pushed him down stairs and broke his arm, a court has heard.

The body of Logan Mwangi was found in the River Ogmore in Sarn, Bridgend county, last July with 56 injuries.

The court heard a 101 call from Logan's mother, Angharad Williamson, where she told police the 14-year-old had previously confessed to injuring Logan.

Ms Williamson, 30, John Cole, 40, and the teenager all deny murder.

Logan's mother made the call to police in January 2021 and begged for help.

She said: "We thought he'd fallen down the stairs" but that the youth "was the one who pushed him".

Six months earlier, Ms Williamson took Logan to hospital and told police she heard "a series of very loud bangs" and realised Logan had fallen down the stairs.

At that point, she described to police how she had "twisted" Logan's arm to try and "pop it" back into place, admitting that this was probably the wrong thing to do.

Cardiff Crown Court also heard about the 14-year-old defendant's past from witnesses who had worked with him at different points in his childhood.

A family support worker, who knew the youth when he was eight, described him as aggressive.

She said her initial encounter with the youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was "the most difficult engagement session I've ever done with a child".

He regularly had outbursts at school, would punch holes through walls and doors, and would lash out for any sort of attention, she said.

He was enrolled in martial arts lessons to try and contain his outbursts.

The manager at a martial arts centre where the youth had previously been a member, told the court he had skills in Muay Thai, including "body punches, elbow punches, kicks, head holds and sparring".

The court also heard from a teacher who supported the youth when he was in Year 6, describing how he was verbally abusive, had violent outbursts and would punch and kick other children.

Wendy John, learning support officer at Tondu Primary School, provided a statement which was read to the court, describing Logan as a "happy, caring, loving, and happy, intelligent child".

But Ms John said she noticed a change in him after the Covid-19 pandemic and he returned to school, saying: "I noticed his stammer got worse and noticed he had lost weight and had dark circles around his eyes."

In an emotional statement from Benjamin Mwangi, Logan's father, the court heard his reaction on the day he learnt of Logan's death.

Visited by police in Essex, where he lived, he told the court his first thought was that something had happened to his ill father.

When they denied this was the case, he begged them: "Please don't tell me this has anything to do with Logan."

The court heard he became hysterical when he learnt that Logan had died, and fell to the floor.

He described Logan's birth as "the happiest time of my life", but the court was told his relationship with Ms Williamson broke down over time, and his contact with Logan ceased after Ms Williamson became involved with John Cole.

Mr Mwangi described in his statement how January 2020 was the last time he spoke to Logan, and in the year before his death, he did not know where he was or how he was, and that this "tormented" him.

Ms Williamson, Cole and the youth deny murder and are also accused of perverting the course of justice including moving Logan's body to the river near Pandy Park, removing his clothing, washing blood-stained bed linen, and making a false missing person report to police.

Ms Williamson and the youth deny perverting the course of justice, while Cole admitted the charge.

The trial continues.