Logan Mwangi: Boy, 5, treated like prisoner, murder trial told

A five-year-old boy was treated like a prisoner in the days before his death, a murder trial has heard.

Logan Mwangi was made to face the wall as his step-father John Cole put food in his room, jurors at Cardiff Crown Court were told.

Cole, 40, is on trial with partner Angharad Williamson, 31, and a youth, 14, who all deny murdering Logan.

His body was found in the River Ogmore in Sarn, Bridgend, last July with 56 external injuries.

Cole has previously admitted a charge of perverting the course of justice.

On Monday, he said he is "not proud" of how he treated Logan, but did not punch him in the stomach before he died.

Logan had suffered severe internal damage to his abdominal area

Under cross-examination by Ms Williamson's barrister, Peter Rouch QC, he explained how Logan behaved during his isolation for Covid in the days before he died.

He said they kept the boy in his room with a baby gate over the doorway, making him face the wall when anyone came in, but Logan had tried to find ways to get out of the room.

"He gave both of us angry looks," Cole said.

Prosecutor Caroline Rees QC suggested in the days leading to Logan's death he was treated like a "prisoner" in his bedroom.

"Taking food to his room and making him face the wall as you put the food to the room," she said.

"You treated that little boy like a prisoner and in the week before Logan's death he was largely confined to the room and made to face the wall when food was delivered to him.

"How did you think that made that little boy feel?"

Cole replied: "We were trying our best we possibly could."

The defendant - who is 6ft 4in tall and "between 14 and 15 stone" - told the jury he could talk "in a forceful voice".

Ms Williamson's barrister, Peter Rouch QC asked Cole about an argument with Ms Williamson, suggesting he was getting angry with Logan "flinching when he came near".

"Angharad said words to the effect that you are always picking on Logan," the barrister added.

This was something Cole denied.

The barrister also said Cole had hit Logan "twice in the stomach", but the defendant replied: "I did not hit Logan in the stomach."

Cole also denied encouraging the teenage defendant to "sweep the boy's legs" if he moved.

Mr Rouch said Ms Williamson then threatened to leave Cole and ran out of the house saying, "I am sick of these rows, I am sick of it," to which John Cole is alleged to have replied: "If you do, I will kill him."

Cole denied this, saying the row was caused by his partner picking up Logan by the arms and shaking him.

Mr Rouch referred to a neighbour texting another neighbour saying "baldy is going bananas", referring to his behaviour before the boy's death.

Cole previously told the jury he did "clip the boy's head" and "tapped him on the hand" to discipline him.

He said: "I am not proud of what I did, but I have admitted what I have done."

The jury were shown the black Nike holdall bag that the couple put Logan's body into.

Mr Rouch said it had been measured by police and was 2ft 2in (67cm) in length, adding: "Logan was 3ft 5in. How did you get him into the bag?"

Asked, "did you cram him in?", Cole replied: "I don't remember. I wasn't thinking clearly."

Asked again about moving Logan's body, John Cole said: "I regret doing that - what I did was disgusting and I deserve whatever I get for that."

Under cross examination, Cole said Logan was alive and "still misbehaving" when he went to bed but did not believe his partner would have hurt the boy.

He told the court Ms Williamson said Logan's death had been a "freak accident" but he did not ask her more because he "didn't want to know the answer".

"There was a dead child, and you didn't want to know the answer?" asked Caroline Rees QC.

"I knew I didn't kill Logan, so the answer I was going to get was too horrific and I didn't want to know."

The defendant told the court Ms Williamson had on a number of occasions said she could not cope with Logan's behaviour and talked about "handing him into social services".

Cole has admitted a charge of perverting the course of justice, which Ms Williamson and the 14-year-old deny.

The two adults are also charged with causing or allowing the death of a child, which they both deny.

The trial continues.