A six-year-old boy was allegedly killed in his dad’s care after being sent to live with him after his mother was jailed for murder her boyfriend.

Little Arthur Labinjo-Hughes was found dead by paramedics at the home of his father, Thomas Hughes, 27, on Tuesday.

Loved ones expressed their shock as they “thought Arthur was safe” after his mum, Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow, 27, was jailed for murder last year.

Labinjo-Halcrow and Hughes had shared custody of the youngster during an on-off relationship before the mum stabbed boyfriend, Gary Cunningham to death.

She left him to bleed to death after knifing him 12 times in a drunken rage in February last year and was locked up for 18 years last September.

One source told The Sun:

We can’t believe Thomas would do a thing like this, Arthur is everything to him.

He had shared custody of Arthur with Olivia and we thought Arthur was safe when she was locked up. She had drink and drug problems.

We just can’t believe what that poor boy must have been through all these years.

Paramedics found Arthur unresponsive but despite managing to get a pulse back he slipped away in Solihull, West Midlands.

A post mortem gave his cause of death as a head injury and Hughes and partner Emma Tustin, 31, have been charged with causing or allowing the death of a child.

Arthur had been living with Hughes and Tustin since his mum was sent to prison and loved ones were shocked by his death.

A source close to the boy’s family told The Sun:

Thomas had an on-off relationship with Olivia right up to when she killed Gary.

Olivia had a problem with drink and would threaten Thomas, we all thought that Arthur would be better off with Thomas when she was locked up.

Thomas seemed so relieved when Olivia was locked up, you got the impression she forced him to keep seeing her.

Now this has happened it is just desperately sad. That poor boy, you just wonder what he’s been putting up with all these years.

Hughes and Tustin are due to appear at Birmingham magistrates’ court on Tuesday.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.