Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Six-year-old tells of dreams of playing football in video

Video taken by Arthur's uncle shows the six-year-old in happier times talking about his footballing dreams


Smiling Arthur Labinjo-Hughes shares his ambitious dreams to become a professional footballer as he plays with his toy action figures.

The six-year-old sits comfortably on a sofa, telling his uncle of his hopes to first play football for Liverpool, then Tottenham before joining the England squad.

Arthur's uncle Daniel Hughes said: "It's one of the many happy memories the family of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes hold dear - and the way they wish for the schoolboy to be remembered."

Sharing the heart-warming video to Twitter, his uncle Daniel Hughes, brother to Thomas Hughes, urged: "Remember him like this please".

The short clip shows Arthur shaking his head when asked if he's going to play for England, before telling his uncle: "After when I've played for Liverpool, I'm going to play for Tottenham."

He goes on to add that he will play for England, but only after reaching his goal of playing for both teams.

People lay tributes to Arthur outside his home on Cranmore Road in Solihull Credit: PA

On Friday, his father and stepmother were jailed for a combined total of 50 years for killing the six-year-old after they subjected the schoolboy to months of physical abuse.

Arthur’s father, 29-year-old Thomas Hughes, must serve at least 21 years for the manslaughter of his son, after he suffered an "unsurvivable brain injury" on June 16, 2020.

His stepmother, Emma Tustin, carried out the murder while in the sole care of Arthur at her home in Cranmore Road, Solihull.

Tustin, who's 31 years old, was sentenced to at least 29 years in prison.

Arthur suffered an "unsurvivable" brain injury and died in hospital the next day, June 17, 2020.

Six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes died in June 2020. Credit: PA

In a fitting statement read to the court, his mum said his "superpower was his smile" and he would spend hours dressing up.

The prisoner's mother, Arthur's maternal grandmother Madeleine Halcrow, read her daughter's poignant tribute after footage was released by West Midlands Police.

"Arthur was the light of my life. He wasn't just my only child - he was my best friend," Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow said.

"Never did I imagine he would be taken from this world so early in his life.

"If Arthur could ask for one last thing, it would be that he was remembered for his superpower. That will always be what I remember and Arthur's superpower was his smile."

She added: "Talking about Arthur's loves would not be complete without mentioning superheroes, Marvel or DC. Arthur loved them all, from Batman to Black Panther, Aqua Man to the Flash.

"He had every costume and action figure and would spend hours dressing up and pretending he had all of their superpowers."