Logan Mwangi: 'All three defendants played their part in killing five-year-old', murder trial hears

The mother, stepfather and a 14-year-old boy "all played a part" in the alleged murder of Logan Mwangi, a court has heard.

The five-year-old was found in the River Ogmore near his home in Sarn, Bridgend, on July 31 last year.

A jury heard how his body was "dumped like fly-tipping rubbish" and had dozens of injuries, consistent with a fall from height or a serious road traffic accident, according to a pathologist.

The victim’s mother Angharad Williamson, 30, her partner John Cole, 40, and a 14-year-old boy - who cannot be named because of his age - are on trial accused of murder.

All three are further accused of perverting the course of justice, including moving Logan’s body to an area of the river near Pandy Park, removing his clothing, washing bloodstained bed linen, and making a false missing person report to police.

Williamson and the youth deny murder and perverting the course of justice. Cole denies murder but admits perverting the course of justice.

On the first day of their trial at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday, prosecutor Caroline Rees QC said: “The prosecution’s case is that Logan was murdered and each of these three defendants played their part in the killing of that five-year-old child.”

Caroline Rees QC said that each of the three defendants had covered up their involvement, adding: “Each prioritised their own self preservation over all else and particularly over the needs of Logan.

Referring to the 14-year-old defendant, Ms Rees said: “The prosecution say his young age was no object to his involvement in the death and cover up, in which we say he took full part.”

'Williamson accused a woman of abducting Logan'

The court heard that an apparently distraught Williamson had reported Logan missing at 5.45am on July 31, and had accused a woman against whom she held a grudge of abducting him.

Logan was found wearing only mis-matched pyjamas in the river by police a short time later, taken to the town’s Princess of Wales Hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

Ms Rees said that he had suffered “significant injuries to his internal organs and his brain which caused his death”.

She added that one pathologist had described his injuries as “so extreme you would expect to find them as a result of a fall from a great height or a high velocity road traffic accident”.

'Disposed of like fly-tipping rubbish'

The jury was told that Cole and the 14-year-old boy were caught on CCTV in the early hours of July 31 leaving the family’s address.

Cole was carrying something in his arms that he has since confirmed that he was carrying Logan’s dead body, the court heard.

The pair walked along the riverside path to the spot where Logan’s body was found.

During this time, a light can be seen switching on and off in Logan’s bedroom, which the prosecution say proves that Williamson was awake and knew what had happened to her son.

Cole and the 14-year-old then returned to the property before heading out again – the prosecution say this trip was to dispose of Logan’s bloodied pyjama top.

Caroline Rees QC said: “Angharad Williamson must have been awake and up and about, fully aware Logan had died and that his body had been dumped in the river by her partner – disposed of like they were fly-tipping rubbish.”

In total, a pathologist found 56 external injuries to Logan’s head, face, trunk, arms and legs which were from “blunt force trauma”, Caroline Rees QC said.

It was apparent that Logan had died before his body was placed in the river, she added.

“The prosecution say that Logan died as a result of a brutal and sustained assault upon him which happened inside the home,” she said.

“It is the use of forceful violence which caused the catastrophic injuries found at post mortem.”

The jury heard CCTV footage from the afternoon of July 29 showed an altercation between Angharad Williamson and the youth defendant.

Caroline Rees said there was a “physical struggle” between Williamson and the youth, which may be explained by comments Williamson made to police in an interview after Logan’s death.

“In her interview, Angharad Williamson said that there was an incident on July 29 when Logan was seriously assaulted by Cole and the youth who were acting together,” she said.

Ms Rees told the jury this suggested the attack on Logan had already started by the time of that footage, at 2.52pm on July 29.

“Angharad Williamson failed to do anything to help for over a day,” she said.

Caroline Rees questioned why Williamson had failed to help Logan, describing him as a “vulnerable five-year-old child – her own son who had been attacked by a grown man and a teenager”.

A witness described Williamson as “hysterical” during the confrontation with the youth on July 29.

Ms Rees said this demonstrated “that something serious has been going on behind closed doors”.

Social worker paid a visit just before Logan's death

The court heard that, on the afternoon of July 30, a social worker made an unscheduled visit to Cole and Williamson’s address but was told she could not see Logan because he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was in self-isolation.

Caroline Rees said Williamson reported Logan as being “a bit up and down”.

The social worker left after 20 minutes, following a conversation about claiming child benefit, tax credits and disability living allowance.

Ms Rees said: “If, as Angharad Williamson claims in interview, and as we understand her defence case will be, (the youth) and John Cole had severely assaulted Logan the day before, why didn’t she tell (the social worker) in her 20-minute visit to the property?

“Who was she protecting and why was she doing it?”

The court heard CCTV footage at 2.44am on July 31, after Cole and the youth had allegedly left the property with Logan’s body, showed movement in Logan’s bedroom.

Caroline Rees said this demonstrated that Williamson was “busying herself in Logan’s room after his body had been removed”.

“The prosecution say footage would demonstrate that Angharad Williamson and (the youth) must be lying when they say they had have no idea what happened to Logan during the night,” she said.

“Unlike these defendants, the camera does not lie and you will be left in no doubt as to what Angharad Williamson and the third defendant knew.”

She said that the light switching on and off regularly over the course of the night of July 30 and July 31 was proof “one or all of these defendants was checking on Logan and his injuries following a sustained and brutal assault on him”.

Caroline Rees played the jury footage of two figures leaving the property in the early hours of July 31, telling them: “There is no issues that these figures are John Cole and the third defendant.

“They are close to one another and the prosecution say it must have been obvious to one what the other one was doing.”

She said a pale cross appearing against Cole’s back is understood to be Logan’s lifeless arms crossed over his neck.

“In interview the (14-year-old) would say he did not realise John Cole was carrying Logan’s dead body,” Ms Rees said.

“The prosecution say the CCTV demonstrates the implausibility of that account.”

She said he was so close to Cole he must have known what he was carrying.

Caroline Rees said: “If (the youth) has lied about what he saw and what he knew about John Cole carrying Logan’s dead body, it begs the question ‘why?’.

“The prosecution say he is lying to cover up his own involvement in Logan’s death.”

The jury heard that after Cole and the youth left the property for the first time, CCTV shows the light turning on and the curtains twitch in Logan’s room.

“Williamson was by herself, in Logan’s room after his body has been removed, she doesn’t use that time alone to contact the police or emergency services to report Logan’s death as you may have expected her to, if she was in no way involved.

“Instead she was looking for incriminating evidence for disposal, making efforts to cover her tracks as well as the tracks of her two co-defendants.”

'An important piece of evidence'

Cole and the youth returned to the area of the river to dispose of a ripped dinosaur top belonging to Logan, Caroline Rees said.

She told the jury “great effort” was made to ensure the top was “hidden from view” in a wooded area a distance from where Logan’s body was found.

During police interviews after Logan’s death, Cole claimed that the top had been ripped by Williamson when she handled Logan roughly by the collar.

“The prosecution say the ripped dino top is clearly an important piece of evidence in this case, disposed of after Angharad Williamson had the opportunity to search Logan’s bedroom after Logan’s body had been removed,” Ms Rees said.

“Why was she so desperate to dispose of that item of clothing? The prosecution say because it could have been a clue to her involvement in Logan’s death.”

The trial, which is expected to last around eight weeks, continues.