Logan Mwangi: Court told how mother accused of murder reacted when police told her son was dead

A woman accused of murdering her five-year-old son collapsed on to his bed and appeared to have an epileptic fit when she was told he was dead.

Angharad Williamson, 30, is on trial at Cardiff Crown Court with her partner John Cole, 40, and a 14-year-old boy accused of killing Logan Mwangi, also known as Logan Williamson.

Logan was found dead in the River Ogmore in Pandy Park, around 250 metres from the flat where he lived with his family in Sarn, Bridgend, on the morning of July 31 2021.

In hour-long footage taken from the body-worn camera of Constable Matthew Davies of South Wales Police, Williamson can be seen interacting with him and other officers in her home after reporting Logan missing just before 6am.

The video, taken from around 6.13am, shows Williamson acting “emotional” and “distressed”, repeatedly asking officers “Where is my son?” And “Why won’t you let me see him?”

A short while into the clip she is seen to fall backwards while standing in the hallway and appears to have a fit, with Cole telling officers she is epileptic.

As the video continues, Williamson is seen on several occasions trying to leave the house to go to where Logan is being treated by paramedics but is stopped by officers who attempt to calm her down.

At one point she tells officers: “I’ve watched enough cop programmes to know when something is going on, now tell me what’s going on.”

When Sergeant Richard Lea tells her Logan is dead she appears to have another medical episode.

Describing the moment he told Williamson that Logan could not be saved, while standing in the boy’s bedroom, Sgt Lea said: “She fell on to the bed and appeared to be having some sort of episode again.

“John tried to stop her from rolling around too much, trying to comfort her, I suppose.

“I think the episode lasted a short while, and as far as I remember she seemed to respond to him.”

Williamson, Cole and the youth are also accused of perverting the course of justice, including by moving Logan’s body to the river near Pandy Park, removing his clothing, washing bloodstained bed linen, and making a false missing person report to police.

Cole denies murder but is the only defendant to have admitted perverting the course of justice.

Williamson and Cole are also charged with causing or allowing the death of a child, which they both deny.

Williamson’s behaviour captured in the footage is alleged by the prosecution to be part of a plan concocted by the three defendants to cover up their involvement in Logan’s death.

Cole and the teenager can also be seen in other footage from the morning searching the park area in front of the house and calling for Logan.

However, the jury was shown footage from several hours before at around 2.30am of Cole carrying Logan from the house to the river area, followed by the youth.

Part of the plan, prosecutor Caroline Rees QC has told the jury, was to blame another woman for taking Logan.

During the video, Williamson can be seen telling officers the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, must be responsible.

She tells officers to arrest the woman, and says: “If she has done this, I will make her pay.”

Williamson also says: “He (Logan) can’t swim. I stopped his lessons because of Covid.”

The prosecution says she had not yet been told Logan had been found in the river.

Williamson said: “He was supposed to come out of Covid isolation today. He’s been in isolation for 10 days, bless him. We were going to take him to the park.”

While Williamson was in the flat with officers, dozens of other officers and paramedics were trying to revive Logan, but he was believed to have already been dead when he was carried out of the river.

Responding to a comment by Williamson’s defence barrister Peter Rouch QC that the scene at the riverside was “fraught”, Sgt Lea said: “Some of my colleagues have been deeply, deeply traumatised by it.”

After lunchtime the jury was told Williamson was feeling unwell and was absent from the dock.