A charity set up in memory of a six-year-old boy killed by his dad is to shut down – because the youngster's mum has "her own plans" once she is released from prison for killing a man.
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes died in June 2020 after months of neglect and abuse at the hands of his dad Thomas Hughes and Hughes' girlfriend Emma Tustin. Tustin was convicted of murder and Hughes of manslaughter following a trial in 2021.
Following the death, Arthur's cousin Bernie Dixon established Arthur's Angels – a charity that campaigned for child protection causes. As well as campaigning on issues such as giving social workers police-style bodycams, Arthur's Angels also donated toys and other essential items to children in care.
Birmingham Live reports that a fun day organised for June 3 in aid of the charity has been cancelled, because the initiative is being shut down. In a post on Facebook, Bernie announced with a "heavy heart" that the request had come from Arthur's mother, Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow, and his maternal grandmother Madeleine Halcrow.
She wrote: "It's with a heavy heart I write this. Madeleine and Olivia have requested we close Arthur's Angels as they have their own plans and path in moving forward with making change.
"Unfortunately I cannot just shut everything down as there has been a lot of work put into this and lots of projects still in progress. Out of respect for Madeleine and Olivia the name of the group will change and all Arthur's pictures will be removed.
"I feel stuck as I don't wish to upset family but I also feel many people here have benefited from the group and took comfort in the fact we wanted to make change together. This is not an invitation for views and comments but out of respect for everyone here a post of notification had to be made.
"We would like to thank everyone that has been part of the journey in trying to make a change for Arthur."
Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow was in prison at the time Arthur was killed by Thomas Hughes and Emma Tustin. She fatally attacked Gary Cunningham, 29, with a kitchen knife in February 2019, and was convicted of manslaughter seven months later.
She is serving an 11 year sentence after she overturned the original manslaughter conviction, which had an 18-year sentence attached, on appeal, before being found guilty of the charge again at a subsequent trial. The judge branded her an "arch manipulator" after it emerged that she had been seeing another man at the same time as Gary Cunningham.
Cunningham had sustained four stab wounds, including one to the chest, and eight other superficial knife wounds. The fatal blow, behind his knee, was 11cm deep.
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