When did Arthur Labinjo-Hughes die? Date six-year-old was murdered - and when is his funeral

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes died on 17 June last year after an assault by his stepmum Emma Tustin, who had carried out a campaign of cruelty against him
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The case of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes has shocked and appalled people across the UK, however there’s been confusion over when the six-year-old died.

Arthur’s stepmother, Emma Tustin, 32, was jailed for life and must serve at least 29 years for his murder, while his dad Thomas Hughes was jailed for 21 years for manslaughter for encouraging his killing.

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Not only did Tustin inflict the fatal assault on Arthur, but she carried out a campaign of cruelty against him for some time before his death.

When did Arthur die?

Tustin carried out the assault which left Arthur with an unsurvivable brain injury on 16 June in the hallway of her Cranmore Road home in Solihull.

Arthur, whose body was also covered in 130 bruises, died in hospital the next day (17 June).

However, Tustin, who had begun a relationship with Thomas Hughes in 2019, had carried out a string of other offences against the six-year-old which saw him go from appearing healthy in February, to seeming weak and struggling for breath as he climbed the stairs just prior to his death.

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Arthur had moved in to the house on Cranmore Road at the start of national lockdown on 23 March, 2020, to live with his father and Tustin.

The youngster’s mother, Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow had been arrested in 2019 and was later convicted of killing her boyfriend.

The judge said Arthur had been, at the time Tustin was introduced into his life, a “healthy, happy young boy”.

But less than three months after moving in with Tustin the little boy was left “broken” from exposure to a campaign of “acute or prolonged abuse,” he said.

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Arthur had moved in to the house on Cranmore Road at the start of national lockdown on 23 March, 2020, to live with his father and Tustin.

He was often made to stand to attention for hours on end alone in the hallway, the days leading up to his death saw him stand for 14 hours on 12 June, 12 hours on 13 June, and almost 11 hours on 14 June.

The day before the fatal assault he stood for almost six-and-a-half hours.

After Tustin and Hughes were arrested by police, Tustin was on remand in prison while awaiting trial.

Has Arthur’s funeral been held yet?

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Arthur has still to be laid to rest, his body has remained in the morgue, and his mum Olivia had spoken of her pain on Friday over his body not being released to her.

The Mirror reported however that Thomas Hughes would release Arthur’s body to the youngster’s mum in the hope it would give her a “scrap of peace”.

The court had heard that Hughes had left the issue of Arthur’s remains up to his family and Ms Labinjo-Halcrow’s family but they had not been able to agree.

During the sentencing hearing a statement on behalf on Olivia Labinjo-Halcrow was read out, in it she said her life had been “destroyed” by her son’s murder, and added: “Now over a year on my beautiful boy has still not been laid to rest. He is still alone and cold; the people who took him refuse to show compassion and allow his little body to be released to me, his mother; to finally let him rest peacefully and warm.

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“Burying my beloved son is the final thing I will ever be able to do for him. The waiting is torture and even though I try to stop myself every night when I get into a warm bed, my heart breaks all over again at the thought of my Arthur alone in the cold.”

A fundraiser has been set up on Go Fund Me to help raise cash to give Arthur “the send off he deserves”. So far more than £2,000 has been raised, just two days after the page was created.

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