Logan Mwangi, 5, ‘forced to do “punishment” press ups & sit on the floor as parents ate KFC before murder’
A FIVE-year-old boy was made to do press ups as punishment and banned from KFC by his parents before his murder, a court heard.
Stepdad John Cole, 40, inflicted the torture on Logan Mwangi when he was just three years old, it is said.
The youngster was found with horrific injuries after being dumped in the Ogmore River near his home in Bridgend like "fly-tipped" rubbish.
His mum Angharad Williamson, 30, stepdad Cole and a 14-year-old boy are accused of murder and perverting the course of justice.
Cardiff Crown Court heard how Cole would bully little Logan but Williamson did nothing to stop her partner.
Family friend Jodie Simmonds said she once discovered the tearful boy "in the press up position" in his bedroom.
If he fell, Cole allegedly told him to "get back in position" and re-start the timer.
Ms Simmonds added: "I remember Logan visibly shaking. He was in discomfort clearly. He was very upset and crying. He had a runny nose.
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"When I asked, (Cole) said he had been naughty and he needed to learn."
The court was told Ms Simmonds asked Williamson about the brutal punishment but she simply said Logan "needed to learn".
Logan was also made to stand outside and stare at the wall for 30 minutes with no shoes on if he misbehaved, it was said.
Ms Simmonds described another alleged incident where she went to the home to enjoy a KFC meal with the family.
The witness told jurors Logan was banned from eating any of the takeout and was instead made to sit on the floor.
She said: "(Cole) was going on about how tasty the food was, almost rubbing it in. I shook my head at Angharad over the table, almost saying, 'Do something.'"
The friend detailed how Logan lost weight and became paler over the course of Williamson and Cole's relationship as he grew increasingly withdrawn.
She had visited the couple with her then-partner Daniel O'Brien on the day Logan was pulled from the river.
The court was told Williamson "became really angry" when told she couldn't return to the family home.
She allegedly fumed: "Great, I have no home and a dead son."
Jurors heard both Ms Simmonds and Mr O'Brien recall the mum also saying she would "miss punishing" Logan.
'GET MY BABY BACK'
The court heard previously how Logan was dumped in the river after suffering a blunt force trauma.
He had 56 external injuries and a horrific catalogue of internal injuries consistent with a "fall from a great height" or a "high velocity road traffic collision".
Logan had been so battered even his tongue was bruised but tragically he was still alive for several hours after his liver and bowel were torn, it was said.
Williamson had made a 999 call in the early hours of July 31, 2021, and began "hyperventilating" down the phone as she falsely reported her son missing.
In a clip played to jurors, she could be heard screaming "Help me please" before telling the call handler she woke up to find her son was not there.
At one point she screams: "Get me my baby back."
Prosecutor Caroline Rees QC said she played the "part of a distraught mother to the best of her acting abilities".
Jurors were told she tried to blame a woman she had a grudge against of "kidnapping" Logan in a "callous attempt to send the police off in the wrong direction".
Ms Rees said: "It might sound like a heartfelt call of distress from a mother reporting her child missing. But with knowledge of the CCTV and the proof that she knew exactly what was going on that night, the prosecution say that the 999 call is in fact chilling.
"It demonstrates the extent to which Williamson was prepared to lie and her ability to put on a performance to save her own skin, even when dealing with the death of her own five-year-old child."
Police bodycam footage shows "dramatic" Williamson keeping up the "hideous show" when officers arrived at the family home, it was said.
CHILLING FOOTAGE
Logan was tragically discovered wearing mis-matched pyjamas in the river by police a short time later and was taken to hospital.
While there, Williamson allegedly continued with the web of lies - telling one nurse "she wished she had taught him to swim".
The court was told she was awake when Cole and the 14-year-old boy were caught on CCTV leaving the house in the early hours of the morning.
Jurors were told the stepdad has since admitted he was carrying Logan's dead body in his arms during the chilling footage.
The pair walked along the riverside path to where the youngster's body was found before they returned to a house.
They were captured again heading out - this time to allegedly dump Logan's bloodied pyjama top.
The sound of a tumble dryer and washing machine was also picked up in bodycam footage, which the prosecution say was to clean the child's bloodied bedlinen.
HORRIFIC INJURIES
Jurors grew upset as they were told the brutal injuries Logan had suffered before his death.
In total the youngster had 56 external injuries to his head, face, torso arms and legs from a blunt force trauma.
Tragically Logan is believed to have survived for several hours after the assault, meaning he may have been saved, it was said.
Home office pathologist Dr John Williams found he was covered in bruises including on his scalp and tongue.
The court was told he had received "catastrophic" injuries to his abdomen including a tear measuring 5.5cm by 3cm on his liver and a second rip on his bowel.
Jurors heard there was also evidence Logan's collar bone had been broken in the weeks before his death - suggesting he may have been abused "over a prolonged period of time".
Ms Rees said: "The injuries should be considered as consistent with inflicted injury by blows, kicks or impact with a weapon. The deep scalp injury is also consistent with blunt force trauma."
Logan is believed to have been murdered at home before an "elaborate charade" was hatched to cover up his death.
All three defendants, who deny murder, allegedly "prioritised their own self preservation over all else".
Cole and Williamson deny causing or allowing the death of a child but Cole admits perverting the course of justice by moving Logan's body.
Williamson and the boy deny perverting the course of justice.
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The trial continues.
