Murder of Logan Mwangi

The murder of Logan Mwangi occurred in late July 2021 in Sarn, Bridgend, South Wales.

The precise nature of the events leading up to the 5-year-old boy's death are difficult to ascertain but Angharad Williamson (Logan's mother), John Cole (stepfather) and Craig Mulligan (Cole’s stepson) are all believed to have participated in and been aware of physical attacks on Logan in late July which led to him developing severe external and internal injuries.

Williamson, Cole and Mulligan were found guilty of murder in April 2022.

Cole was a former member of the National Front who had received a series of criminal convictions some of them for violent offences in the 2000s and had a reputation for racism.

He was known to use racist insults about Logan.

Logan Mwangi was born on 15 March 2016 in the Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend.

His parents were Angharad Williamson and Benjamin Mwangi.

The former had a criminal record dating from prior to Logan's birth.

Logan was mixed race with a white mother and a father of Kenyan descent.

They separated soon after his birth with Benjamin Mwangi returning to his hometown of Brentwood, Essex.

In 2019, Williamson (who was Logan's primary carer) began a relationship with Cole and they soon moved in together.

The couple took a harsh approach to disciplining the boy and Cole in particular was bigoted about Logan's mixed race ethnicity.

Mulligan was the 13-year-old son of Cole's previous partner who was placed in his custody shortly before the murder.

On 21 July 2021, Logan tested positive for COVID-19 and spent his period of isolation during the illness alone in his room.

After his death, the household discarded Logan's body in a river before denying any knowledge of how he died.

The subsequent police investigation found that he had been beaten to death.

The specifics of the case were reviewed but the decision not to conduct a broader inquiry into children's social services in Wales received some criticism.

The young age of Mulligan and the circumstances in which he joined the household also received some discussion.

Williamson began a relationship with John Cole in 2019.

They ended all contact between Logan and his father who last saw each other in 2019.

Cole and Williamson were described by a family friend as "strict parents" who took a punitive approach to disciplining the boy.

Punishments Logan experienced included being forced to spend extended periods in push-up positions, prevented from participating in family takeaways, made to stand outside in the garden and deliberately burnt.

A neighbour said that Logan's bedroom window was constantly covered with a sheet and that he was frequently shouted at by Cole.

Cole moved in with Williamson and the couple had a son together in January 2020.

Logan's condition declined during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

During this time, Cole's 12-year-old stepson Craig Mulligan and his mother had joined the household due to the latter inaccurately claiming to be suffering from cancer.

In August, Logan broke his arm after falling down the stairs.

His mother initially said she did not immediately seek medical treatment but instead tried to “pop” the bone back into its socket.

She later alleged that it was Cole who did this and Mulligan who had pushed Logan down the stairs.

The incident was referred to the police.

Logan was described by his teachers as returning to school in September with a stammer, incontinence issues and an unhealthy appearance.

In January 2021, Logan was placed on the child protection register which meant that social workers would visit the family once every ten days.

These visits began in March and continued until Logan's death.

Early in 2021, Mulligan was assaulted by his mother.

This led to them both leaving the household with the former being removed from his mother's custody and the latter being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

On 26 July 2021, 13-year-old Craig Mulligan was placed in Cole's custody.

The son of Cole's previous partner, Mulligan was an aggressive boy with a history of mental health problems.

Cole had raised Mulligan as his own son since he was nine months old.

He had been living in local authority care for six months after being assaulted by his mother.

One of the foster families he lived with described him as having threatened to kill them.