The father of a young schoolboy found dead in a river after allegedly being murdered has detailed the moment that he learned of his loving son's death.
Logan Mwangi, aged five, was tragically found dead on July 31, 2021, in a river. The tot had suffered injuries that one pathologist described as "so extreme you would expect to find them as a result of a fall from a great height or a high-velocity road traffic accident".
Logan's mother Angharad Williamson, 30, of Bridgend, and stepfather John Cole, 40, of Bridgend, deny his murder. A third defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons due to his age, has also pleaded not guilty to murder and all are on trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
On March 16, prosecutor Caroline Rees QC read to the hearing a statement from Logan's devastated father Benjamin Mwangi, Wales Online reports.
Speaking about the day of his son's death Mr Mwangi said: “I was in work in Essex when sometime between 2pm and 2.30pm officers came to see me at work. Just prior to this I received a phone call from my brother but I could not make much sense from him – he was quite erratic. All I remember was him telling me the police were there and he would call back.
“I said to my colleague something must be seriously wrong. My father had been unwell so I thought it was something wrong with my father.
“When police arrived I went in the back office with them and asked if something had happened to my father. When they said it wasn’t father my thoughts instantly turned to Logan. I said: ‘Please tell me this isn’t anything to do with Logan’ and then they told me Logan had passed away.
“I was hysterical and fell to the floor. I left work without telling anyone what had happened and police took me home. My mother Pauline Mwangi and brother Zack Mwangi were at my home.”
Mr Mwangi said he was given contact details for an officer at South Wales Police but did not call as he was “unable to process information”. The next day Mr Mwangi said he felt “numb” and couldn’t comprehend what had happened. He was later contacted by an officer and told three people had been arrested on suspicion of Logan’s murder but the information “did not seem real”.
Mr Mwangi said he was living in Brentwood, Essex, when he met Williamson through mutual friends in 2009 or 2010 when she was working as a manager of Carphone Warehouse in Stratford, London. He next saw her in 2014 and they began a relationship which lasted two and a half years.
Mr Mwangi said Williamson suffered an ectopic pregnancy but later that year she became pregnant with Logan. During the pregnancy she suffered seizures. He said: “On March 15, 2016, Logan was born in the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend. Angharad had been staying in Wales with Claire (Williamson, her mother) and I was visiting.
“I was present when Logan was born and it was the happiest time of my life. I stayed with Claire for a few weeks but I would clash quite a lot with Claire and did not think it was good for anyone, especially Logan, so I moved back to Brentwood with my mum and my first priority was to get work to support Angharad and Logan and I was able to financially support them.
“During that period I was in regular contact with Angharad who would call me and send me pictures of Logan. He was the cutest little boy… We were back and forth visiting each other and after a few months Logan and Angharad moved to live with me at my mum’s address. It was okay at first but our relationship deteriorated and we started arguing. In August 2016 she told me Claire was unwell so she moved back to Bridgend and continued to live in Wales.”
Mr Mwangi said contact with Logan was quite regular at first but after Williamson married Jordan Hunt contact ceased. Three years later Mr Mwangi was in a pub in Essex when Williamson walked in and approached him out of the blue. He said: “She said she had been looking for me and wanted to see me to start contact again with Logan. Angharad had a shaved head with hearing aids in.
“I had regular contact again with Logan through video calling and I met up with them in Sarn. He said: ‘Hello Daddy’ and threw his arms around me. I picked him up from school and we went to the park and had ice cream. Everything was going so well and we arranged to meet again.
“In 2019 he came up to Brentwood and met my dad and cousins. He loved Thomas the Tank and Paw Patrol and we would watch those together. When they were leaving Angharad told me not to get too emotional not to upset Logan. This was the last time I saw Logan.”
Mr Mwangi said the next day Williamson contacted her and told him they wouldn’t be able to speak to each other as her new partner, Cole, “did not think it was normal” for them to still speak to each other. From then on Mr Mwangi said he would speak to Logan over video call when he was staying with his grandmother Claire Williamson at weekends.
He said: “January 2020 was the last time I spoke to Logan… Claire later told me she no longer had contact with Logan as Angharad stopped her from seeing him. I didn’t have contact details for Angharad so I have not spoken to or seen Logan since. I did not know where he was or how he was getting on in school and that has tormented me.
“I had no concerns for him. He seemed highly content and seemed to be okay. His learning was coming on and he was an intelligent little boy.”
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