LITTLE Logan Mwangi was just five years old when he was murdered at the hands of twisted mum Angharad Williamson and stepdad John Cole.
His tragic death in July last year came after months of abuse and an attack which left him with “catastrophic” injuries. His pyjama-clad body was then dumped in a river like “fly-tipped rubbish”.
Logan Mwangi was just five years old when he was brutally murdered by his mum and violent stepdad, who both tried to cover up their heinous crime[/caption]
It was a case that shocked the nation. In April, Williamson, 30, Cole, 40, and a 14-year-old boy were all convicted of murder, and are set to be sentenced this week.
Now a new ITV documentary, The Murder of Logan Mwangi, uses behind-the-scenes footage to give unrivalled access to the police investigation into the case.
The footage follows every step of the harrowing story, including the police team’s first interactions with Logan’s devastated biological dad, Benjamin Mwangi.
The visibly shocked father heartbreakingly reveals he was blocked from seeing his son for 19 months before his murder, sobbing: “All I wanted to do was just be a dad.”
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Logan suffered a violent assault hours before his death, with over 50 injuries including blunt force trauma to his stomach, and a bleed on the brain.
Despite Logan’s prolonged suffering, even before his body was pulled from the Ogmore River close to his home in Bridgend, South Wales, his killers had already began a wicked plan to cover their tracks.
Ben Mwangi speaks openly on what it is like to lose his son, as well as his discussions with the police on what happened to Logan.
Tragically, Mr Mwangi, who lived in Essex, last saw his little boy 19 months prior to his death, as he was stopped from seeing him by Williamson.
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In heartbreaking footage, a visibly shocked Ben reveals: “I’m trying to cope the best I can.
“I was the first person to hold him when he was born. I used to hold him so tight. He was the best thing that ever happened to me.
“[Williamson] made my life an absolute misery. All I wanted to do was just be a dad.”
Speaking on camera, Ben adds: “One of the biggest questions in my whole entire life that I will always be asking myself is why? Why did this happen? Why did Logan have to die?”
I was the first person to hold him when he was born. I used to hold him so tight. He was the best thing that ever happened to m
Ben Mwangi
Even more heartbreakingly, police are forced to reveal to Ben that if an ambulance would have been called, Logan would have had a high chance of survival.
He’s told: “There was a high chance of survival, if medical attention had been sought in a timely fashion.
“There would have been a survival time of at least several hours… It would have been obvious to any person that Logan would have been in extreme distress and pain.
“The magnitude of his injuries are what one would expect in a high velocity road traffic collision.”
Logan could have survived if help had been sought for his injuries[/caption]
Crocodile tears
The documentary opens with some of the disturbing footage used as evidence in the case – including Logan’s mum’s ‘distressed’ 999 call.
On July 31 2021 at 5:45am, Williamson called police and began to ‘hyperventilate’ in the 13-minute call as she falsely reported her son missing, wailing: “Please help me, he’s my baby.”
Police later discovered CCTV showing Cole carrying the boy’s lifeless body to the river in the early hours of the morning.
While Williamson claimed to have been asleep, footage also revealed lights switching on and off in the house throughout the night, while she was the only person at home.
Despite their ‘devastated’ act, cops quickly pulled together enough evidence to arrest Williamson and Cole – with bodycam footage showing the moment they realised the net was closing in.
As she’s arrested, on the way to the station for interview, Williamson continues with her “hideous show”, crying: “I’ve just lost my son, and now this – you’re tearing my heart apart.”
However, when under police questioning as she desperately tries to pass the blame onto Cole, Williamson admits her parenting was far from perfect, astonishingly claiming: “The only thing I’m guilty here of is child neglect.”
Disturbing picture
It also becomes apparent to police that Logan had been a victim of months of abuse, with DI Rees saying: “A few statements have come in today which have started to paint quite a disturbing picture about how Logan was treated prior to his death.
“Family friends have said that as a form of punishment, John would put Logan into the press-up position for a considerable amount of time.
“Logan was crying and John made him stay like that.”
Police also reveal Cole taunted Logan – who was given cereal for dinner – while he gorged on KFC chicken, and Williamson reveals in the run up to his death, Cole made Logan stand and face the wall all day, every day.
‘The worst thing for any parent to deal with’
The case, led by Chief Inspector Mark O’Shea and Detective Inspector Lianne Rees, shows first-hand the dedication – and the emotion – of those officers as they try to deliver justice for Logan and his family.
As she prepares to speak to Ben for the first time face to face, DI Rees says: “As a mother myself I think it’s the worst thing that any parent could ever have to deal with.”
Forensic testing revealed Logan’s mattress protector and pillow case had blood stains on them.
At one point during questioning, stepdad Cole tries to suggest the stains were caused by Logan “brushing his teeth”, before admitting to smacking Logan and forcing him into bed.
Reading out Cole’s statement on what happened next, a police officer says: “I fell off to sleep. The next thing, I work up to Angharad screaming, ‘he’s dead, Logan’s dead’.
“He was lying on his back, his eyes were wide open. I moved his head and it flopped.
“Angharad said to me she heard him take his last breath. I carried him to the river.”
Overcome with emotion listening to what Logan had gone through, a police officer listening breaks down in tears – showing just how harrowing the case was to investigate.
Speaking from the scene where Logan’s body was found, DI Rees adds: “I feel quite emotional being here just thinking about what he would have gone through.
“The people who were meant to look after him and protect him haven’t.”
As police close in on them, putting together catalogue of harrowing evidence, Williamson and Cole quickly begin to turn on each other, and their harrowing claims are soon laid bare.
Logan wearing the dinosaur pyjama top that he was wearing when he died[/caption]
Unbeknown to Ben, Logan had been placed on the child protection register in March 2021, but was removed a month before he was killed.
The day before he was found, a social worker visited but didn’t see him because they were told he had Covid.
Ben is now campaigning for the law to be changed so that social services have a duty to inform parents like him if there are concerns.
He says: “If I can stop this from happening to anybody else, then that will be the most positive thing.
While Logan’s short life ended with such tragedy, those who loved the “chatty, polite and kind” little boy are determined his memory will live on.
Speaking outside court, Ben said: “The wonderful memories I have of my son will never be tarnished.
“They will forever be in my heart and soul. I loved him so much, and some how I will have to live my life knowing I will never get to see him grow up into the wonderful man I knew he could be.”
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The callous manner in which Logan lost his life will forever haunt his grieving dad.
He says: “My lasting memory of him is just a happy little boy that called me Daddy.”
The Murder of Logan Mwangi airs on ITV on Thursday 30 June at 9pm.
Logan should have been able to trust his mum and stepdad to look after him, but instead they betrayed him in the worst possible way[/caption]
Logan’s dad is determined his boy’s memory will live on[/caption]
