Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Grandfather says 'life should mean life' for his killers
1 January 2022, 22:14 | Updated: 1 January 2022, 22:28
The grandfather of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes has said his jailed stepmum and dad should never be released.
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It comes after it was announced on Friday that Thomas Hughes and Emma Tustin's sentences had been referred to the Court of Appeal for being too lenient.
The six-year-old's maternal grandfather, Peter Halcrow, said he agreed with the decision from the Attorney General.
It was previously found that the pair had poisoned, starved and beat Arthur in a prolonged campaign of abuse.
Tustin, 32, was jailed for life at Coventry Crown Court, with a minimum term of 29 years, after being found guilty of his murder.
Hughes, 29, was sentenced to 21 years for manslaughter.
Read more: Tustin and Hughes 'must never see light of day', says Arthur Labinjo-Hughes grandfather
Read more: Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: Sentences of killers referred for being 'too lenient'
Grandmother of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes pays tribute to him
Mr Halcrow told The Sun: "It should be whole life terms for both of them.
"Life should mean life in this horrific case."
His comments came after he previously said Hughes and Tustin "must never see the light of day again".
Announcing the decision, Attorney General Suella Braverman said on Friday: "This is an extremely upsetting and disturbing case, involving a clearly vulnerable young child.
"Emma Tustin and Thomas Hughes grossly abused their position of trust and subjected an innocent child, who they should have been protecting to continued emotional and physical abuse.
"I understand how distressing the public have found this case, but it is my job to decide if a sentence appears to be unduly lenient based on the facts of the case.
"I have carefully considered the details of this case, and I have decided to refer the sentences to the Court of Appeal as I believe them to be too low."
