Logan Mwangi report reveals damning series of failings in care of murdered schoolboy

A report into the safeguarding of a primary school pupil murdered by his family revealed a "unanimous" decision to remove the five-year-old's name from the child protection register just weeks before he was beaten to death and dumped in a river. Professionals attending a child protection conference in respect of Bridgend youngster Logan Mwangi on May 20, 2021, "no longer deemed" that he was at risk of "significant harm". The five-year-old's body was discovered in the River Ogmore in Bridgend on July 31, 2021, after he was reported missing by his mother Angharad Williamson. His lips were blue, his skin was mottled, and there was a cut above his eye.

A child practice review report published on Thursday revealed a number failings by agencies who "failed to hear his voice". The report also said hospital staff failed to refer Logan's injuries and social services "failed to understand" the complexities of his family's situation. The tragic youngster was murdered by his mother, stepfather John Cole, and teenage stepbrother Craig Mulligan who had moved into the family home only a week before the killing.

Their trial earlier this year was told that social services staff from Bridgend council were involved with the family in respect of both Logan and Mulligan. Logan was placed on the child protection register in March 2021 due to concerns about Cole's previous convictions but in May 2021 Logan was placed instead on a child in need plan, which is for children who are not deemed at risk but have complex needs and need provisions to help with their development. As well as discussing that decision the 27-page report, following a child practice review by Cwm Taf Morgannwg Safeguarding Board, also found:

Williamson, Cole, and Mulligan's