The father of a five-year-old boy murdered by his mother, stepfather and stepbrother has said he wakes up screaming when his son visits him in his dreams.
Logan Mwangi was found dead in the River Ogmore on the morning of 31 July 2021, just a few hundred metres from the flat where he lived in Bridgend, south Wales.
The youngster, dressed in mismatched pyjamas, had suffered 56 injuries, some of which were “catastrophic” and likened to those found on victims of high-speed crashes or a fall from a height.
His mother Angharad Williamson, 31, stepfather John Cole, 40, and 14-year-old stepbrother Craig Mulligan were sentenced for his murder on Thursday.
Logan’s biological father Ben Mwangi said he collapsed at work when police told him his son’s body had been found dumped in the river near his home.
In a victim impact statement read out on his behalf in court, Mr Mwangi said: “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, I felt so confused. I just collapsed on the floor and hit my head.
“I just felt like every fibre in my body had died and couldn’t stop crying.
“I couldn’t understand how something like this could have happened to my son.
“The rest of the day was a blur as I waited for more information. It was so painful.”
Mr Mwangi said he was devastated he was not there to protect his son, whom he described as “the sweetest and most beautiful boy”.
Evidence heard in court suggested Logan could have been saved if an ambulance had been called.
“The last 10 months have been hell for me,” the father said. “I can’t sleep and keep experiencing recurring nightmares.
“My dreams of Logan are so vivid. Logan comes to me to tell me he’s OK and to check that I’m OK.
“He runs into my arms and I hold him tight, but he then slowly disappears. I wake up screaming and crying.”
Logan’s mother Williamson was told she would spend at least 28 years behind bars for his murder, while her boyfriend Cole will serve a minimum of 28 years in jail.
Logan’s mother Angharad Williamson, 31, will spend at least 28 years behind bars for his murder, while her boyfriend John Cole, 40, will serve a minimum of 28 years in jail.
Mulligan – Cole’s stepson from a previous relationship – was detained for a minimum of 15 years after also being found guilty of Logan’s murder.
A trial at Cardiff Crown Court heard how Williamson reported Logan missing at 5.45am on 31 July 2021 and accused a woman, against whom she held a grudge, of abducting him.
Logan, previously a “smiling, cheerful little boy”, was discovered in the River Ogmore in Pandy Park that same morning.
Police found him partially submerged, wearing dinosaur pyjama bottoms and a Spider-Man top just 250 metres from his home. He was later confirmed dead in hospital.
Logan was a ‘smiling, cheerful little boy’ but was ‘dehumanised’ by his family in the months leading up to his murder, the court heard
A judge lifted reporting restrictions to publicly name ‘monster’ Craig Mulligan who was just 13 when he helped murder five-year-old Logan Mwangi
