The depraved stepmother jailed for murdering her 6-year-old stepson after months of abuse has reportedly been poisoned with salt by cellmates in revenge for torturing little Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, according to The Sun. Emma Tustin, 32, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 29 years for the boy’s killing while her partner, Arthur’s father Thomas Hughes, received 21 years.
Family handout
- Tustin poisoned Arthur with salt before his death. While the official cause of death for Arthur was a severe head injury caused by Tustin shaking him and then banging his head against a hard surface repeatedly, that wasn’t all the abuse he had to endure. Tustin subjected Arthur to a “campaign of cruelty” that met the “medical definition of child torture.” Medics found “off the charts” levels of salt in Arthur’s body that were so high, medics believed their equipment must have been broken or not working correctly. It was later discovered he was forced to eat at least 34g, or six spoons, of salt in the hours before his death.
- Tustin’s former cellmate revealed the stepmom’s life is hell. Elaine Pritchard, who shared a cell with Tustin for six weeks, said fellow prisoners had begun spiking Tustin’s meals at Eastwood Park Prison with high levels of salt in an act of revenge. “Some of the things we did were cruel – but she was crueler to Arthur so she deserved it,” Pritchard told The Sunday Mirror.
- Tustin tried to lie about why she was in prison. Likely believing it would spare her a bit, Tustin reportedly lied to fellow inmates about why she was behind bars, claiming that it was Arthur’s father who had “neglected” the boy. “Emma hadn’t said anything about Arthur dying. She never mentioned him,” Pritchard claimed.
- She never showed any remorse. Pritchard claimed that Tustin didn’t seem to care that the boy had died and was laughing and having fun despite being on trial for murder. She said that Tustin “felt sorry for herself” but would “laugh and joke” on the phone throughout their time in the same cell. She went on to say that the only time she ever saw Tustin upset was when she had a court appearance and found that her partner wouldn’t look at her while there.
- Something tells me this won’t be the last bad experience Tustin has behind bars. Given what she put that poor, innocent child through, it’s hard to feel bad for her.
