campaigner wants the private family court’s sentences related to teenage killer Craig Mulligan – who was allowed to live with the five-year-old boy he subsequently murdered – to be published.
A family court allowed the then 13-year-old to return to the care of his stepfather John Cole five days before Logan Mwangi – the son of Cole’s new partner Angharad Williamson – was murdered by the trio.
Mulligan had been taken away from his mother by social workers after she assaulted him, and placed in the care of Bridgend County Borough Council for six months.
Meanwhile, Logan and his younger sibling were on the Child Protective Services Registry, but weeks before he died, the family was removed from it — meaning it was believed there was no longer any risk of significant harm.
Cole, Mulligan’s mother’s ex-partner, and Williamson filed a petition in family court for custody of the teen.
They won and on 26 July 2021 he moved in with them at their home in Sarn, Bridgend, South Wales.
Five days later, Logan’s body was found by police in the Ogmore River in Pandy Park after he suffered injuries that were compared to child abuse by a Supreme Court judge.
Cole, 40, and Williamson, 31, were given life sentences, while Mulligan was detained for at least 15 years by a Cardiff Crown Court judge last week.
A social services inquiry is now underway into the circumstances of Logan’s death, while the Welsh Government has rejected calls for a nationwide independent inquiry into children’s services in Wales.
A national inquiry has been launched in England into the murders of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and one-year-old Star Hobson, and calls have been made for a similar inquiry in Wales.
Former Liberal Democrat MP John Hemming, who campaigns for improvements in family law, said court documents related to the decision-making process over Mulligan’s return to Cole should be published.
“The public has a right to know what information family court judges had about this case and what decisions were made,” he said.
“They need to be able to see the audit trail so they can understand what information family court judges had and why decisions were made.
“No stone should be left unturned in the investigation into what happened in this case – and one of those stones is in the family’s private legal proceedings.
“Statements and orders made in family court hearings regarding the children at the center of this case must be made public.
“The important thing is that lessons are learned, and lessons cannot be learned if there is no information available so that it can be properly discussed.
“Some family court information may need to be redacted to protect some children – but I’m sure this can be done without too much effort.
“Transparency is in the interest of all involved, including the lawyers, judges and experts involved in family law proceedings.”
By the time Mulligan was taken from his mother, he was already a “complex, troubled and violent boy,” prosecutor Caroline Rees QC told his trial.
He was placed with foster care, with one describing how he made their lives “living hell” during the weeks he lived with them — and how they became “terrified” of him.
They said he repeatedly threatened to kill them and injured their daughter, the foster mother and their dog.
Further concerns were raised when he asked two young girls if they wanted to play a “murder game” and told them to crawl into garbage bags.
Though he spoke fondly of his stepfather, stepmother and youngest sibling, the family said they noticed he would just call Logan “the five-year-old” — and spoke of wanting to “kill the five-year-old”.
They said he had a “lust for violence” and called him a “monster” in court.
The family said they had informed Mulligan’s social worker Debbie Williams of their concerns, although Ms Williams denied this.
During the trial, Mulligan was issued an anonymity warrant, preventing the reporting of details that could identify him, but that was waived after he was given a life sentence.