The mum who murdered her five-year-old son, Logan Mwangi, by torturing him to death has lost her appeal to challenge her conviction.
Angharad Williamson was sentenced to life in prison for killing the youngster at a trial at Cardiff Crown Court, last year.
The 31-year-old from Sarn, Bridgend, south Wales, was convicted of murder along with John Cole, 41, Logan’s stepfather, and twisted step-brother 14-year-old Craig Mulligan.
Across the ten week trial, it was revealed how Logan had been subjected to horrific mental suffering and physical torture.
Little Logan suffered a catalogue of injuries before his tragic death and died in a "behind closed doors" killing at his family home just weeks after being "stepped down" from the child protection register.
The three of them were all jailed for life for the horrific crimes after Logan died just five days after Mulligan moved into the family home, following a rushed family court decision despite his violent upbringing and threats to Logan.
They were also found to have attempted to cover-up the murder when Williamson falsely claimed her son was ‘missing’ in a 999 call at around 6am on July 31, 2021, as part of the sinister attempt.
At 2.43am that day, chilling CCTV footage from a neighbour's security system caught Cole carrying Logan's body to the River Ogmore from his home while Mulligan followed him.
Following the conviction, Williamson, represented by Peter Rouch KC, applied to appeal against the conviction before the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, alongside Mr Justice Wall and Mrs Justice Stacey, at Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday.
She did not appear for the hearing but throughout Rouch argued that evidence of Cole's bad character, including alleged racist views, an alleged history of domestic abuse and details of previous violent convictions, including assaulting a child, should've been put before the jury.
He argued this may have impacted the jury's decision in who was responsible for the attacks and abuse on the young boy.
Two people gave statements alleging that Cole was "very racist" and had been a member of the National Front, a fascist political party, in his early 20s.
One of the statements claimed that Cole would have made Logan's life hell because of the colour of his skin.
The original trial judge, Justice Nerys Jefford, excluded this evidence because she said it was too historic.
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon, said the three judges upheld the decision and dismissed the application.
He said: "The application contends that the trial judge was wrong to exclude the bad character evidence of John Cole which would have assisted the jury in deciding who inflicted the injuries which caused Logan's death.
"Like the single judge, we are unpersuaded that the grounds of the appeal are arguable.
"The alleged racist beliefs were 15 years old or more, and there is no evidence that racism played a part in his murder.
"The evidence related to violence towards his previous partners were events that happened 15 years or more ago and there is no evidence of violence in the intervening period.
"The previous convictions for violence were also old, the offences committed when Cole was a young man.
"In our judgment, the judge was fully entitled to conclude that none of this evidence had substantial probative value and it did not establish a propensity for violence.
"In truth, her evaluation was impeccable. Therefore this application must be dismissed.
"The exceptionally distressing circumstances of Logan's murder is likely to be seared on the memories of people in this part of Wales and more widely.
"He had been subjected to the most appalling violence to his head and body, and his internal injuries were the sort found in people who had fallen from a height or been involved in a high-speed car accident.
"There's no doubt whatsoever that Logan had been murdered while all three of those convicted were in the house.
"The prosecution case was that this was a classic case of joint enterprise and although they were unable to say who delivered the blows that killed Logan, that was not the significant issue."
A report which examined police, school workers, NHS staff and social services found there were multiple failures in the weeks and months leading up to Logan's death.
Shockingly he was removed from the child protection register just 13 days after mum Williamson burned his neck by pressing a hot spoon against his skin.
It found social workers were so consumed with Williamson and Cole and the three-way "banshee" relationship they had with Mulligan's mum that they missed what was happening to Logan.
It found Williamson and Cole were able to hide their abuse of Logan due to Covid-19 restrictions - and social workers were too scared to force meetings.
