A teenager accused of murdering a five-year-old boy sang about “punching kids in the head”, a court has been told.
The 14-year-old, who cannot be named, is one of three people accused of killing Logan Mwangi, also known as Logan Williamson.
Logan was found dead in the River Ogmore in Pandy Park, Bridgend, on 31 July 2021.
He had suffered more than 56 external injuries, as well as internal injuries commonly found in victims of high-speed car accidents.
At Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday, several support workers who came into contact with the teenage suspect following Logan’s death said he would veer between hostility and using a baby voice if he thought it would get him out of trouble.
One of them, Julie Rowlands, said that one evening after being told to go to bed, the 14-year-old sang: “I love kids, I f****** love kids, I love to punch kids in the head, it’s orgasmic.”
Ms Rowlands said there was “no particular melody” and it appeared that “he wanted us to know what he was singing about”.
Other members of staff recalled the youth saying “I’ve done some bad stuff” and hinting he planned to plead guilty.
When Ms Rowlands asked if he wanted to speak to someone in confidence, she said the 14-year-old told her: “If you knew what was going on in my head, trust me, you don’t want to know.”
He is on trial alongside Logan’s 30-year-old mother, Angharad Williamson, and Logan’s stepfather, John Cole, who are also accused of the child’s murder.
Cole appeared to “intimate” that the teenager was involved in Logan’s murder, an offender manager at HMP Cardiff, where Cole was detained, told the court.
Sarah Jones described an occasion in August 2021 when Cole seemed to blame the killing on the 14-year-old.
Ms Jones said Cole told her, without prompting: “The thing is I didn’t kill Logan. I’ve got a moral dilemma, do I go down for murder and protect (the 14-year-old)?”
Ms Jones commented: “I don’t remember the exact wording but he definitely intimated the (youth defendant) was directly involved.”
The jury was read transcripts from Cole’s police interviews in which he admitted being rough with Logan, but denied causing his fatal injuries.
Cole claimed Logan had been a “nightmare” and would often throw himself on the floor. He admitted throwing Logan on the bed in frustration and slapping him on the back of the head.
On the morning of 31 July, he said he woke to hear Williamson shouting “Logan’s dead, Logan’s dead”.
Cole said in the statement: “I came running through. He was lying on his back with his head to the side and up in a weird position – his legs half cocked at the knees.
“His eyes were wide open. I moved his head and it flopped.”
Cole claimed he had performed CPR for between 10 and 15 minutes but accepted he had not called 999.
It was put to him that Logan had no injuries to his ribcage consistent with emergency resuscitation, but he insisted he had done the CPR.
He and Williamson “panicked” and decided to dump Logan’s body in the river rather than call police, Cole said.
The spot he picked was near where he and the teenage defendant had been fly-tipping rubbish a few days earlier, he added.
When it was put to him that he beat Logan to death, he denied it.
Williamson and the boy deny murder and perverting the course of justice. Cole also denies murder but admits perverting the course of justice.
Cole and Williamson also stand charged with causing or allowing the death of a child.
The trial continues.