A five-year-old boy whose body was found dumped in a river near Bridgend had suffered 56 external injuries consistent with a fall from height or a serious road traffic accident, a jury has heard.

Logan Mwangi was found in the River Ogmore, near his home village of Sarn, South Wales, on 31 July last year.

The victim’s mother Angharad Williamson, 30, her partner John Cole, 40, and a 14-year-old boy who cannot be named because of his age are on trial accused of murder.

All three are further accused of perverting the course of justice, including moving Logan’s body to an area of the river near Pandy Park, removing his clothing, washing bloodstained bed linen, and making a false missing person report to police.

On the first day of their trial at Cardiff Crown Court, prosecutor Caroline Rees QC said one pathologist described his injuries as “so extreme you would expect to find them as a result of a fall from a great height or a high velocity road traffic accident”.

In total, 56 “external” injuries were found to Logan’s head, face, trunk, arms and legs which were from “blunt force trauma”.

It was apparent that Logan had died before his body was placed in the river, she added.

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Ms Rees continued: “The prosecution say that Logan died as a result of a brutal and sustained assault upon him which happened inside the home.

“It is the use of forceful violence which caused the catastrophic injuries found at post mortem.”

Ms Rees went on to accuse each of the three defendants of covering up their involvement.

“Each prioritised their own self-preservation over all else and particularly over the needs of Logan,” she said.

Referring to the 14-year-old defendant, Ms Rees said: “The prosecution say his young age was no object to his involvement in the death and cover up, in which we say he took full part.”

The court heard that an apparently distraught Williamson had reported Logan missing at 5.45am on 31 July, and had accused a woman against whom she held a grudge of abducting him.

Logan was found wearing only mis-matched pyjamas in the river by police a short time later – he was confirmed dead later in hospital.

The jury was told that Cole and the 14-year-old boy were caught on CCTV in the early hours of July 31 leaving the family’s address.

Cole was carrying something in his arms that he has since confirmed was Logan’s dead body.

The pair walked along the riverside path to the spot where Logan’s body was found.

During this time, a light can be seen switching on and off in Logan’s bedroom, which the prosecution say proves that Williamson was awake and knew what had happened to her son.

The court heard that, on the afternoon of 30 July, a social worker made an unscheduled visit to Cole and Williamson’s address but was told she could not see Logan because he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was in self-isolation.

Ms Rees said: “If, as Angharad Williamson claims in interview, and as we understand her defence case will be, (the youth) and John Cole had severely assaulted Logan the day before, why didn’t she tell (the social worker) in her 20-minute visit to the property?

“Who was she protecting and why was she doing it?”

The trial continues.

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