A mother from South Wales who is accused of murdering her five-year-old son was washing bloodied sheets when police showed up to look for the boy, a court has heard.

Footage from body-worn cameras shown in Cardiff Crown Court shows 30-year-old Angharad Williamson washing the linens while “wailing and shouting” when police visited the family’s flat on 31 July last year.

Later in the day, Logan Mwangi was discovered dead in the River Ogmore, still wearing his mis-matched pyjamas, after suffering 56 injuries to his head, face, torso, arms and legs.

The jury heard that the boy’s body has been dumped like “fly-tipped rubbish” by his stepfather John Cole, 40, and a teenage boy (who cannot be named for legal reasons) just hours beforehand.

During proceedings, the jury listened as it was told how police officer Lauren Keen discovered the body through a gap in the hedges while searching Pandy Park at 5.55am on 31 July.

Prosecuting, Caroline Rees QC said: “She saw there the body of a young child lying on his right side with his knees bent in an open foetal position. It was Logan.

“She climbed into the river and walked down to where he was and picked Logan up in her arms.

“She noted he had a head injury.

“His body was cold and stiff, his lips were blue and his eyes were wide open. There was no sign of life.”

Williamson sobbed as the moment her son’s body was described in court.

Logan had been in self-isolation since 21 July, after testing positive for COVID. The last time he was seen before his death was on a video call on 27 July.

Distraught 999 calls were “all an act”, jurors heard

Ms Rees said Williamson’s behaviour that day, which included making a distraught 999 call at 5.45am were “all an act” and a “callous performance designed to cover up her involvement in her son’s death”.

Jurors heard that Williamson even told police that her son had been kidnapped by another woman whom she did not like.

In the body-worn footage from the police visit, Ms Rees said a washing machine and tumble dryer could be heard running, telling the court: “Why on earth would the family be doing the laundry as a matter of such urgency in the circumstances?

“The prosecution suggest that this was to dispose of incriminating evidence and that one of the items laundered was part of Logan’s bedlinen.”

The bed sheet was recovered from the tumble dryer four days later during a police search, while Logan’s duvet and pillow were found to have small amounts of his blood on, which the prosecution said was consistent with him having been bleeding in bed.

Williamson, Cole and a 14-year-old boy are all on trial for the murder of Logan between 28 July and 1 August.

They are also accused to perverting the course of justice, including the moving on Logan’s body to the river, removing his clothing, washing his linens and making a false missing person’s report to the police.

The teenager and Williamson have pleaded not guilty to both offences.

Cole has denied the murder charter but has admitted to disposing of Logan’s body and incriminating the evidence, claiming Williamson was aware of, and actively took part in, the cover-up operation.

Williamson and Cole also deny a charge of causing or allowing the death of a child.

The trial continues.

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