Someone upthread said that the father "went from Disney Dad to everyday dad and couldn't handle it" (paraphrasing - sorry I'm so upset by this case that I don't even feel able to go back through the thread.)
This is very true. The jury heard this evidence:
Since he was five - before Mr Hughes and Ms Tustin struck up a relationship - Arthur had expressed concerns his father was going to kill him, Ms Prior told the court. She said the boy had expressed this to his wider family, his doctor and his school "for well over a year and nobody listened".
Tustin, obviously, is a murderer and I hope she rots in hell, but I'm incensed that the father, Hughes, has got away with manslaughter and will receive a stupidly short sentence simply because he happened to be out when the killing blow was struck.
Yes some men (far too many) throw their children under the bus for the sake of a shag - but in this case he was clearly already abusive - this was a case of two abusers meeting and enabling each other, with lethal results for the victim.
Don't ever believe that the bus-throwing is reserved for men. Plenty of women sacrifice their children for the sake of sex/"love"/finances. My mum would have happily seen a bus fucking reverse over me rather than give up her comfortable life with my paedophile dad.
@Mufasa1118 I'm so sorry for what you went through as a child. You said that this case has given you a breakthrough moment in realising you (and your brother) didn't deserve the abuse you were subjected to. Please hold onto that. Your posts on this thread have been very brave, and your decision to stay away from children when you can't trust yourself is commendable. You are so much better than your mum. I really hope that you can use this moment to move forward and let go of those old beliefs that you are evil/tainted/cursed/bad blood. You can break the cycle. You deserve happiness and peace.