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Original poster

Hairdresser's testimony at Tustin trial

298 replies

FallingStar21 · 05/12/2021 11:07

I know there have been several threads discussing various details around the case.. But having read the complete timeline and hairdresser's testimony, i just absolutely cannot believe that neither she or her partner called the police!
For example, she had been at Tustin's house doing her hair for 4 hours and Arthir made to sit at a table and not move for the entire time. She says she just thought he'd been naughty or something. No alarm bells ringing, really?
Different time she witnessed Arthur made to stand by the door, but not move or lean on the door etc.. Arthur given a sandwich to eat by the door while Tustin eating in the garden with the other kids... No alarm bells.
Witnessing Arthur being shouted at horrible words.
Finally, hairdresser at Tustin's with her (hairdresser's) partner seeing Arthur so frail and by their own accounts "petrified". They know Arthur had been deprived of water, because hairdresser's partner gives him a glass of water in secret... a glass, which Arthur cant even hold up to his mouth (all in their testimony) ...No Alarm bells, no nothing?!
If they were previously unsure whether they needed to do something, that last account couldn't have been more crystal clear.
I know legally it's viewed differently, but IMO these people are almost complicit in this... They too, had the responsibility to protect him once they'd seen what they saw, which was really black and white.
Just cant believe it.

OP posts:
RedLipClass · 05/12/2021 13:59

I thought the same. Can't believe they didn't inform anyone about what they saw. Particularly after the last incident. If you feel you need to sneak a child a glass of water without their caregiver knowing then there's clearly something very wrong going on.

bizboz · 05/12/2021 14:01

I suspect they didn't report it because it til place at the time when you weren't supposed to be mixing indoors and they didn't want to get in trouble. They could of course have reported anonymously but I got the impression from their court interviews that they weren't that familiar with the system.

Fritilleries · 05/12/2021 14:02

The entire group of people come across as incredibly thick. What is the world coming to?

Bagelsandbrie · 05/12/2021 14:05

The hairdresser and boyfriend should have been charged with being complicit in child torture. No excuses whatsoever. None.

ElfontheShelfisLookingatYou · 05/12/2021 14:06

I agree op but yes there were a few things going on, as pp said, covid.
They weren't supposed to be mixing although school had gone back at that point?
They seemed scared of tustin.
I expect their own expectations of parenting are so incredibly low if the man thought he shouldn't interfere with other people's "disciplining" of dc.

A law that makes by standers complicit would certainly help.
I saw the testimony and was horrified by it but actually seeing the footage of just how weak he was?.

I really do feel they need to be charged with something.

Bagelsandbrie · 05/12/2021 14:08

Everyone is / was shocked by the footage of Arthur on the cctv. He was at the hairdressers an hour after that. An hour. He looked like that and moved like that. And they did nothing.

ElfontheShelfisLookingatYou · 05/12/2021 14:10

I know bagel, this is yet another part of this case I Cant get my head around.

And that was after a "rest" at least from standing the poor dear lamb.
I really do think they need to charged with something and if there is nothing they can be shows massive gap in the law.

Lougle · 05/12/2021 14:11

Hairdressers could be fined £10,000 for operating during lockdown. I expect that had something to do with it.

GreenLunchBox · 05/12/2021 14:11

It is shocking.
The fact that they brought him to the hairdresser's house in that state and treated him like that do openly suggests they were confident there'd be no repercussions

TheQueef · 05/12/2021 14:12

I don't think that's fair Frittileries several people around Arthur did report and follow up. The authorities didn't do their job.

The bar, both legally and in society, is too low.
It needs to be crystal clear and explicit that parenting choices never excuse abuse.
Then we need to be able to report it and have it dealt with accordingly.
Agreed the hairdresser and her boyfriend not reporting is mind boggling but the failure of the system is terrifying.

Fritilleries · 05/12/2021 14:12

People are too frightened to "interfere." A child is a human in their own right, not a possession or extension of yourself. It is EVERYBODY'S responsibility to support/call out something they see that doesn't sit right. Child protection is EVERYBODY'S issue.

ElfontheShelfisLookingatYou · 05/12/2021 14:13

Remember in the trial the bf of the hairdresser said something like, couldn't be around how they treated Arthur and both glad when they had gone.
Also tustin step dad apparently said they couidnt bear how he was treated either so they banned him.
Tustin said they banned Arthur because of Arthur behavior??

BorgQueen · 05/12/2021 14:13

‘Mind your own business’ is the message given to all of us from childhood, people are conditioned to have that as a default setting.
You’ve only got to see the countless threads where people have witnessed clearly abusive behaviour and ask what they should do, plenty of posters tell them to keep their nose out.

That’s how it happens. People conditioned into ignoring their own empathy and common sense.

Kshhuxnxk · 05/12/2021 14:15

Totally agree. Like a previous post on here - there's always someone who knows something but if they don't speak up the unthinkable happens.

Bagelsandbrie · 05/12/2021 14:15

@Lougle

Hairdressers could be fined £10,000 for operating during lockdown. I expect that had something to do with it.
She could have just lied if necessary and made up some other reason she’d seen him. She didn’t even have to say he’d been in her house. She could have rang 999 and reported anonymously. There are lots of ways they could have reported - and they didn’t know others had reported and nothing had been done so they can’t use that excuse either.
Lipsandlashes · 05/12/2021 14:16

@Bagelsandbrie

The hairdresser and boyfriend should have been charged with being complicit in child torture. No excuses whatsoever. None.
Absolutely. The system should have made an example out of them. I hope the judiciary made it known what disgusting, lowlife, scum they are during the trial
MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry · 05/12/2021 14:17

Totally agree OP. I can’t get my head around how they saw what they saw and did nothing. Covid or not! Not sure if hairdresser and partner have children but if so they need a serious eye kept on them.

Fritilleries · 05/12/2021 14:18

@BorgQueen

‘Mind your own business’ is the message given to all of us from childhood, people are conditioned to have that as a default setting. You’ve only got to see the countless threads where people have witnessed clearly abusive behaviour and ask what they should do, plenty of posters tell them to keep their nose out. That’s how it happens. People conditioned into ignoring their own empathy and common sense.
Agree. People keep to themselves. Trying to talk to neighbours or function as a social adult within a community usually elicits a "what you looking at" attitude in some places. Lock down didn't help. I understand lots of people reported, I just meant that in this instance, the hairdressers come across at thick. No excuses eg fines or whatever, they witness extreme suffering and did nothing. They should be prosecuted or made an example of. My heart breaks for the teacher of the child. How helpless must they have felt to know someone came in direct contact with that child and did nothing?
Bagelsandbrie · 05/12/2021 14:19

@MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry

Totally agree OP. I can’t get my head around how they saw what they saw and did nothing. Covid or not! Not sure if hairdresser and partner have children but if so they need a serious eye kept on them.
They have about 4/5 children I think. And she was the one who told Tustin to install cctv because she had been accused of hitting her own children and had installed her own cctv to “prove” that she wasn’t. Says it all really doesn’t it.
MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry · 05/12/2021 14:21

Yes it certainly does say it all. Hopefully that CCTV of hairdressers house has been taken and viewed by the police.

Limer · 05/12/2021 14:22

Horrific.

Can they be prosecuted for being complicit in Arthur's abuse, because they failed to report it?

TractorAndHeadphones · 05/12/2021 14:22

@BorgQueen

‘Mind your own business’ is the message given to all of us from childhood, people are conditioned to have that as a default setting. You’ve only got to see the countless threads where people have witnessed clearly abusive behaviour and ask what they should do, plenty of posters tell them to keep their nose out. That’s how it happens. People conditioned into ignoring their own empathy and common sense.
On the flipside - there's a lot of 'be understanding, people may have MH issues you don't know what they're going through' etc etc. People going 'my mental health is my business'. It's very hard to know what exactly should be done.

I personally woukd report because idc what issues are going on a child being abused is my primary concern

Lipsandlashes · 05/12/2021 14:24

They have about 4/5 children I think. And she was the one who told Tustin to install cctv because she had been accused of hitting her own children and had installed her own cctv to “prove” that she wasn’t. Says it all really doesn’t it.
Jesus. The slyness, deceit and ‘working of the system’ in this case, just gets worse.

Alltheblue · 05/12/2021 14:24

How many times have posters here asked if they should report and been subjected to abuse and a reminder that they could not possibly know what was going on and saw 'a snapshot' of a family without context.

Posters have been vilified and abused for suggesting they make a report.

MaryAndGerryLivingInDerry · 05/12/2021 14:24

@Alltheblue

How many times have posters here asked if they should report and been subjected to abuse and a reminder that they could not possibly know what was going on and saw 'a snapshot' of a family without context.

Posters have been vilified and abused for suggesting they make a report.

Totally. And that needs to change.