Good morning Britian’s Susanna Reid has called for the sentencing of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes' killers to be extended.

Stepmother Emma Tustin, 32, was jailed for life at Coventry Crown Court on Friday, with a minimum term of 29 years, after being found guilty of the six-year-old’s murder, while his father, Thomas Hughes, 29, was sentenced to 21 years for manslaughter.

Boris Johnson has said ministers will leave “absolutely no stone unturned” to establish what went wrong in the case of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.

Rhyl Journal: Boris Johnson has said ministers will leave “absolutely no stone unturned”. (PA)Boris Johnson has said ministers will leave “absolutely no stone unturned”. (PA)

On Monday morning’s instalment of the ITV show Martin Lewis and Susanna took part in a fiery debate, clearly destressed by the details of the case.

Martin said:  "I'm not sure it's necessarily right that politicians get involved in the sentencing apart from setting the sentencing guidelines in the first place."

He added: "Do you know what, I'm normally very liberal when it comes to justice. I normally think about people should be forgiven because mercy is important and second chances are important and I feel the same as the grandfather in the case of this little boy.

"Because if anyone watches that video of Arthur on the day he died when he's struggling to pick up his duvet and he cries, 'nobody loves me', I think every single parent in this country would pick that little boy up and take him out of that house and take him into their own house.”

Susanna disagreed: "And the idea that anyone could treat him the way that they treated him. Normally Martin I would agree with you, but in this case I feel that anything that can be done to change those sentences should be done.”

Susanna Reid hits out at social services

 

 

The presenters were joined by the chair of the Association of Child Protection Professionals Wendy Thorogood.

Susanna fumed: “I don’t understand why you’re suggesting the grandmother should have done more when social services, who’s job, professional responsibility it is to protect a child, they went to visit and they said they had no safeguarding concerns.”

Thorogood replied: Because of how the situation was set up and we know that families who are abusing children will set the scene in a way that you don’t always see what’s going on.

“I want to really stress that I am not saying the grandmother could have done anymore, but I’m just saying in future if anyone sees any unusual bruising seek medical intervention as well as sharing that with social care because that would trigger the process.”

Susanna hit back: “I’m sorry, I’m just stunned.”

She added: “I would have thought once you phone social services, they’re the one’s who trigger the process, they’re the ones with the responsibility, they’re the ones with legal powers, they’re the ones who are supposed to be part of a multi-agency approach.

“And if you’re told as the grandmother actually it’s down to you, it’s down to the family to call the doctors.”

Martin Lewis jumped in: “I’ll try and pick up, what you’re saying is you’re not talking rights and wrongs your talking as a practical answer to the question.

“Even though it sounds like a load of..Whatever that you have to do it this way ,let’s forget that, let’s talk practical, if you want to get it done quickly seek medical intervention as well as social services.

“That’s the message, call both, don’t leave it to chance.”

Thorogood added: “Yes that’s it, do it in partnership, definitely call social care but equally seek medical help because that assessment.

“The right way is to go through social care, but it’s not always the quickest way.”