Video of moment boy, 5, was found dead in river played to jury

Logan Mwangi, also known as Logan Williamson, was found lying in the River Ogmore in Bridgend in July 31 2021.

A general view of Cardiff Crown Court (Barry Batchelor/AP) (PA Archive)

A video of the moment a five-year-old boy was discovered dead in a river by a policewoman has been played to a jury at Cardiff Crown Court.

Prior to it being shown prosecutor Caroline Rees QC warned the court the footage was “moving” and “distressing in nature”.

Taken from the body-worn camera of South Wales Police’s police constable Lauren Keen, the clip shows the officer running towards the body of Logan Mwangi, also known as Logan Williamson, who was found lying in the River Ogmore within Pandy Park in Sarn, Bridgend just after 6am on July 31.

Pc Keen and special constable Peter Freeth had been deployed to search the park land after a 999 call was made to police by Logan’s mother Angharad Williamson.

Williamson is now on trial along with two others for Logan’s murder and the emergency call is alleged to have been part of a cover-up concocted between her, Logan’s stepfather John Cole and a 14-year-old boy.

Having spotted Logan’s body through an opening in a hedge at the corner of the park near the young boy’s home on Lower Llansantffraid, Pc Keen said she activated her body-worn camera before running down the muddy bank towards boulders which Logan lay beyond.

The court heard last week how Logan was found wearing mismatched pyjamas and having suffered over 56 “catastrophic” injuries to his head and body.

Pc Keen told the jury: “He (Logan) was laying on his right side.

“He was in an open foetal position and he was submerged under the water.

“I immediately went into the water, I took around three strides to get to where Logan was.

“I picked him up in my arms and walked back towards where special constable Freeth was waiting on the bank.

“I could see Logan had an injury to the left side of his head.

“His eyes were wide open, his body was stiff and his lips blue.

“I formed the opinion that Logan was deceased.”

As the short video was played, Williamson began sobbing loudly in the dock, leaning her head on a prison officer.

Another clip of both officers trying to revive Logan was also played in court, however the video had been heavily blurred by investigators.

Pc Keen said: “My immediate opinion was that Logan was unfortunately already deceased, but it wasn’t down to me to determine that was the case.

“So I just tried my best until paramedics arrived.”

Pc Freeth recalled finding Logan and described him as wearing “dinosaur pyjama bottoms and a Spiderman top”.

Williamson, 30, Cole, 40 and the youth are on trial for Logan’s murder and are also accused of perverting the course of justice, including dumping Logan’s body in the river near Pandy Park like “fly-tipped rubbish”, removing his clothing, washing bloodstained bed linen, and making a false missing person report to police.

Williamson and the youth pleaded not guilty to both offences, while Cole denied murder but admitted perverting the course of justice.

Williamson and Cole were also charged with causing or allowing the death of a child, which they both denied.