Arthur's killer dad has NOT been attacked in prison, Government officials say

The Ministry of Justice said there was "no suggestion" evil Thomas Hughes had been attacked in prison after online reports suggested he had badly hurt.

The father of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes has just started a 21-year term after being convicted of the six-year-old's manslaughter in a case which shocked the nation.

Today, Tuesday, December 7, a blog suggested he had been beaten up and left in a critical condition at the undisclosed prison where he is serving his sentence.

READ MORE: Arthur Labinjo-Hughes' gran breaks down as she recalls moment he pleaded to stay with her

However, the MOJ dismissed the report as a "rumour."

An spokeswoman said: "The governor of the prison has been contacted. It seems to be a rumour. There is no suggestion there has been an assault."

Hughes, 29, could face even longer in prison with pressure growing for his sentence to be increased. His former lover, Emma Tustin, 32, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 29 years after she was convicted of murdering Arthur and four counts of child cruelty.

The boy was routinely beaten, isolated, starved, force-fed salt laced meals, dehydrated and made to stand for up to 14 hours-a-day and sleep on the living room floor of Tustin's home in Cranmore Road, Shirley.

Arthur was fatally injured by Tustin on June 16 last year and left with an unsurvivable brain injury.

The case prompted a national outpouring of grief and their "lenient" sentences are set to be referred to the Attorney General. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has demanded a review of the sentences "as a matter of urgency."

Downing Street said Mr Johnson would consider any requests from Arthur's family for a personal meeting, after the child's grieving grandfather, Peter Halcrow, said the couple responsible for his death "must never see the light of day again".

Tributes were paid to Arthur at Premier League matches this weekend and on Sunday, hundreds of balloons were released into the air shortly at an event organised by Cranmore Road resident Kerry Vines.

As they took to the skies, some shouted 'bye Arthur' while others watched with tears in their eyes.