The court heard how the powerful teenager had previously attacked Logan, pushing him down the stairs, but the concerns expressed to social workers were dismissed as “nonsense”. The lawsuit alleges that Mulligan’s former foster parents, the Finch family, cared for the children for more than 40 years but could not cope. Clive Finch described that he was “terrified” of the teenager and feared for the safety of his family. His daughter said she heard Mulligan repeatedly make threats to kill Logan while he lived with them, even days before he was allowed to move into the five-year-old’s home. The jury also heard how he had sprayed deodorant on the family dog’s eyes and pulled it from his hind legs after an operation on his pelvis. In information not heard from the jury, the Finch family described Mulligan as “pure evil”, but the judge ruled that the comment could not be made during the trial. Mulligan was being cared for by Bridget Council Social Services after he was evicted from the home of his former mother, Rebecca Trujill, who had attacked him in the past. In the months before Logan’s assassination, Mulligan was described as a “monster” by the Finch family who said he had a “desire for violence”. He demanded to be allowed to enroll in Thai boxing lessons and would also go to a bodybuilding gym. The court heard he was given a bat and a baseball to participate in the sport, but instead used the bat to break trees and signs in the local park. Prosecutor Caroline Rees said the timing of Mulligan’s move home on July 26 and Logan’s death five days later “was not accidental.” He said: “He was jealous of Logan and did not like him. “His feelings of hostility towards Logan were such that while he was in foster care before moving back to the other defendant’s house, he repeatedly threatened to kill Logan and wanted him dead.”
