A couple are standing trial accused of murdering a two-year-old girl who suffered 21 broken bones and was allegedly sexually assaulted. Isabelle Rose Welsh died after collapsing at her home in Hartington Close, Thornaby, Teesside, having sustained a massive head injury.
Defendants Deny Charges
Isabelle's biological mother, Alexandra Walker, 25, and her boyfriend, Harrison Simpson, 22, deny murder, allowing the death of a child, sexual assault, and child cruelty. Their trial is ongoing at Teesside Crown Court.
The couple began their relationship last summer, and Simpson became a regular visitor to Walker's home, spending significant time with Isabelle, jurors were told. On September 13, Walker made a 999 call reporting that her daughter had collapsed. Paramedics found Isabelle at the foot of the stairs without a pulse and gravely ill.
Prosecution Details Injuries
Prosecutor Richard Wright KC stated that Isabelle was covered in bruises, particularly to her head, neck, abdomen, back, and private parts. Her nappy contained blood, and she had vomit on her face. Despite emergency medical efforts, she died in the early hours of September 14.
The prosecution alleges that Isabelle had been violently shaken, her spine over-extended, and her head hit against a hard surface such as a wall or floor. Wright said: “For weeks this child had been violently assaulted and her death, by that terrible head injury, was simply the end point in that campaign of violence to which she had been subjected.”
Opportunity and Awareness
The prosecution argued that both Walker and Simpson had ample opportunity to harm the toddler in the small two-bedroom house, and each must have been aware of the abuse. Wright noted that Walker took Isabelle to a GP and then hospital 11 days before her death when her leg was found to be fractured. Despite concerns from some medics, the child was discharged back into her mother's care.
The prosecution described this leg fracture as “no more of an accident than the fatal head injury.” A post-mortem examination revealed fractures to 21 bones, and Isabelle was “covered in bruising the result of forceful gripping,” Wright said.
Delay in Seeking Help
Walker reportedly waited two weeks before reporting the fractured leg. Wright stated: “When Isabelle was gravely unwell in the week before she died no medical assistance was sought, and even on the day she died, after her heart had stopped and she appeared to all intents and purposes to be dead, Alexandra Walker only called an ambulance when her stepfather told her to, long after she must have known her daughter was critically ill.”
Wright added: “All of this, we will invite you to conclude, was not because of panic about Isabelle, or a failure to appreciate how ill she was. To the contrary, Alexandra Walker and Harrison Simpson each plainly knew how ill she was, they knew that because they had caused her injuries and their failure to summon help from doctors and finally the emergency services, was an act of self-preservation. They knew the questions that would come and had no convincing answer for them.”
Unhealthy Relationship and CCTV Evidence
Wright described the couple's relationship as “unhealthy,” with drink and drugs playing a role, leading to a decline in Isabelle's care and regular violence at home. Unusually, CCTV footage from two cameras installed at Walker's home was captured. In an early message, Walker told her new boyfriend she was the primary carer for her daughter and in the final year of studying forensics.
The trial continues.
