Police in Cleveland failed to arrest a man despite an outstanding warrant being issued 18 months before he went on to murder and sexually assault his girlfriend's two-year-old daughter. Isabelle Welsh suffered weeks of abuse, including 21 broken bones, before she collapsed at her home in Thornaby, Teesside, in September.
Her mother, Alexandra Walker, 26, and her boyfriend, Harrison Simpson, 22, were convicted of murder and child cruelty earlier this week following a trial at Teesside Crown Court. Simpson was also convicted of sexually assaulting Isabelle, while Walker was cleared of that charge.
Police admit warrant failure
Cleveland Police has admitted that officers failed to execute a warrant issued by Teesside Magistrates' Court for Simpson's arrest in March 2024. The warrant was issued after Simpson failed to attend court for breaching a non-molestation order, an injunction designed to protect victims of domestic abuse. It is understood the order was put in place after reports Simpson had harassed and threatened a woman.
In a statement, the force said: "Multiple enquiries and arrest attempts were carried out to try to locate and arrest him, but these proved unsuccessful." It added: "We recognise the time Simpson had an outstanding arrest warrant is far from adequate."
Life sentences for murder
The force said a review was carried out immediately upon his arrest for murder, and changes had been made, including improved visibility of outstanding warrants, a comprehensive data system, and oversight by a governance group led by a superintendent.
Justice Norton said Isabelle's murder was the final act in a sustained campaign of violence, which the pair attempted to cover up. She jailed them for life with minimum terms of 28 years and six months for Simpson and 22 years for Walker, both minus time spent on remand.
Prosecutor Paul Abrahams told the court: "This was a campaign of quite deliberate extreme violence." Justice Norton said: "Any death is a tragedy. The death of a very young child at the hands of those who should have cared for, protected, and loved her – as she no doubt loved them – is particularly distressing for all involved." The judge said the toddler sustained an unsurvivable head injury in the 24 hours before she died in hospital, and was sexually assaulted around the time the fatal blow was inflicted.
