Harrison Simpson, 22, and Alexandra Walker, 26, were jailed for life this week after being convicted of murder and child cruelty over the death of Isabelle Welsh. Simpson was also found guilty of sexually assaulting the two-year-old, while Walker, her mother, was cleared of that charge.
Isabelle suffered 21 broken bones during weeks of abuse before collapsing at her home in Thornaby, Teesside, in September. She died in hospital 24 hours later from an unsurvivable head injury. Ms Justice Norton said Isabelle was sexually assaulted at around the same time as the head injury was inflicted.
Warrant outstanding for 18 months
Cleveland Police admitted that officers failed to execute a warrant for Simpson's arrest issued by Teesside Magistrates' Court in March 2024, 18 months before the killing, The Sunday Times reported. The warrant had been issued after Simpson failed to appear in court for breaching a non-molestation order, an injunction designed to protect domestic abuse victims. The order was understood to have been put in place following reports that Simpson had threatened and harassed a woman.
A spokesperson for the force said: "Multiple enquiries and arrest attempts were carried out to try to locate and arrest him, but these proved unsuccessful."
"We recognise the time Simpson had an outstanding arrest warrant is far from adequate. A review of this was immediately conducted upon his arrest for murder," the spokesperson added.
Cleveland Police said a number of changes had since been made to suspect management processes, including the introduction of a comprehensive data system tracking outstanding warrants and the "stringent oversight" of a governance group led by a superintendent.
Life sentences
Ms Justice Norton sentenced Simpson to life in jail with a minimum term of 28 years and six months, and Walker to life with a minimum of 22 years, both minus time spent on remand.
"Any death is a tragedy," she told the court. "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."
