A woman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing her four-month-old daughter by violently shaking her at their home in Gloucestershire during the first Covid lockdown.
Melissa Wilband, 28, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Lexi, who collapsed at the family home in Newent in the Forest of Dean. Tests revealed the baby suffered bleeding on the brain, likely caused by shaking shortly before her collapse and on at least one earlier occasion.
Sentencing at Bristol Crown Court, Mr Justice Saini said he was satisfied Wilband had shaken Lexi on two separate occasions, describing the injuries as severe. The judge noted that Lexi had been a healthy baby before the incidents.
The court heard that Wilband had become pregnant while separated from her partner, Jack Wheeler, and attempted to deceive him into believing he was the father by presenting a fake paternity test. Wheeler, 31, was cleared of all charges during the trial.
Lexi died at Bristol Children's Hospital on 18 April 2020, six days after she collapsed. The court was told that Wilband was aware her baby might not survive the night but did not remain at her bedside.
