A young couple are standing trial for the murder of a two-year-old girl who allegedly suffered sexual assault and 21 broken bones. Isabelle Welsh died after collapsing at her home in Hartington Close, Thornaby, Teesside, from a massive head injury, jurors at Teesside Crown Court were told.
Defendants Deny Charges
Her biological mother, Alexandra Walker, 25, and her boyfriend, Harrison Simpson, 22, deny murder, allowing the death of a child, sexual assault, and child cruelty. The couple began their relationship last summer, with Simpson becoming a regular visitor to Walker's home and spending significant time with Isabelle.
On September 13, Walker called 999 after her daughter collapsed. Paramedics found Isabelle at the foot of the stairs without a pulse and gravely ill. Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, said she was covered in bruises on her head, neck, abdomen, back, and private parts, her nappy contained blood, and she had vomit on her face. Despite being rushed to hospital, she died in the early hours of September 14.
Pattern of Abuse
The prosecution argued that Isabelle had been violently shaken, her spine over-extended, and her head hit against a hard surface. Mr Wright stated, “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.”
The case contends that both Walker and Simpson had ample opportunity to harm the toddler in their small, two-bedroom house, and each must have been aware of the abuse. Eleven days before her death, Walker took Isabelle to the GP and hospital for a fractured leg, but despite medics' concerns, she was discharged into her mother's care. The prosecution asserts this leg fracture was “no more of an accident than the fatal head injury.”
Delayed Medical Attention
A post-mortem examination revealed fractures to 21 bones and bruising from forceful gripping. Mr Wright said Walker waited two weeks before reporting the fractured leg. He added, “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, Alexandra Walker only called an ambulance when her stepfather told her to, long after she must have known her daughter was critically ill.”
Mr Wright concluded, “All of this 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 was an act of self-preservation.”
Relationship and Evidence
The couple had an unhealthy relationship involving drink and drugs, leading to a decline in Isabelle's care and regular violence at home. Unusually, CCTV from two cameras installed at Walker's home captured evidence. An early message from Walker to Simpson described her as the primary carer for her daughter and a final-year forensics student. The trial continues.
