Alexandra Walker, 26, and Harrison Simpson, 22, have been jailed for life for the murder of her two-year-old daughter Isabelle Welsh. The pair received minimum terms of 22 years (Walker) and 28 years and six months (Simpson) at Teesside Crown Court, minus time already spent on remand.
Details of abuse
Isabelle suffered weeks of abuse, including 21 broken bones, before collapsing at her home in Thornaby, Teesside, in September. She died in hospital the next day. The court heard that Walker had delayed taking Isabelle to hospital with a broken leg 11 days before the fatal injuries, and also delayed calling 999 when Isabelle collapsed.
Prosecutor Richard Wright KC 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."
Convictions and sentencing
Walker and Simpson were convicted of murder and child cruelty after a trial. Simpson was also found guilty of sexually assaulting the toddler, while Walker was cleared of that charge. Ms Justice Norton described the murder as the final act in a series of assaults the pair tried to cover up.
Isabelle's father Josh Welsh and family members were present in court for the sentencing. Walker had searched Simpson on the sex offenders' register after suspecting his behaviour, including bathing Isabelle without permission, but continued the relationship.
