A mother accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter had concerns that her boyfriend was a sex offender, a trial at Teesside Crown Court has heard. On September 13 last year, toddler Isabelle Smith was found covered in injuries and gravely ill by paramedics at her home in Thornaby, Teesside. She died in hospital the following day after sustaining a massive head injury, likely from being violently shaken, with her head impacting a hard surface.
Charges and Denials
After Isabelle's death, her mother Alexandra Walker, 25, of Hartington Close, Thornaby, and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 22, of Greenham Close, Thorntree, were charged with murder. They also face charges of causing or allowing her death, assault by penetration, and cruelty to a person under 16. Both deny all charges.
Concerns About Boyfriend
On the first day of the trial, prosecutor Richard Wright KC told the jury that Walker had concerns Simpson might be a sex offender. Despite this, she allowed him to care for Isabelle alone on several occasions. At one point, she wanted to end the relationship over 'paedo comments' about Simpson, discussing them with her mother. However, Wright said: 'It appears that whatever came between them, they got back together.'
Walker continued to have concerns about Simpson's interactions with her daughter. She told the court she was 'looking on the sex offender register and doing some digging for my own peace of mind,' yet still left Isabelle alone in his care.
Injuries and Medical Neglect
On August 20, Simpson was entrusted with Isabelle's care alone for the first time. CCTV showed the toddler limping in the garden later that day. On September 2, Walker took Isabelle to a GP and then to hospital, where a fractured right leg was found. Walker told the GP Isabelle injured her leg on cot bars. The prosecution described a 'significant delay in seeking treatment for what must have been a painful and debilitating injury.'
Medical staff had concerns about Isabelle's care, initiating a child protection policy and requiring overnight admission. Wright said Walker's response was 'not the response one might expect in a concerned mother.' She became aggressive, challenged nurses, demanded a different doctor, and was described as 'fuming.' She researched suing the NHS and told Simpson to remove his bong from the house as social services were informed. Isabelle was eventually allowed home due to a difference in opinion among doctors.
Mother's Self-Harm
The jury viewed CCTV from Walker's kitchen showing her cutting her own face and hands with a knife. Wright said she was 'certainly intoxicated' and called to say she had been stabbed. He noted the incident followed a disagreement with Simpson and asked the jury to consider whether she did it for attention or another reason.
The trial continues.
