The trial of a mother accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter has heard that she delayed calling emergency services when the child was "plainly gravely ill". Alexandra Walker, 25, is charged with murdering Isabelle Welsh, who died last September after collapsing at their home in Thornaby, Teesside.
Injuries and Google Searches
Isabelle suffered 21 different broken bones in the weeks before her death, jurors at Teesside Crown Court were told. On the day she died, Walker and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 22, had been up late drinking and smoking cannabis. The following morning, Walker stayed in bed while Simpson cared for Isabelle. He later put her to bed and left the property around 3pm on September 13. Within 10 minutes, Walker googled "Why would my toddler be bleeding" and "what should I do if my child has blood in his stool". Internal CCTV captured her saying "You're scaring me".
Delay in Calling 999
Prosecutor Richard Wright KC said Walker went to smoke a cigarette instead of seeking help. "It is absolutely obvious that by this time Isabelle is gravely ill. She is quite simply dying. And yet, despite the searches on Google, Alexandra Walker does nothing," he told the court. Around an hour after Simpson left, Walker called her stepfather, who arrived at about 4.15pm and immediately told her to call 999. Paramedics arrived within a minute, and Isabelle was rushed to hospital but died in the early hours of the next day.
Previous Injuries and Arrests
Earlier that month, Walker had taken Isabelle to hospital after a broken tibia, claiming the child had hurt herself on her cot. Wright suggested the delay in calling 999 was because Walker knew she "would not be able to bluff and bluster her way out of the very difficult questions" this time. Both Walker and Simpson deny murder, sexual assault, allowing the death of a child, and child cruelty. In interviews, Walker initially said she had raised concerns about bruises but Simpson denied responsibility; later she said she realised he had been abusing Isabelle. Simpson did not answer questions.
Prosecution's Argument
Wright told the jury: "The prosecution will invite you to conclude that Alexandra Walker was telling lies and that Harrison Simpson said nothing because he had no answer at all to the questions that were being asked. They both knew exactly what had happened to Isabelle because in the weeks before her death they had each subjected her to violence culminating in the infliction of that terrible, fatal head injury." He added that the failure to take Isabelle to hospital for days after her leg was broken and the delay on September 13 showed both were aware of the abuse. Simpson had sole care of Isabelle at times before her death. The trial continues.
