A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for sexually abusing and killing his girlfriend's two-year-old daughter. Isabelle Welsh endured weeks of horrific abuse, including 21 broken bones, before collapsing at her home in Thornaby, Teesside, in September.
Sentences handed down at Teesside Crown Court
Alexandra Walker, 26, and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 22, were convicted of murder and child cruelty following a trial at Teesside Crown Court. They received life sentences with minimum terms of 28 years and six months for Simpson and 22 years for Walker.
Simpson was also found guilty of sexually assaulting Isabelle, while Walker was cleared of that charge. Prosecutors said Isabelle had been a happy, healthy child before her mother began a relationship with Simpson last summer.
Mother ignored warning signs
Walker had searched for Simpson on the sex offenders' register after growing suspicious about his conduct, which included bathing Isabelle without her consent. Despite voicing concerns that his behaviour was "weird", she continued the relationship. Eleven days before the fatal injuries, Walker took Isabelle to hospital with a broken leg, raising medical professionals' concerns. Jurors were told she delayed seeking medical attention by about two weeks.
Even as Isabelle collapsed at home in a dying state, Walker delayed calling 999. Paramedics found her body covered in bruises and blood in her nappy. She died in hospital the next day, and the pair were arrested.
Judge describes 'campaign of violence'
Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told the court: "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."
Ms Justice Norton sentenced the pair, noting the murder was the final act in a prolonged series of assaults they tried to conceal. She said: "I have no doubt whatsoever that your lack of urgency or concern for your child was because you wrongly believed that Isabelle was already dead, and you were working out what to do to save your own skin."
The judge added: "Any death is a tragedy. The death of a very young child at the hands of those who should have cared for, protected, and loved her – as she no doubt loved them – is particularly distressing for all involved."
Injuries and delays
Isabelle sustained an unsurvivable head injury in the 24 hours before her death and was sexually assaulted around the time of the fatal blow. The defendants failed to secure medical assistance even though it was obvious she needed it. There were no witnesses and CCTV did not record the abuse; the judge said there was a "wall of silence".
Simpson did not answer police questions or give evidence. Walker lied throughout, claiming to be more highly educated, pretending to have breast cancer, and saying she did not take drugs when she sold them. On the night of the murder, she drank 10 cans of Stella Artois. The judge called her a fantasist and attention-seeker.
Medical concerns overruled
The judge said "tragically" some medical staff's safeguarding concerns were overruled by doctors who accepted Walker's false account. When Isabelle collapsed, Walker delayed calling 999 and was caught on CCTV smoking a cigarette. She Googled "why would my toddler be bleeding" instead of alerting emergency services. She only called 999 after her step-father insisted.
The judge considered a whole life sentence for Simpson but could not be sure the murder was sexually motivated, although it happened around the time of the fatal blow. She described the injuries as "sadistic" and said Isabelle was obviously in pain and gravely ill in her final week.
Family and police reaction
Detective Chief Inspector Chatterton said: "This has been, without a doubt, one of the worst cases my team and I have dealt with." Isabelle's family said: "Isabelle should have had her whole life ahead of her, but she was taken from us in the most heartbreaking way. She was so loved and our lives will never be the same without her."
