A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after sexually abusing and murdering his girlfriend's two-year-old daughter. Isabelle Welsh endured weeks of torment, sustaining 21 broken bones, before collapsing at her Thornaby, Teesside home in September.
Convictions and Sentences
Alexandra Walker, 26, and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 22, were convicted of murder and child cruelty at Teesside Crown Court. Both received life sentences, with minimum terms of 28 years and 6 months for Simpson and 22 years for Walker, minus time served on remand. Simpson was also found guilty of sexually assaulting Isabelle, while Walker was cleared of that charge.
Pattern of Abuse
Prosecutors said Isabelle was a happy, healthy child before her mother began a relationship with Simpson last summer. Walker had searched for Simpson on the sex offenders' register after suspecting his conduct, which included bathing Isabelle without her knowledge. Despite calling his behaviour 'weird', she continued the relationship. Eleven days before the fatal injuries, Walker took Isabelle to hospital with a broken leg, arousing medical staff's suspicions. She had delayed seeking treatment by about two weeks. As Isabelle lay dying after collapsing, Walker delayed calling 999.
Discovery and Death
Paramedics found the toddler covered in bruises and blood in her nappy. She died in hospital the next day, leading to the arrests. 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.'
Judge's Remarks and Police Statement
Ms Justice Norton described the killing as the culmination of a pattern of attacks the pair tried to conceal. Detective Chief Inspector Steve Chatterton of Cleveland Police said: 'Isabelle suffered catastrophic injuries at the hands of the very people who should have loved her, cared for her and protected her. Her life was cruelly taken in the most tragic and heartbreaking circumstances.'
