Video footage released by Cleveland Police shows Alexandra Walker smoking a cigarette in the reflection of her kitchen window as her two-year-old daughter Isabelle Welsh lay dying. The toddler had suffered horrific physical and sexual abuse prior to her death.
Details of the abuse
Doctors found that Isabelle had sustained 21 broken bones and a catastrophic head injury before she collapsed at home. Her mother, Alexandra Walker, 26, and Walker's boyfriend, Harrison Simpson, 22, were both found guilty of murder and child cruelty following a trial at Teesside Crown Court. Simpson was also convicted of sexual assault on the toddler.
Delay in seeking help
On September 13 last year, Isabelle became "floppy and unresponsive" while with her mother at their home in Thornaby. Instead of calling emergency services, Walker Googled "why would my toddler be bleeding". She only dialled 999 when her stepfather told her to after she called him to the house. Isabelle died a few hours later.
Sentencing remarks
In her sentencing remarks, Ms Justice Norton described the murder as the final act in a series of assaults that the pair tried to cover up. She said Walker's lack of urgency stemmed from her belief that Isabelle was already dead and she was "working out what to do to save your own skin." The judge noted that Walker "lied from start to finish" and was "a fantasist and an attention-seeker" who self-harmed and claimed to have been attacked.
Sentences imposed
Simpson was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years. Walker was also jailed for life, with a minimum term of 22 years. The judge stated that the injuries Isabelle suffered were "sadistic" and that she was "obviously in pain and distressed, and in the final week of her life, gravely ill."
Family's reaction
Isabelle's family said in a statement: "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. Whilst today's result cannot undo the pain caused or bring Isabelle back, it does mean justice has been served."
