Cleveland Police has admitted that officers failed to execute a warrant for the arrest of Harrison Simpson, 18 months before he murdered his girlfriend's two-year-old daughter, Isabelle Welsh.
Warrant issued in March 2024
The warrant was issued by Teesside Magistrates' Court in March 2024 after Simpson failed to attend court for breaching a non-molestation order, an injunction designed to protect victims of domestic abuse. It is understood the order was imposed after reports that Simpson had harassed and threatened a woman.
Despite the warrant, Simpson was not arrested until after the murder. The force said in a statement: "Multiple enquiries and arrest attempts were carried out to try to locate and arrest him, but these proved unsuccessful."
Murder and abuse of Isabelle Welsh
Isabelle endured weeks of horrific abuse before her death, suffering 21 broken bones before collapsing at her home in Thornaby, Teesside, in September. She died in hospital from an unsurvivable head injury sustained in the 24 hours before her death.
Alexandra Walker, 26, and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 22, were convicted of murder and child cruelty earlier this week following a trial at Teesside Crown Court. Simpson was also convicted of sexually assaulting Isabelle, while Walker was cleared of that charge.
Court sentencing and police response
Mrs Justice Norton said Isabelle's murder was the final act in a sustained campaign of violence, which the pair then attempted to cover up. She jailed them for life with minimum terms of 28 years and six months for Simpson and 22 years for Walker, both minus time spent on remand.
Prosecutor Paul Abrahams told the court: "This was a campaign of quite deliberate extreme violence."
Mrs Justice Norton said: "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."
Cleveland Police acknowledged the delay: "We recognise the time Simpson had an outstanding arrest warrant is far from adequate. A review of this was immediately conducted upon his arrest for murder.
"This review, along with a determination to continually improve our processes around suspect management, has led to a number of recent changes, such as ongoing improved visibility across the force around outstanding warrants, a comprehensive data system which tracks all outstanding warrants, and stringent oversight including a governance group led by a superintendent."
