A two-year-old girl who died had suffered 21 broken bones and been sexually assaulted before sustaining a fatal head injury, a jury has heard. Isabelle Rose Welsh collapsed at her home in Thornaby, near Middlesbrough, on September 13, after what prosecutors allege was a final violent attack by her mother and her mother's boyfriend.
Details of the alleged abuse
Alexandra Walker, 25, and Harrison Simpson, 22, are on trial at Teesside Crown Court, each denying murder, allowing the death of a child, sexual assault, and child cruelty. The prosecution alleges that Isabelle was subjected to weeks of violent assaults that culminated in a massive head injury.
Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, told the court that Isabelle was covered in bruises, particularly to her head, neck, abdomen, back, and private parts. Her nappy contained blood, and she had vomit on her face. Paramedics found her at the foot of the stairs without a pulse after Walker made a delayed 999 call.
The fatal injury and delayed medical help
Mr Wright said Isabelle had been violently shaken, her spine over-extended, and her head hit against a hard surface such as a wall or floor. He stated: “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.”
The court heard that Walker had taken Isabelle to a GP and hospital 11 days before her death, when a leg fracture was found. Despite some medics' concerns, the child was discharged back into her mother's care. Mr Wright said this leg fracture was “no more of an accident than the fatal head injury”. Walker had waited two weeks before reporting the fractured leg, according to her own account.
Relationship and CCTV evidence
The prosecution said Walker and Simpson formed a relationship last summer, and Simpson spent “a lot of time” with Isabelle. The couple had an “unhealthy” relationship featuring drink and drugs, which led to a decline in Isabelle's care and regular violence at home. Mr Wright said both defendants had “ample opportunity” to harm the toddler, and in the small two-bedroom house, “each must have been aware of the abuse”.
Unusually, CCTV from two cameras installed at Walker's home was captured. The trial continues.
