Mother Accused of Murdering Baby After Pattern of Abuse

A mother is accused of murdering her infant daughter, a killing that prosecutors described as the culmination of an “entrenched pattern of abuse, neglect and mistreatment,” Warwick Crown Court heard.

Kinga Wydrzynska's pregnancy with Isabella was reportedly unwanted and hidden, and the child spent her first few months in foster care. The infant died less than nine months after being returned to Wydrzynska and her co-defendant, Michal Stasiak, the child's father.

The court heard that Isabella suffered a full-face burn and her mother recorded a selfie while the child lay "clearly lifeless." Wydrzynska and Stasiak, both Polish nationals, lived together in Rugby, Warwickshire, though Stasiak moved to a nearby flat about three and a half weeks before the child's death following an alleged assault by Wydrzynska.

Prosecutors stated that Wydrzynska called emergency services in the early hours of January 7, 2025, reporting she had found her daughter with foam coming from her mouth. Police arrived to find Isabella "grey and lifeless." Investigations revealed she had a fractured skull, a subdural hemorrhage, multiple bruises, fractured ribs, and a broken right arm. Isabella also had a large burn covering her entire face. Medical experts concluded that the baby died from injuries consistent with a forceful impact to her head, and that her head had been shaken in the 12 hours leading up to her death.

The court was informed that these injuries were not from a single incident, but that Isabella had been seriously harmed on different occasions over at least five weeks prior to her death. The prosecution contends that Wydrzynska was the only adult present when the fatal head injuries were inflicted and that these were the devastating result of systemic physical abuse.

Evidence presented suggested that prior to her death, Isabella had also been subjected to physical and sexual abuse and neglect by both parents. Prosecutors argued that both defendants were aware of a significant risk of serious physical harm to Isabella and failed to take any steps to protect her.

Wydrzynska, who moved to the UK seven years ago, reportedly did not tell her sister about her pregnancy until shortly before the birth, concealing it under baggy clothing. Isabella was returned to her parents in April 2024, after a period in care, and slept in a travel cot in a cluttered room.

Before calling emergency services, Wydrzynska reportedly recorded two videos on her phone, one of which showed Isabella "clearly lifeless." In these recordings, Wydrzynska spoke in Polish and claimed her daughter had been burned with tap water, while indulging in what the prosecution described as a "self-pitying monologue."

Stasiak, who has a gambling habit, is accused of causing or allowing the death of his baby daughter. Wydrzynska is charged with murder. Both defendants deny all charges against them, which include causing or allowing the death of a child, causing or allowing serious physical harm, sexual assault of a child, and child cruelty. The trial is ongoing.