Mother Accused of Murdering Infant Daughter Amid Pattern of Abuse

A mother allegedly murdered her year-old daughter in a culmination of an entrenched pattern of abuse, neglect, and mistreatment, a court heard. Kinga Wydrzynska's pregnancy with her daughter, Isabella, was reportedly unwanted and hidden, and the infant spent her first few months in foster care.

Isabella was killed less than nine months after being returned to Wydrzynska and her co-defendant, Michal Stasiak, the child's father. Jurors were informed that Stasiak had a gambling habit. The court was told that Isabella suffered a full-face burn and that Wydrzynska recorded a 'self-pitying' selfie while her child lay 'clearly lifeless'.

Wydrzynska and Stasiak, both Polish nationals, lived with Isabella in Rugby, Warwickshire. However, Stasiak moved to a nearby flat three and a half weeks before Isabella's death, following allegations by Wydrzynska that he had assaulted her.

Prosecutor Annabel Darlow KC told Warwick Crown Court that Wydrzynska called emergency services in the early hours of January 7, 2025, stating she had found her daughter with foam coming from her mouth. Police arriving at the scene found Isabella 'grey and lifeless.'

Darlow detailed Isabella's injuries, including a fractured skull, a subdural hemorrhage, multiple bruises, fractured ribs, and a broken right arm. Additionally, the infant had a large burn covering her entire face. These injuries, the court heard, were not all inflicted on the same occasion, with evidence suggesting Isabella had been seriously harmed on different occasions over at least five weeks leading up to her death.

Medical experts concluded that Isabella died from injuries consistent with a forceful impact to her head. They also determined that her head had been shaken, causing injury in the 12 hours preceding her death.

The prosecution contends that Wydrzynska murdered Isabella and was the sole adult present when the fatal head injuries were inflicted. This, Darlow stated, was the devastating culmination of systemic physical abuse, not an isolated incident.

Prior to her death, the infant had allegedly been subjected to physical and sexual abuse, as well as neglect, by both parents. The prosecution argued that both defendants were aware of the significant risk of serious physical harm to Isabella and failed to take steps to protect her.

Wydrzynska reportedly did not inform her sister about her pregnancy until shortly before the birth, concealing it with baggy clothing. After being returned to her parents in April 2024, Isabella slept in a travel cot in a cluttered room.

Before calling 999, Wydrzynska recorded two videos on her phone, primarily focusing on herself but occasionally showing Isabella. In these recordings, Isabella appeared 'clearly lifeless,' and Wydrzynska spoke in Polish, claiming her daughter had been burned with tap water. The prosecutor noted that Wydrzynska did not attempt to help her daughter in the videos, instead engaging in a monologue of self-pity and concern for camera angles.

Wydrzynska, who moved to the UK seven years ago, met Stasiak, a truck driver, while working at a Tesco warehouse. Both defendants have denied all charges, which include murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, causing or allowing serious physical harm, sexual assault of a girl under 13, and child cruelty. The trial is ongoing.