Alexandra Walker, 26, and Harrison Simpson, 22, have been found guilty of murder at Teesside Crown Court in the killing of Isabelle Welsh. The toddler suffered 21 broken bones in the weeks leading up to her death from a severe head injury in September of the previous year.
Jurors heard evidence detailing a "campaign of violence" against Isabelle, which concluded with her being discovered fatally injured and exhibiting 97 soft tissue injuries. Walker and Simpson, who had known each other for only a few months after meeting online, had denied charges of murder, assault by penetration, allowing the death of a child, and child cruelty.
Video footage presented during the trial showed Isabelle playing happily at home prior to the onset of abuse. However, within days of these clips being filmed, the child became the subject of prolonged abuse, injury, and neglect by both Walker and Simpson.
One incident described in court involved Isabelle sustaining a broken leg while left alone with Simpson. Medical attention was not sought for two weeks, during which the toddler's pain reportedly worsened. She was found motionless at the foot of the stairs by paramedics in the early hours of September 14 last year. The catastrophic head injury she sustained was consistent with being struck against a hard surface, with the impact severe enough to cause cardiac arrest.
Pathologists found evidence of multiple broken bones, internal tears suggestive of violent sexual assaults, and soft tissue injuries consistent with being tightly held and shaken. Evidence also indicated the child may have been swung by a limb.
Even as Isabelle lay dying, her mother allegedly waited nearly an hour before calling emergency services. Court proceedings revealed Walker searched online for "Why would my toddler be bleeding?" while smoking a cigarette. It was only after her stepfather arrived and insisted on calling for help that emergency services were contacted. Despite the efforts of medical teams at North Tees Hospital, Isabelle could not be saved.