A mother and her boyfriend are accused in court of carrying out a sustained and brutal campaign of violence against a two-year-old girl, which prosecutors say ended in her death after she suffered a catastrophic head injury.
Teesside Crown Court was told that the child, Isabelle Rose Welsh, endured weeks of alleged abuse before dying in September last year.
Prosecutors allege she was also sexually assaulted and suffered multiple broken bones during the period leading up to her death.
Alexandra Walker, 25, the child’s mother, and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 21, deny murder and a series of related charges including causing or allowing the death of a child, sexual assault, and child cruelty.
Relationship formed shortly before tragedy unfolded
The court heard that Walker and Simpson had only known each other for a few months before Isabelle’s death.
Despite the brief relationship, Simpson was said to have been frequently present at Walker’s home and regularly around the toddler.
Prosecutors told jurors that the close contact between the couple and the child coincided with the period in which the alleged abuse is said to have taken place.
Emergency call and tragic scene discovered
On 13 September last year, emergency services were called to a property in Thornaby, Teesside, after reports that a young child was unwell.
Paramedics arrived within minutes and found Isabelle unresponsive at the base of a staircase.
She had no pulse and was surrounded by visible bruising, the court heard.
The prosecution told the jury that the child had already died by the time help arrived, despite the emergency call being made only shortly before paramedics reached the scene.
Prosecution outlines fatal head injury claim
Opening the case, prosecutor Richard Wright KC told the court that Isabelle’s death was not due to illness or accident, but instead resulted from a severe and deliberate head injury.
He said the injuries included a fractured skull and significant brain trauma, which caused her heart to stop.
According to the prosecution, the fatal injury was inflicted shortly before her collapse and was consistent with violent shaking and impact against a hard surface.
Earlier injuries and missed warning signs
The jury also heard that Isabelle had been taken to a GP and hospital around 11 days before her death after complaining of leg pain.
A fracture was identified, but she was later discharged back into her mother’s care.
Prosecutors told the court that the earlier injury should have raised serious concerns, but the child was returned home despite what they described as worrying circumstances.
They argue the leg fracture formed part of a wider pattern of abuse rather than an isolated incident.
Extensive injuries revealed after death
Following Isabelle’s death, medical specialists examined her body and identified multiple fractures across 21 bones, including injuries to her arms, legs, and spine.
The court also heard that she had bruising and other injuries consistent with sexual assault.
Prosecutors described the findings as evidence of repeated and sustained harm over a period of weeks.
Allegations of awareness and failure to act
The prosecution claims both defendants must have been aware of the abuse due to their close proximity to the child in the home.
They further alleged that neither Walker nor Simpson sought medical help when Isabelle’s condition worsened, suggesting their silence was driven by fear of consequences.
Both defendants are on trial, and proceedings continue at Teesside Crown Court.
