Evil mum and boyfriend who murdered girl, two, in 'campaign of violence' jailed for life

Evil mum and boyfriend who murdered girl, two, in 'campaign of violence' jailed for life Mum Alexandra Walker and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson have been jailed for life after murdering two-year-old Isabelle Welsh, who was also sexually abused by Simpson A couple who blamed each other after a two-year-old girl in their care was sexually abused and murdered have been jailed for life after subjecting the tragic toddler to a "campaign of violence". The girl's mum Alexandra Walker, 26, and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 22, denied the horrific abuse of Isabelle Welsh, but were found guilty on Tuesday. Isabelle collapsed at her home in Thornaby, Teesside, on September 13 last year after suffering a catastrophic head injury. She died in hospital the following day. The toddler suffered 21 broken bones in the weeks before her murder. At Teesside Crown Court today (Thursday), Walker and Simpson were sentenced to life with minimum terms of 22 and 28 years, respectively. While Isabelle was dying at her home in Hartington Close, Walker smoked a cigarette in her kitchen and delayed ringing 999, instead Googling "why would my toddler be bleeding". She first called her stepdad to tell him to come to the house, and it was only on his instruction that she alerted the emergency services. When paramedics arrived within a minute, they found bruises all over the little girl’s body including to her head, neck, abdomen, back and genitalia. There was also blood in her nappy and vomit on her face. Isabelle was not breathing and was cold to the touch as medics battled in vain to save her. A post-mortem examination revealed that her skull was fractured, her brain damaged and that she had been sexually assaulted. Experts told the jury that Isabelle had been shaken and her head impacted against a wall or the floor. During her short relationship with Simpson, Walker voiced concerns that he might be a paedophile, saying she thought it was "weird" that he preferred to see her and Isabelle at the same time, rather than be alone with his girlfriend. But despite being suspicious enough to check if Simpson was on the sex offenders' register, Walker did not break up with him. Just 11 days before her fatal collapse, Isabelle was taken to her GP and then to hospital with a broken leg. The little girl was discharged to her mother who had shown aggression towards medics when concerns were raised about what had happened. Walker explained that Isabelle must have hurt her leg when it got caught in her cot. On that occasion too, Walker had waited two weeks to seek medical help for Isabelle, despite the toddler being in pain and struggling to walk. After almost seven hours of deliberations, a jury at Teesside Crown Court convicted Simpson and Walker of murder by a majority of 11 to one. They also convicted the pair of child cruelty. Simpson was convicted of sexual assault on the toddler, while Walker was cleared of that charge. Prosecutor Richard Wright KC told the court: "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." Videos taken last June - before Simpson came into her life - showed the little girl happily playing. Walker and Simpson had met on Facebook Dating earlier last summer and Simpson became a regular visitor to the house. Walker had previously been subjected to domestic violence and had installed two cameras in her home, with one overlooking the back of the house that captured evidence reflected in a window. The camera showed that Walker was a frequent drinker, sometimes downing up to 10 cans of Stella Artois, and Simpson was a habitual cannabis smoker. The couple sold cannabis at times and Walker explained how bouts of self-harm, which were caught on her CCTV, were attempts to get out of selling drugs. The CCTV footage also proved that Isabelle suffered a broken leg while in the sole care of Simpson. Walker’s concerned mother said “looks like she is being abused” during one visit after Isabelle’s leg was broken. The night when Isabelle was fatally injured, the couple stayed up late, with Walker drinking cans of lager and Simpson smoking cannabis. The next morning Simpson woke up, claiming to be looking after Isabelle, while Walker stayed in bed. One of the nurses who treated Isabelle’s broken leg - and who had concerns about her care - was on duty when she was brought back to University Hospital of North Tees in a state of collapse 11 days later. Simpson and Walker were arrested after Isabelle's death. Simpson declined to answer police questions and did not give evidence at the trial. Walker gave various accounts of what happened before eventually telling police she believed her boyfriend had been abusing her daughter. Mr Wright said Walker did not protect her daughter, saying: "On the contrary, she delayed, she deflected and she failed to act when action was most urgently required." Following the convictions, Isabelle’s father Josh Welsh said: "My whole life has been shattered, my whole family. My sisters and brothers have lost their niece. It means the world to me that we have justice for Isabelle." Kirstie Devine, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "The prosecution presented a raft of evidence including pathology reports, expert medical evidence, CCTV from the home, records of text messages and phone conversations that showed only the two adults who were regularly with Isabelle could have harmed her." Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Steve Chatterton of Cleveland Police, said: "Isabelle suffered catastrophic injuries at the hands of the very people who should have loved her, cared for her and protected her. Her life was cruelly taken in the most tragic and heartbreaking circumstances.”