The case of 2-year-old Isabelle Rose Wells has sent shockwaves across the UK after the toddler was sexually abused by her mother and her partner, suffering fractures to 21 bones throughout her body during a “campaign of violence” that ultimately claimed her life, as revealed in court on Tuesday, June 23. The little girl endured “violent abuse” — both sexual and physical — for weeks before her death in September of last year, with the fatal blow described as a “serious head injury,” according to the Daily Mail.
Horror in the UK: Mother and boyfriend sexually abused and killed her 2-year-old daughter
The mother, Alexandra Walker, 25, and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 21, are standing trial on charges of murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, sexual abuse of a child under 13, and child cruelty. The couple had known each other for less than four months at the time of Isabelle’s death, but Simpson had quickly begun spending “a great deal of time” at Walker’s home alongside her daughter.
Prosecutor Richard Wright KC opened by stating that on Saturday, September 13 of last year, an emergency call was made for a sick child, and paramedics arrived at the home in Thornaby within one minute. They found Isabelle lying on her back on the stairs, covered in bruises and with no pulse. Mr. Wright stated: “Isabelle’s death was not the result of any natural illness. She died because, shortly before her final collapse, someone had inflicted serious head trauma upon her. Her skull had been fractured, her brain had been injured, and her heart had stopped as a result of this attack.” He said the little girl had been “violently shaken,” with her head “struck against a hard and rigid surface, such as a wall or a hard floor.” “This was not an accident,” he said. “It was the deliberate infliction of injury upon this little girl. It was murder.”
She had suffered multiple fractures across 21 bones
The court heard that 11 days before Isabelle’s death, Walker had taken her to the family doctor and then to hospital after the child complained of pain in her leg. Walker is said to have waited two weeks before seeking medical help. A fracture was identified in the leg, but “despite the concerns of some members of the medical staff, Isabelle was discharged and returned to her mother’s care, as the account of an accidental injury appeared to have been accepted.”
When her body was examined after her death, it was found that the little girl had suffered multiple fractures across 21 bones, including her arms, legs, and spine. She also had bruising and injuries consistent with sexual abuse. Mr. Wright added: “For weeks, this child was subjected to violent attacks, and her death, from that terrible head injury, was simply the culmination of the campaign of violence to which she had been subjected.”
He said that both the mother and her boyfriend, who spent considerable time together in the small home, “must have been aware of the abuse” and simply did not report it “because each of them was responsible for carrying it out.” “Their failure to call for medical help and, ultimately, for emergency services, was an act of self-preservation,” Mr. Wright added. “They knew the questions that would be asked of them, and they had no convincing answers to give,” he concluded.
The court also heard that CCTV cameras on Walker’s property had recorded interactions between the defendants and Isabelle.
