Mother and new boyfriend guilty of murdering toddler, two, before blaming each other for her death and abuse

A mother and her new boyfriend have been convicted of murdering a two-year-old toddler - having blamed each other for abusing her and the death.Alexandra Walker, 26, and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 22, have been found guilty at Teesside Crown Court of the murder of her daughter Isabelle Welsh. Isabelle suffered 21 broken bones in the weeks before she died from a serious head injury in September last year.Walker and Simpson were accused of a 'campaign of violence' which ended in Isabelle being found fatally injured with 97 soft tissue injuries.The couple, who knew each other for just a few months after meeting online, denied murder, assault by penetration, allowing the death of a child and child cruelty.Jurors at Teesside Crown Court were shown video footage of Isabelle playing at home before the weeks of alleged cruelty began.In one clip she was seen charging around on the sofa at her mother's home in Thornaby, Teesside, leaping care-free from one side to the other.And in another clip she runs up and down the small back garden clutching a red witch's hat to her head and laughing as it falls to the ground. Isabelle Welsh, two, died at her home in Thornaby, Teesside, on September 13 last year Isabelle's mother, Alexandra Walker, has been convicted of murder at Teesside Crown CourtAlso found guilty of murder over Isabelle's killing was Harrison Simpson, 22Within days of the second clip being filmed, Isabelle's life changed when she became the subject of prolonged abuse, injury and neglect from Simpson and Walker.Teesside Crown Court heard that in one incident Isabelle suffered a broken leg after being left alone with Simpson, but medical help was not sought for a fortnight while the toddler's pain worsened day after day.She died in the early hours of September 14 last year after being found by paramedics lying motionless at the foot of the stairs.She had suffered a catastrophic head injury which was consistent with being hit against a hard and unyielding surface such as a wall or the floor - with the impact being so severe it stopped her heart.The trial was told how Isabelle suffered multiple broken bones and internal tears from violent sexual assaults.She had soft tissue injuries from fingertips where she had been tightly held and shaken and there was evidence from a pathologist to say she appeared to have been swung by a limb.The court also heard how even as Isabelle lay dying, her mother waited just short of an hour before dialling 999.Walker Googled, 'Why would my toddler be bleeding?', as she walked around her kitchen smoking a cigarette, it is alleged.It was only when her stepfather arrived at her home and insisted emergency services were called that she rang for help.Yet Isabelle could not be saved despite the intervention of a team of doctors at North Tees Hospital.Isabelle was subjected to 'a campaign of violence' in the final weeks of her life, suffering sexual and physical abuse until the day her life was taken in a brutal attack.Ms Justice Norton told the guilty couple: 'The only sentence I can pass is a sentence of life imprisonment and that will be passed on each of you on Thursday. I will have to decide the minimum term each of you will spend in custody.'The verdicts mean jurors believed that Walker was present in the early hours of the morning, while she and Simpson had been up drinking, when the fatal blow or blows were struck to Isabelle.Teesside Crown Court heard there had been opportunities to save her from her tormentors, with medical professionals handing the youngster back to her mother.Just 11 days before her murder, Isabelle was reluctantly taken to hospital by her mother from the family home in Thornaby, Teesside.Accident and Emergency staff at North Tees Hospital in Stockton, County Durham, did not want to allow Isabelle to leave with her mother after she was brought in with a spiral fracture to her leg.But doctors on a paediatric team over-ruled their concerns and said there was no evidence of abuse.Less than a fortnight later she was brought in again with unsurvivable injuries.A health visitor was contacted because of the hospital's concern about Isabelle - but she cleared Walker on the basis of a phone call.Prosecutor Richard Wright told the court: 'Without actually visiting Isabelle or checking on her welfare, the health visitor concluded the call and noted that she had no concerns.'Of course, she could not have known that the fractured leg was just one of numerous broken bones that Isabelle had suffered, nor that she was days away from sustaining a catastrophic and fatal head injury.'But then you may think that a telephone call to Alexandra Walker was never likely to tell her any more than Walker wanted her to know.'The court heard Isabelle died in the early hours of September 14 last year after being found by paramedics lying motionless at the foot of the stairs.She had been hit by a catastrophic head injury which was consistent with being hit against a hard and unyielding surface such as a wall or the floor. The impact was so severe it stopped her heart.Isabelle suffered 21 broken bones and internal tears from violent sexual assaults and had 97 soft tissue injuries from fingertips where she was tightly held.There was also evidence she had been shaken, while a pathologist said she appeared to have been swung by a limb.Walker's mother told police her daughter explained that Isabelle had bumped her head on the settee - and said she thought Isabelle had picked up a virus from hospital which explained why she looked unwell.The grandmother also gave evidence in court from behind a screen and told Mark McKone, representing her daughter, that she had never met Simpson, who had been dating Walker for fewer than four months.Ms Walker told the court her daughter explained that Simpson 'had anxiety and didn't want to meet with me'.The pair would drink and smoke cannabis together but Simpson began showing an unhealthy interest in Isabelle, prompting Walker to search the sex offenders' register for his name and question whether he was a paedophile.Despite her concerns, they continued to socialise and Isabelle was left alone with Simpson on the morning of her death.When Walker surfaced from bed to care for her daughter after a night of heavy drinking, she was seriously ill.After deliberating for more than two days, jurors found Simpson and Walker guilty of murder and child cruelty.Simpson was also found guilty of assault by penetration of a child under 13. Walker was cleared of the same charge.This is a breaking news story. More to follow...