Mum and boyfriend guilty of girl’s murder

Head-and-shoulders image of Isabelle Rose Welsh. She is a two-year-old girl, is smiling directly into the camera and has dark curly hair. She is wearing a pink top. — Image caption,

Isabelle Welsh was physically and sexually abused before her death, a jury heard

ByDuncan LeatherdaleReporting fromat Teesside Crown Court

Warning: This story contains distressing details

A mother and her new boyfriend have been found guilty of murdering her two-year-old daughter, with the man also convicted of sexually abusing the girl.

Isabelle Welsh suffered multiple injuries in the weeks before she collapsed with a fractured skull at her home in Thornaby in September 2025, Teesside Crown Court had heard.

Alexandra Walker, 25, and her partner Harrison Simpson, 22, were both found guilty of murder and child cruelty, with Simpson also convicted of sexual abuse of a child.

They will be sentenced on Thursday.

Prosecutors previously said the couple, who began a relationship in June 2025, were both responsible for a “wicked” campaign of sexual abuse and violence against Isabelle.

Walker and Simpson blamed each other for the girl’s injuries and suffering.

Still from a video showing Isabelle running around on a grey sofa. She is smiling and excited. She is wearing flowery leggings and a white shirt and has shoulder length brown haair. — Image caption,

Footage of Isabelle from June 2025 showed she was a “happy and healthy” child before Harrison Simpson came into her life, prosecutors said

Isabelle suffered her fatal injuries on the morning of 13 September while alone with Simpson, when Walker was upstairs in bed following a drink and drugs binge, the court heard.

Walker called 999 later that afternoon to say her daughter had collapsed at their home, with the two-year-old dying in hospital the following day.

The previously “happy and mischievous” girl was found to have a fractured skull and catastrophic brain injury, with doctors also discovering she was covered in bruises and suffered 21 broken bones in the weeks before her death.

Prosecutors said Isabelle’s abuse started shortly after Simpson arrived in her life, with the extent of her injuries so obvious her mother must have known what was going on.

They said Walker prioritised her new relationship over the safety of her daughter, allowing Simpson to spend time alone with Isabelle despite suspecting he was a paedophile.

Simpson claimed he had no motive for harming Isabelle, while Walker said she did not hurt her daughter and was unaware of any abuse.

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