Mum and boyfriend guilty of Thornaby girl’s murder

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.

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.

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