David Huntley

Mark Pearce and Donald Hammond were convicted of conspiracy to kidnap after a man was seized in Stockton, restrained, taken to a caravan and beaten before being forced to record a ransom video. Evidence including CCTV, mobile-phone data and DNA linked the pair to the plot. Pearce was sentenced to four years in prison, while Hammond had previously received a six-year sentence. Cleveland Police said the investigation may involve further national and international participants and appealed for additional information.

Expert testimony at Teesside Crown Court described toddler Isabelle Welsh’s extensive spinal, limb and skull fractures as deliberately inflicted, indicating they were caused by forceful slamming or twisting rather than accidental injury. Her mother, Alexandra Walker, and Walker’s partner, Harrison Simpson, are charged with murder along with related offences, all of which they deny. The professor’s evidence emphasised the rarity and severity of the injuries and stated he could not envisage an accidental cause. The trial is ongoing.