Tom Wilkinson

Alexandra Walker and Harrison Simpson were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder and child cruelty inflicted on two-year-old Isabelle Welsh in Thornaby. Simpson received a minimum term of 28 years and six months after also being convicted of sexually assaulting Isabelle, while Walker received a minimum term of 22 years. The court heard that Isabelle suffered weeks of deliberate abuse, including 21 broken bones and a fatal head injury, and that Walker delayed seeking medical help and attempted to conceal what had happened. The judge described the injuries as sadistic and criticised both defendants for prioritising themselves over Isabelle.