Mother 'wheeled body of two-year-old daughter around in pushchair for three days after she was murdered', court hears

8 October 2024, 18:47 | Updated: 8 October 2024, 18:51

The body of a two-year-old girl was wheeled around by her mother for three days after she was subjected to “a regime of escalating brutality,” a court heard on Tuesday.

Scott Jeff, 24, repeatedly beat Isabella Wheildon, giving her cold showers and leaving her with multiple fractures, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

Jurors were told how Isabella's mother, 24-year-old Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, allowed Jeff to carry out his “callous, cruel and ultimately fatal” attacks on the young girl.

Isabella is believed to have died on June 26 while living with her mother and Jeff at temporary accommodation in Sidegate Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk.

Police found Isabella after a woman reported to police, shortly after 11am on June 30, that she had received a communication on Facebook Messenger "from a friend of hers".

"That message disclosed that her friend's daughter had died in her sleep three days before and was in her pushchair in the bathroom," Sally Howes KC, prosecuting, said.

"That friend was the first defendant, Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, and her daughter was Isabella."

The couple is said to have kept the death of Isabella secret, wheeling her around in her pushchair with the hood pulled up for three whole days, even taking her corpse to a shop to purchase a video game.

Howes KC continued: “Scott Jeff and Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell are in effect pushing around a dead child in that wheelchair.”

She added: “They put their purchases in a yellow plastic bag which they put in the pushchair on top of Isabella.”

Isabella’s mother had planned to bury the toddler and “hope for the best that nobody would find her”, the court heard.

In a prepared statement to police, Jeff said he "didn't assault or commit any unlawful act in relation to Isabella at any time".

He said he had "started to notice bruising on her face" and "raised concerns with my partner who suggested those marks were nothing to worry about".

Ms Howes said Gleason-Mitchell told police "she didn't kill her daughter and she thinks it's the harm Scott Jeff did to her that killed her".

She said the "violence started when there were problems with potty training", adding: "If Isabella said she was a mummy's girl Scott would hit her."

"She said she had no injuries before going away with Scott Jeff," said Ms Howes.

"She admitted she should have got help."

Ms Howes said cocaine - and a bi-product of it - were identified in Isabella's blood and the results "demonstrate Isabella had ingested cocaine".

The trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks, continues.