A man has been found guilty of murdering a two-year-old girl, Isabella Wheildon, while her mother allegedly stood by and allowed the abuse to happen. The toddler’s body was discovered in a pushchair inside a locked bathroom at temporary accommodation in Ipswich on June 30, 2023. Investigators believe Isabella died four days earlier.
Scott Jeff, 24, of no fixed address, denied murdering Isabella but was convicted following a seven-week trial at Ipswich Crown Court. Suffolk Police confirmed that Isabella’s mother, Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, also 24, was cleared of murder but had previously pleaded guilty to causing or allowing the death of a child and two counts of child cruelty, according to The Metro.
Prosecutor Sally Howes KC described the tragic transformation in Isabella’s life after Jeff began a relationship with Gleason-Mitchell in May 2023. “Isabella was a healthy, contented, well-cared-for little girl until Scott Jeff came into her young life,” Howes told the court.
The prosecution outlined a harrowing timeline of escalating abuse. “From that time up to her death, Isabella was subjected to a regime of escalating brutality, which was callous, cruel, and ultimately fatal,” said Howes.
Suffolk Police believe Isabella died on June 26, 2023. Disturbingly, CCTV footage showed the couple carrying on as if nothing had happened, pushing Isabella’s body around in a buggy for days. They were seen shopping, joking, and even visiting a pub.
“They proceeded to carry on as ‘normal,’ pushing Isabella’s body around in a buggy,” the police said. The pair was arrested in Bury St Edmunds in the early hours of July 1 after being spotted by officers.
A post-mortem examination revealed that Isabella had suffered extensive traumatic injuries, including fractures to her wrists and a complex pelvic fracture involving several bones. The cause of death was determined to be a bone marrow embolism caused by skeletal trauma.
While Jeff denied two counts of child cruelty, he was also found guilty of those charges. Gleason-Mitchell was accused by prosecutors of standing back and doing nothing while the abuse occurred. “Her own mother stood back, watched, did nothing, and allowed this to happen,” Howes said.
Both Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell are scheduled to be sentenced on December 13. The case has left a community grieving over the loss of a young life and horrified by the details of her final days.