A mother and her new boyfriend have been jailed for life for the sadistic murder of her two-year-old toddler who was also sexually assaulted.
Isabelle Welsh suffered from weeks of abuse, including suffering 21 broken bones, before she collapsed at her home in Thornaby, Teesside, in September.
Alexandra Walker, 26, and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 22, were convicted of murder and child cruelty this week following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.
He was also convicted of sexually assaulting Isabelle, while her mother was cleared of that charge.
Ms Justice Norton jailed the pair for life with minimum terms of 28 years and six months for Simpson and 22 years for Walker, both minus time spent on remand.
The nine female jurors who heard the case were in court for the sentencing, as well as family members supporting Isabelle’s father, Josh Welsh.
Ms Justice Norton said the murder was the final act in a series of assaults which the pair tried to cover up.
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