Dad of two-year-old girl murdered by her mum and new boyfriend issues heartbreaking plea
A dad who has been 'shattered' by the murder of his two-year-old daughter has called for her killers sentences to be increased.
Isabelle Welsh suffered 'sadistic' abuse at the hands of her own mother, Alexandra Walker, and her boyfriend Harrison Simpson, 22, before her tragic death last September, Teesside Crown Court heard previously.
The toddler's devastated father Joshua Welsh has now spoken out about how he believes there were a host of missed opportunities to save his little girl and the 'absolutely shocking' jail terms that the couple received.
Isabelle was 'happy and thriving' before Simpson was introduced to her life by her mother in June 2025, marking the start of what a judge described as a 'sadistic' campaign of abuse.
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Officers tasked with handling the investigation described it as 'one of the worst cases' they had ever encountered, while dubbing Simpson and 26-year-old Walker's actions as 'sickening'.
Isabelle died the day after suffering a fractured skull and an 'unsurvivable' brain injury on the morning of 13 September, 2025, but her mother did not ring 999 for a number of hours.
It is believed that the two-year-old either hit her head against a hard surface when she was violently shaken, or that her killer swung or flung her by the legs into a wall or piece of furniture at her home in Thornaby.
Simpson was found guilty of murder, sexual assault by penetration and child cruelty after a five week trial at Teeside Crown Court, while Walker was found guilty of murder and child cruelty.
Both were sentenced to a life term. The mum must spend at least 21 years and 48 days behind bars, while her boyfriend was given a minimum 27 years and 231 days.
Isabelle's distraught dad Joshua has told how he believes the 'callous monsters' responsible for her death deserve to rot in prison for the rest of their lives.
Despite feeling a small sense of 'justice' after the pair were jailed, he soon became 'very angry' with their punishments after further details of what happened to his daughter were revealed in court.
"They will get out when they are 50," Joshua said. "Isabelle won't have a life. She was a beautiful, innocent and loving little girl. What was done to her is the worst thing imaginable. They will get out and be able to live their life.
"For what they did, and for what they put Isabelle through a whole life order should have been made. I am still broken and in bits. I'm still grieving and struggling with my mental health.
"It is so horrific to lose your daughter in such circumstances. I thought she was being well looked after by her mum. Clearly she wasn't."
The court heard that doctors had 'overruled' medical staff who had wanted to start safeguarding procedures when Walker repeatedly lied to clinicians to cover up a series of earlier assaults.
In wake of the trial, it then emerged that an arrest warrant had been out for Simpson for 18 months prior to Isabelle's murder - but it wasn't executed by police as they 'couldn't locate him'.
Joshua explained he split from Walker in August 2024 after a nearly five year relationship and did not have any welfare concerns, despite the mum 'stopping him from seeing' Isabelle on a regular basis.
The 27-year-old had last seen his 'little angel' in the days before her second birthday and had never heard of Simpson until his arrest.
"I did not have a clue about her new boyfriend," Joshua went on. "I had no suspicions of [Walker] while we were together. I did not in any way think she was capable of something like this.
"There was not one thing that I could say was the worst revelation," he said of the horror details that emerged in court. "The whole thing was horrible, absolutely heart-breaking. I am shattered and will never be the same."
'Monsters'
The dad, of North Shields, believes that there was a catalogue of errors by authorities - including police, social services and NHS staff - that resulted in the death of his daughter.
"If they had done their job properly Isabelle would still be alive today," he said. "I want to campaign and raise awareness - to make sure the police do proper checks to stop this happening again.
"There were several chances for the authorities to step in and save her. Yet she was handed back to these monsters. That is unforgivable.
"But I will remember Isabelle for her smile, for the happy and cheeky girl she was. Not by a photo of her next to those ugly monsters. As that is all they are."
In a public plea to other parents, Joshua said: "My main message would be not to let any strangers into your house. Do the right tests and checks before you let anyone take care of your children."
"What they both did was absolutely disgusting," Joshua said. "That is no man. As for her - I don't know if I've got the words to describe her. She was meant to love her and protect her. She did not do either."
Detective Chief Inspector Steve Chatterton said the case had been 'without a doubt, one of the worst his team has dealt with'.
"The severity and scale of Isabelle’s injuries were shocking and the fact that Walker repeatedly lied to try and cover their tracks further added to the pain of Isabelle’s family," he said.
Describing Isabelle as a 'defenceless child whose life was cruelly taken from her', he added: "She deserved a future filled with love, safety and happiness, she was denied that opportunity and she must never be forgotten.
"The thought she would wake up on a morning and think the people who should be providing care and love for her were going to abuse her makes me feel really poor."
Olivia Burke