Thirty-six days of hell. This is what little Isabella Jonas-Wheildon experienced, who died at the hands of her mother’s partner last June in Norfolk (east of England). The 2-year-old girl was found on June 30, 2023 in a locked bathroom, under a pile of blankets. His body showed “bruises and fractures from head to toe.” Her mother, Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, and her boyfriend, Scott Jeff, were arrested the next day. The two 24-year-olds had spent the night drinking in a pub in Bury St Edmunds.
The couple dated in 2019 before splitting, explains the BBC. Chelsea then met Isabella’s future father, but the relationship did not last. After her separation, the young woman reconnected with Scott on May 23, 2023. It was the beginning of the little girl’s ordeal. The two lovebirds tried to obtain social housing, falsely claiming that they were fleeing Isabelle’s father, whom they accused of violence. The couple, drug users, stayed in a hotel, in a tent, then in a caravan.
During this period, Isabella was often left to her own devices and was forced to repeat ready-made phrases, accusing her father of having hurt her. The couple finally secured an apartment in Ipswich on June 19, eleven days before Isabella’s body was discovered. From the moment he met the little girl, Scott continued to brutalize her. Chelsea turned a blind eye to her boyfriend’s actions, even after her child died. To cover up their crime, the couple went so far as to carry Isabella’s corpse around in her stroller for three days, scouring pubs and shopping.
It was ultimately a friend of Chelsea, in whom she had confided, who reported the two young people to the police. During a seven-week long trial, the two defendants accused each other. Chelsea said she saw Scott “kicking and stomping” her daughter on several occasions. According to her, Isabella’s difficult toilet training is at the origin of this surge of violence.
The jury found the individual guilty of murder, a charge of which Chelsea was acquitted. “She was aware of what was happening to her child, but remained silent and did nothing,” said Sasha Wass KC, the young woman’s lawyer. However, she highlighted the fact that before her reunion with Scott, Chelsea was an attentive mother: “Isabella’s medical records indicated that she was very well cared for medically. Isabella was vaccinated and no one had raised any concerns about her.”
The Briton was found guilty of an “offence of homicide” for “causing or permitting the death of a child” and “offenses of cruelty”. The sentences will be pronounced on December 13.
