A succession of horrors. The British Scott Jeff, 24, was found guilty this Friday, November 22, of the murder of his partner’s daughter and acts of “cruelty”, after a trial that lasted eight weeks.
Two-year-old Isabella Jonas-Wheildon was found dead on June 30, 2023 in an apartment in Ipswich, England, with bruises all over her body and fractures to her wrists and pelvis caused by kicks or stomping.
Isabella’s mother, Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, was found guilty of “crimes of murder”, according to a statement from Suffolk Police, for having “caused or permitted the death of a child” and “crimes of cruelty”. The sentence will be pronounced at a hearing scheduled for December 13. Meanwhile, the couple remained in custody.
A month of ordeal
Isabella’s ordeal began in May 2023 when her 24-year-old mother entered into a relationship with Scott Jeff, with whom she had already had a previous relationship in 2019. In early June 2023, the couple left their home in Bedfordshire, under the pretext of fleeing Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell’s ex-partner and Isabella’s father, presented as violent. Statements that later turned out to be false.
They traveled by train to Great Yarmouth, about 90 kilometers from their home, and stayed in different accommodation. Having no other means, they even camped for a few days in a tent on a beach before finding temporary accommodation in Ipswich, the scene of the tragedy.
The autopsy confirmed that all of the little girl’s injuries occurred after the beginning of the romance between Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell and Scott Jeff. His first major wrist injury dates back to Monday, June 12.
Isabelle’s mother testified during the trial that Scott Jeff’s anger increased due to “accidents during potty training.”
According to Suffolk police, witnesses said the girl frequently wore a winter coat, despite the heat, and large sunglasses, presumably to hide her injuries. Injuries that proved fatal on Monday, June 26.
His body was transported in a stroller for three days.
Isabella is believed to have died from a bone marrow embolism and skeletal trauma.
“Bone marrow from her pelvic injuries entered her bloodstream and lungs, causing the embolism,” the press release details.
Traces of cocaine and cannabis were also discovered on Isabella’s body.
Professor Anthony Freemont, a bone pathologist, said according to the BBC that he had never seen this degree of pelvic injury in a child in his 40-year career. Their injuries are those typically seen during “high-speed traffic accidents” or after “hit by horse hooves.”
According to the couple, on the night of her death Isabella began to have difficulty breathing. They then tried to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell said she realized her daughter was dead at 11.37pm. Thirty minutes later, CCTV footage shows the couple going shopping, laughing, as if nothing had happened.
“For the next three days they continued to live ‘normally’, pushing Isabella’s body in a stroller,” the police statement details, whether in the pub, on the bus or in the shops.
Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell ended up telling a friend about her daughter’s death. It was this same friend who notified the police. The couple then fled, leaving the girl’s body in the stroller locked in the bathroom. Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell and Scott Jeff were finally arrested on July 1.
Source: BFM TV
