Gerrard Kaonga
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
A British couple were handed lengthy sentences this week for their ‘brutal campaign of violence’ against a toddler.
Scott Jeff, 24, and Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, 24, were condemned for their horrific crimes against two-year-old Isabella Jonas-Wheildon by a judge at Ipswich Crown Court.
Prior to their sentencing, the pair were arrested in July 2023 after police found the little girl's body.
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Isabella's medical cause of death was recorded as 'bone marrow embolism caused by skeletal trauma'.
According to Nikki Miller, of the Crown Prosecution Service, the pair had attempted to hide the extent of the injuries.
Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell, from Bedfordshire, had arrived at temporary housing in Ipswich days before the two-year-old's death.
The court heard how Isabella suffered 'psychological torment' and 'physical trauma' at the hands of Jeff and his 'evil temper'.
Her body was found with 'traumatic injuries' in a locked bathroom on June 30 last year, it is believed she died four days earlier.
The pair were also spotted on CCTV smiling and laughing together as they pushed the body of the deceased child in a stroller.
High Court judge Justice Neil Garnham condemned Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell as he handed down the sentences.
Jeff was sentenced to life with a minimum of 26 years for murder while the child’s mother was acquitted of murder but was given 10 years after admitting to causing or allowing the death of a child.
Commenting on the severity of the case, the judge said: "There she was, a two-year-old child, totally dependent on the two of you.
"Jeff, you subjected that defenseless little girl to a brutal campaign of violence and those attacks were monstrous. She feared what was going to happen next.
"Gleason-Mitchell, you are a weak and spineless person and pathetically desperate. Isabella must have looked to you for your help but you did nothing.
"It is perfectly clear to me that her killing has had a devastating effect on her family and the lives of all of them will be permanently disfigured.
"You two are responsible for all this pain."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.