u/cherrymachete

A toddler was subjected to a "campaign of violence" before allegedly being murdered by her mother and her boyfriend, a court has heard.

Two-year-old Isabelle Welsh collapsed at her home in Thornaby, Teesside, on 13 September 2025 having suffered a "massive head injury", jurors at Teesside Crown Court were told.

She was taken to hospital but died in the early hours of 14 September.

A post mortem examination found that Isabelle had suffered 21 broken bones in the weeks leading up to her death, while prosecutors said she had been sexually assaulted and was "covered in bruising, the result of forceful gripping".

Isabelle's mother, Alexandra Walker, 25, and Harrison Simpson, 22, are both currently on trial. They deny murder, allowing the death of a child, sexual assault and child cruelty.

Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, said: "For weeks this child had been violently assaulted and her death, by that terrible head injury, was simply the end point in that campaign of violence to which she had been subjected."

On 13 September, paramedics responded to a 999 call and found Isabelle at the foot of the stairs, without a pulse and gravely ill.

Mr Wright told the court she was covered in bruises, her nappy contained blood and she had vomit on her face.

The prosecution said Isabelle had been violently shaken, her spine over-extended, and her head hit against a hard surface.

Mr Wright said that Walker had taken her daughter to the GP and then hospital 11 days before she died, when Isabelle's leg was found to be fractured, and despite the concerns of some medics, she was discharged back into her mother's care.

Prosecutors claimed the leg fracture was "no more of an accident than the fatal head injury" and said Walker, by her own account, had waited two weeks before reporting the incident.

The prosecution also said that Walker and Simpson had "ample opportunity" to harm the toddler and that in a small, two-bedroom house "each must have been aware of the abuse".

Mr Wright said that no medical assistance had been sought when Isabelle was "gravely unwell" in the week before she died.

He said: "After her heart had stopped and she appeared to all intents and purposes to be dead, Alexandra Walker only called an ambulance when her stepfather told her to, long after she must have known her daughter was critically ill.

"Alexandra Walker and Harrison Simpson each plainly knew how ill she was, they knew that because they had caused her injuries and their failure to summon help from doctors and finally the emergency services, was an act of self-preservation.

"They knew the questions that would come and had no convincing answer for them."

Mr Wright said the couple had an "unhealthy" relationship involving drink and drugs, and it led to the decline in Isabelle's care before it built to her being "subjected to regular violence at home by these defendants".

The trial continues.

A provisional trial date has been set for a teenager accused of murdering schoolgirl Lilly Jones. The 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, was arrested following the discovery of a body after Lilly was reported missing.

The body was found in the Duffryn Park area of Blaina at around 10.10pm on Monday, June 22. Police said that though no formal identification has taken place, Lilly's family have been informed and are being supported.

On Tuesday a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder. 

The defendant appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday, June 29, for a preliminary hearing before Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke. The defendant had appeared at Newport Magistrates' Court on Friday, June 26.

A date was set for his plea trial and preparation hearing which will take place on July 24.

He has not yet entered a plea and a provisional trial date, with a four-week time estimate, has been set for November 23.

Judge Lloyd-Clarke remanded the teenager in custody in youth detention accommodation. The BBC reported that the teenager was seen wearing a white short-sleeved shirt in court and that his mother blew him a kiss as he left the dock.

Prior to the hearing, a Gwent Police spokesperson said: "Gwent Police has charged a 14-year-old boy with murder as part of our investigation in Blaenau Gwent.

"The teenager from the Blaenau Gwent area, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded in police custody to appear before Newport Magistrates Court on Friday 26 June.

"The white British boy was arrested after the body of a female was found in the Duffryn Park area of Blaina on Monday 22 June, at about 10.10pm.

"While formal identification has yet to take place, the body is believed to be Lilly, a 14-year-old girl who was reported as missing.

"We are releasing Lilly's name at this point, with her family's knowledge, because it will form part of the court proceedings and be a matter of public record."

Nearly £20,000 has been raised in memory of 14-year-old Lilly Jones in a week since the body was found. People and organisations in the community have held a jumble sale, set up a JustGiving fundraiser and organised a football festival as they mourn the loss of the "kind, bubbly" teen.

Heartfelt tributes and flowers have also been left at the cordon near Duffryn Park describing Lilly as "a beautiful girl" who was an "amazing friend".

The head teacher of the school she attended, Brynmawr Foundation School, said her loss will be felt "profoundly" by all those who knew her. She described her as a "valued member of the school community".

Obviously comparisons are going to be made, that is inevitable. But it’s frustrating the amount of times I’ve seen a piece of media waved away by people because it’s similar to another.

An example I’ve seen: There’s two shows airing (A and B) that showcased characters experiencing psychosis. When show B aired their storyline, the amount of people who claimed that it was a copy of A or that ‘’A already did this plotline’’ was strange to see.

This is even often said towards similar storylines happening within the same show. Similarly, a character getting breast cancer then followed by her friend who finds out she has brain cancer was met with ‘okay but her friend already had cancer though?’ and cries of ‘they are reusing plotlines’.

I don’t understand because more than one person can obviously have the same illness in real life.

I’ve seen this said by people regarding books, movies, shows, etc. and I just don’t get it.

The most mind boggling example I seen was people saying The Drama was a rip off of We Need To Talk about Kevin due to the subject matter.

A teenage boy accused of murdering a nine-year-old girl has told a court of the moment she was fatally stabbed.

Aria Thorpe died after sustaining a knife wound to her chest at her home in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, on 15 December last year.

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified due to his age, denies charges of murder and manslaughter in relation to Aria’s death.

Giving evidence to Bristol Crown Court, the boy said he had picked up a knife from the kitchen of Aria’s home and went into the lounge where she was sitting on the sofa.

“Aria stood up and I was waving around the knife,” he told the jury.

“Then at some point I decided that I was going to try to make her flinch and scare her, to get a reaction.

“I leaned forward, acted like I was fencing.”

The defendant said Aria had been in front of him at the time.

“She had almost taken a step forward but without taking a step forward because before she could, it happened,” he said.

“I don’t know what she was doing.

“The knife went into her. Then I pulled it out. I didn’t know what to do. She put her hand to her chest.”

The boy said Aria then fell to the floor on her front.

“I thought she had died,” he told the court.

“I got scared, I panicked. So I ran to the kitchen with the knife and I put it back into the sink.”

The boy then walked to a nearby train station, where he told a group of children he had killed Aria accidentally.

He borrowed one of the children’s phones and searched for “what happens if you kill…?”.

Another child rang police on 999 and officers attended the station – arresting the boy shortly after he boarded a train.

The boy confirmed he had not checked on Aria after she was injured, had not rung for an ambulance or raised the alarm.

Andrew Langdon KC, representing the boy, asked how he was feeling about what had happened.

“I felt horrible,” the boy replied.

The following day, the boy gave a prepared statement to police officers during an interview.

This stated he had “stabbed her in the chest” and was not sure why.

Mr Langdon asked why the statement did not reference that it had been an accident.

The boy said: “All I thought was I was the one who murdered Aria and all I wanted to do was admit guilt to it.

“I just said that I stabbed her and that was it. I just took the blame because it was my fault.”

On Thursday, Home Office pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery told the court Aria died as a result of a single stab wound to her chest, which went through her heart.

Dr Jeffery added that Aria would have died “very swiftly” from the injury.

Aria attended school on the day of her death and was collected from an after-school dance class by her mother, Tori Hull, at about 4.30pm.

They went shopping for mini-pizzas and toppings, which they made together. Ms Hull left for an evening work shift shortly after, with Aria watching YouTube videos on the television.

Family friend Ollie Sheppard, who was staying temporarily at the house, returned there after work at about 6pm.

He found Aria on the floor of the living room and rang 999, with police and paramedics arriving a short time later.

Tragically, Aria could not be saved and was pronounced dead at 6.58pm.

The boy denies the charges of murder and manslaughter. The trial, before Mrs Justice O’Farrell, continues.

A teacher and two pupils have been taken to hospital after they were injured in a knife attack at a school in Manchester.

A 14-year-old schoolgirl has been arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault after police were called to reports of multiple stabbings at the Co-op Academy on Plant Hill Road in Blackley at about 08:30 BST.

A boy and girl, both 14, and a 27-year-old male teacher have been taken to hospital and are in a stable condition, with their injuries not believed to be serious, Greater Manchester Police said.

The school, which has closed, said the site was immediately placed on lockdown and staff "acted bravely to quickly detain the student" before police arrived.

The 14-year-old girl has injuries to the shoulder, the 14-year-old schoolboy has an injury to the ear, while the teacher was stabbed in the neck, police have said.

A spokeswoman for the school said staff had "no reason to conduct a search on any student this morning".

"While our policies outline strict screening and search powers in line with Department for Education guidance, weapons can unfortunately be small and easily concealed without prior indicators," she added.

Emergency services have remained at the scene, but the academy confirmed it will reopen as normal on Wednesday.

Ch Insp Jon Shilvock said "We understand that this incident will have caused concern to pupils, staff and the wider school community.

"The incident was swiftly and quickly dealt with by staff before officers attended to arrest the girl."

He said there is believed to be no wider threat to the public.

Peter Woods, the father of a year nine pupil, came to the school after getting a call about the incident.

He told BBC Radio Manchester: "You hear things on the news but it's always in other schools. You never think it will be in the school where your kid goes.

"For it to happen on your doorstep, it's terrifying."

Woods said he is concerned about sending his child back to class and wants to know what measures the school will have in place to prevent an incident like this from happening again.

Aureo Dombaxe said when he arrived at the school earlier to drop off his son he saw a "flood of police".

"We didn't initially know what had happened," he said. "When other parents informed me, it was heartbreaking."

He added: "You're always worried because you hear about knives at other schools - it is a worry when your kids go to the school."

Abel Lemos, who has a daughter in year seven, said as a parent "you get really afraid when you hear something serious has happened at the school".

He said: "We need to think more seriously about how to avoid this happening in the future.

"I worry about knives in school, it has become common on the news in the last few years."

Terry Christopher Coutet is father to two girls at the school and said he is "very afraid" following the incident.

"It is the first time it has happened in this school but it is very dangerous," he said.

"When you receive a call at work telling you to come and take your kids because there is trouble in the school, it is very, very scary."

Ch Insp Shilvock added: "Officers will remain at the school and within the area to provide a visible presence and community reassurance."

Crowds that had gathered outside the gates have now cleared, with three police cars parked up on Plant Hill Road.

The school said the pupils and member of staff were taken to hospital "as a precautionary measure where they are in a stable condition with injuries not believed to be serious".

It added: "We are incredibly proud of the swift actions of our staff and the mature response of our pupils."

They said the school there will be "full emotional support" in place for pupils when the site reopens while police officers will "maintain a reassuring presence" in the area.

I was watching the Devil’s Knot (2013) and went down the rabbit hole of the West Memphis 3. It got me interested in the concept of satanic panic and the influence it had on other cases such as the McMartin case.

Can you think of any other cases that suffered from the satanic panic angle?

From article: On May 13, 2026, police responded to a domestic disturbance call at a Jackson County, Illinois, home and found Deborah Snider and her 8-year-old son, Leland “Lee” Arnett, badly injured. Both were airlifted to a hospital in St. Louis. Lee died from his injuries. Snider remains in critical condition. Her boyfriend, Marcus Moultrie, who had publicly referred to Snider as his “love” on Facebook, now faces a first-degree murder charge.

According to court documents obtained by KFVS, when officers arrived, they found Snider unconscious on the floor and Lee nearby with a serious headwound. It was reportedly a horrific scene for law enforcement.

“This is especially heinous, and it’s disturbing,” Jackson County State’s Attorney Marsha L. Cascio-Hale said in court. “I just want to commend Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies. They did an amazing job, and they are working on this case diligently. And we are ready to partner with them, as we always do, in terms of prosecution.”

Snider’s family shared an update with KFVS regarding Lee’s death.

“It is with profound heartbreak that we share that Leland has passed away from the injuries he suffered during this tragic act of violence. Deborah remains in critical condition as she continues to fight for her life. The siblings’ lives completely uprooted,” the family announced.

A GoFundMe created to help with Lee’s final expenses and Snider’s medical bills raised more than $27,000 thus far. DeSoto Grade School partnered with a local business to create a frog keychain to honor their lost student.

“While many are aware, the news of losing a precious student hits harder than anything in our profession. We will have multiple social workers in the building tomorrow morning to help with all student needs. We are without words and the sadness of this event is immense. We thank our community greatly with the support you have already shown,” the school shared on social media.

Moultrie currently faces a first-degree murder charge, with additional charges possible depending on Snider’s recovery. For Lee’s family, the legal process is only part of what lies ahead.

“Our family asks for continued prayers for Deborah, for Leland, and for everyone who loved him.”

A convicted rapist has been jailed for at least 33 years for the murder of a woman in Dewsbury, England who moved into his home as a lodger just days earlier.

Michael Doherty, 33, was jailed for life at Leeds Crown Court after he admitted strangling Courtney Angus when she rejected his advances at his home in Norfolk Street, Batley.

The 21-year-old was sexually assaulted, had parts of her body cut off and suffered a total of 76 injuries during the fatal attack in July last year. After her death, Doherty used his phone to take indecent images of her.

He told police about her body when he had been detained by officers for brandishing a knife after stealing from a supermarket the next day.

Doherty, who changed his name from Michael Moore in 2018, had a history of violence towards women who rejected him, with convictions for raping a stranger on her way home from a nightclub and torching a former partner's car.

The court heard Courtney had moved into his house days before her death in July, but was not his partner and did not want a relationship.

Prosecutor Craig Hassall said Doherty made it clear he liked her, and texted her threatening to kill himself on the day of the murder.

Courtney told him in a message: "It's not my fault Mikey, I don't want a relationship, I told you this from the start, I haven't led you on. I've been a good friend to you."

Hassall said that during the evening of 25 July, the two were at the house they now shared.

He told the court the evidence was that "shortly before her death, Courtney had rejected the offender's advances towards some sort of intimate relationship between the two of them".

Doherty sexually attacked Courtney during the drug-fuelled assault, and cut off parts of her body, "callously" leaving them on his mantelpiece.

A pathologist found that the cause of her death was pressure on the neck, from strangling, coupled with head injuries from blunt force trauma.

After taking indecent images of Courtney on his phone, Doherty sent a message to a friend saying: "I've killed someone, ring me please."

The next morning Doherty went on a stealing spree in Batley and nearby Dewsbury.

At 21:15 BST he was followed out of an Asda store in Dewsbury by staff when he left without paying, and produced a large knife.

When police found him in Dewsbury town centre he was brandishing a knife and told officers: "Get armed response and SIO to me now because I've got murder, I've got a dead body in my house."

A statement from Courtney's mother, Diane Angus, said: "Losing my daughter has left a space in my heart that nothing can fill.

"I carry her with me in every thought, every breath, every moment. I wish I could hold her again."

A statement from Chloe Angus on behalf of all Courtney's sisters said seeing her in a mortuary "will never leave our minds".

It read: "How could someone hurt a young, vulnerable woman in the way that he did?

"Courtney had her whole life ahead of her, she had just turned 21. She was loved deeply by everyone around her. Courtney was the life and soul of every room she walked into."

The court heard Doherty had 23 previous convictions, including one for raping a woman he did not know in 2013 while pretending to walk her home from a nightclub.

He was jailed for five years, and entered a brief relationship with another woman after he was released, but torched her car when she ended things.

In January this year Doherty pleaded guilty to murdering Courtney, theft and three counts of threatening a person with a blade.

Richard Wright KC, defending, said Doherty had been in a "highly intoxicated state clashing with a highly complicated mental health picture at the time".

Jailing Doherty for life with a minimum term of 33 years, Judge Guy Kearl, the Recorder of Leeds, said: "You have, by your actions, changed the lives of all of those who knew Courtney Angus forever, in particular, her family.

"But worse than that, you took her life in a senseless rage, as I find, after she had rejected you."

He added: "Having been rejected by her you decided to overpower her, both physically and sexually, in order to satisfy yourself, and you took pleasure in doing so."

An 11-year-old boy was found dead on the banks of the Vilaine River in the northwestern city of Rennes on Sunday, May 24, with a wet bath towel "tied very tightly around his neck," according to the city's prosecutor's office. Two teenagers, a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, were taken into police custody on Monday, on suspicion of "murder of a minor."

The child's body was found on a bank of the Vilaine River, not far from downtown Rennes, at around 5 pm on Sunday. According to a police source, officers were alerted after a fisherman heard a child's cries coming from an unidentified location and then called the police.
Firefighters then intervened and tried to help the child, who was suffering from cardiac and respiratory arrest, "as a result of a towel being tightened around his neck," according to the newspaper Ouest-France. Despite their attempts to resuscitate the victim, the boy was pronounced dead by a physician from the mobile emergency and resuscitation service, according to the newspaper.
"The events occurred in a wooded area at the foot of several apartment buildings, below the bridge that crosses over the Vilaine River," in central Rennes, added the paper. The site, which is often frequented by fishermen, is located a 10-minute walk from Place du Parlement-de-Bretagne, in an upscale neighborhood of Rennes. Earlier, a police source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the child had been found in a bush.

The boy's parents quickly arrived at the scene: First, the mother, who had been searching for the child, according to a witness cited by Ouest-France, and then the father, who arrived after the emergency services.

Two teenagers, a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl, were taken into police custody on Monday on suspicion of "murder of a minor." The boy was arrested "at his home" on Monday morning, while the girl "voluntarily" reported herself to the Rennes police station, said Rennes public prosecutor Frédéric Teillet in a statement.
"These are the two young people who were seen together with the victim at the scene of the incident on the afternoon of the tragedy, who are now in police custody," the prosecutor said, specifying that the victim was 11 years old, not 12 as had initially been reported.
Many police officers were still present at the scene of the tragic incident on Monday morning. Divers also searched the river for clues, according to an AFP journalist. The investigation has been assigned to the Rennes police force's organized and specialized crime division. An investigation into the incident, classified as the murder of a minor under 15 years old, has been opened.

The circumstances that led to the boy's death have yet to be established, and the possibility that another party may have been involved is among the scenarios under consideration, Ouest-France reported on Monday morning, before the arrests were announced.

25(F) Feeling really down right now.
I had my smear test today. The nurse had to try four times to get it done.
But my legs kept having spasms and tensing up.
I couldn’t do it and I feel really pathetic saying this but I began crying there on the bed. I feel really embarrassed right now.

Is this something you guys struggled with?

The jury in the trial of two inmates accused of killing paedophile Ian Watkins in prison has been discharged.
The former Lostprophets frontman was stabbed to death with a makeshift knife in his cell at high-security HMP Wakefield on 11 October last year.
Serving prisoners Rico Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 44, denied murdering Watkins and possessing a knife in prison. Both are due to be re-tried.
Watkins, who was 48 and from Pontypridd, was jailed for 29 years in December 2013 after admitting a string of sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan's baby.

Addressing the jury at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, Mr Justice Hilliard said: "Very reluctantly, I'm going to discharge you and the case will have to be re-tried.
"That's disappointing for you and for everyone."
The court was told the re-trial had been provisionally set for 8 February next year.

During the trial the court heard Gedel had gone into Watkins' cell at about 09:20 BST, less than 20 minutes after it was unlocked for the morning.
Once inside he stabbed him in the head and neck with a knife fashioned from a blade stuck to a piece of plastic cutlery with large amounts of tape.
After leaving the cell Gedel was seen on CCTV passing the weapon to Dodsworth, who wrapped it in tissue and put it in a bin.

Prosecutors had said Gedel and Dodsworth were both guilty of murder because Dodsworth "knew the attack was going to happen" and assisted Gedel by disposing of the knife.

The court heard Gedel, who was serving a life sentence for murder at the time of the attack, was seen grinning and laughing after the stabbing, asking prison officers to "let me know when he dies".
He was also recorded saying "have a good night's sleep Watkins lad" as he was taken past the cell where the former singer was receiving medical treatment.
During the trial Gedel told the court he hated being housed with sex offenders at Wakefield and had threatened to hurt "any number of paedophiles" if he was not transferred.
He said he chose Watkins largely due to "proximity", as he had been put in the cell next to him the night before, after being moved from another wing for assaulting three prisoners there.

Dodsworth, who is serving a sentence for raping a woman, said he played no part in the attack and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He said Gedel handed the knife to him after emerging from Watkins' cell, and he tried to give it back but ended up throwing it away after panicking at the sight of an injured Watkins.
When Watkins was sentenced in 2013 for 13 child sex offences, the judge, Mr Justice Royce said the case broke "new ground" and "plunged into new depths of depravity".
His two co-defendants, who are the mothers of children he abused, were jailed for 14 and 17 years.
Following Watkins' arrest, the band released a public statement confirming they could no longer continue performing under the Lostprophets name following the revelations.

So this was around 2022 I believe? (Might be slightly off)
Because I remember at the time Athena Strand had also happened and I got the two cases mixed up because of them both being called Athena.
The girl in question also looked very much like Athena Strand and had a similar bow in her hair.

I am inclined to believe that this little girl was possibly killed by her parents? But I might be mistaken.

Rapist black-cab driver John Worboys will stay in prison after a parole board ruled that he remained a threat to women.
He is currently serving a life sentence for a string of sexual offences he committed by luring women into his taxi late at night in London, pretending to have won money and offering them an apparently celebratory drink that he had laced with drugs.
Carrie Johnson, who encountered Worboys when she was a student, spoke of her relief at the decision and said "women and girls across Britain are safer as a result".

The parole board refused to release the 68-year-old as he "continues to represent a high risk of committing further serious sexual offences upon women".
Worboys, now known as John Radford, "accepts that he does not currently meet the test for release", according to a decision published on Thursday.
The parole board said he claimed to feel "enormous regret, remorse and shame" towards "the women he has harmed and their families and friends".
Worboys was first convicted in 2009 of 19 sexual offences linked to attacks on 12 women between October 2006 and February 2008. He was given an indefinite sentence for public protection with a minimum term of eight years.
In 2019, he was sentenced to life with a minimum term of six years after more victims came forward about crimes he admitted to that took place between 2000 and 2008.

The victims contacted the police following publicity around a parole board panel decision that he was ready for release that was ultimately overturned after a legal challenge by two of his victims.
The exact number of victims is expected to be much higher, with a 2019 report from his prison psychologist referring to him accepting he preyed on 90 individuals.
Thursday's decision was made behind closed doors, despite a ruling earlier this year that it would be made in public.
This was because Worboys indicated he did not wish to make a "premature" application to be released, so a hearing was no longer necessary and the matter could be handled via paper review.
A spokesperson for the parole board said: "The panel were not satisfied that he no longer posed a risk to the public, and accordingly did not direct his release."
Along with denying his parole, the board also refused to recommend a transfer to open prison.
"It has been a hugely anxious wait knowing that Worboys was up for parole again," Carrie Johnson, the wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, wrote on X after the decision was announced.
"The relief I feel knowing that he will remain behind bars is hard to put into words.
"Women and girls across Britain are safer as a result of this decision."

Johnson previously waived her right to anonymity to speak of her experience with Worboys.
She wrote in the Times in 2018 that, aged 19, while waiting for a night bus in Richmond, south-west London, he had offered to give her a lift home and only charge her whatever change she had on her.
While she was in the back of his cab, he gave her a glass of champagne, which she poured away while he was not looking, she recounted. But Johnson said he insisted she drank a shot of vodka, after which she "can hardly remember a thing".
She said she did not believe he had raped her but that she "will never truly know what happened after he drugged me".
Johnson would go on to campaign against the decision to release Worboys from prison.
A four-part drama, entitled Believe Me, about Worboys' crimes is currently airing on ITV.

A teacher accused of sexually abusing and murdering a baby he adopted said "I'm going to hell" as he cradled the dead child, a trial has heard.

Jamie Varley, 37, who earlier wailed for his mother, made the remark in the bereavement room at Blackpool Victoria Hospital with 13-month-old Preston Davey in his arms.

Footage of the incident, along with a series of other videos captured by police body worn cameras, were played to jurors at the trial at Preston Crown Court.

Varley, who denies all the charges, is seen in apparent disbelief and guilt-ridden, blaming himself for leaving the child in the bath before claiming he found the child face down minutes later.

Prosecutors said his account was inconsistent with post-mortem examination findings, which discovered the child had 40 injuries.

Varley, at the time a high school teacher, is accused of the murder of the child, while his partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, is accused of allowing Preston's death, with both accused of sexual abuse. They both deny the charges.

During the four months the baby was under the couple's adoption at their home in Blackpool, he was allegedly routinely ill-treated, had indecent images and videos taken of him, was sexually abused and physically assaulted.

The defendants had rushed the unconscious child from their home, after an alleged final sexual assault by Varley, to the Blackpool hospital at about 18:20 BST on 27 July 2023, the court heard.

Medics worked for nearly an hour to resuscitate the child until he was pronounced dead at 19:20.

Jurors were shown footage of a "hysterical" Varley, accompanied by his mother Karen Graham, as he collapses on to the floor inside the hospital, when medics asked him to come to the child's bedside as they could not revive him and resuscitation attempts were to end.

Varley can be seen wailing: "I'm done. It's my fault. No mum, I can't get up.

"It's my fault. Do not give up on him. This is not happening.

"It's my fault, I left him for literally two minutes. It's my fault. I left him. Mum.

"I can't, I can't, this is not happening. Please kill me."

More footage was shown of Varley, barefoot and wearing a Jurassic Park t-shirt and tartan pyjama bottoms, outside the hospital entrance, minutes after Preston had been declared dead.

Pacing back and forth, Varley said: "It's not happening. He's not gone.

"I'm going to go in there, he's going to be smiling, he's going to be laughing.

"This is not happening. If he's dead, I can't live with this."

Varley is also asked if he wants to go and see Preston, who the couple had renamed Elijah.

He replies: "No. I don't deserve to see him. I left him. I can't, not now please."

"I only left the bathroom to get clothes… This can't happen," he said.

"He's got his life ahead of him. I'm not going in, because it's fine.

"I'm a teacher, I'm head of year, I'm child protection trained.

"You don't leave him in a bath tub. He was in his chair, he was fine.

"He doesn't deserve me. I should not have left him…

"He was giving me cuddles when I put shampoo in his hair."

More video was then shown of events inside the bereavement room with McGowan-Fazakerley and Varley's mother and he is cajoled to enter the room.

He continues to pace up and down, and said: "I don't want to be in here. He needs to be warm, keep him warm.

"Elijah wake up. He is going to wake up mum. He's my baby boy. He's got to wake up.

"I need to get out of here."

The next clip showed Varley outside, where he said: "I tried to go in but my mum wouldn't let me hold him."

The final footage showed Varley and his co-accused together at just after 23:00, in the bereavement room.

Varley is cradling the child and McGowan-Fazakerley said: "It's going to be the hardest thing… we've got each other."

Varley is told in the clip not to blame himself and that the death was a "tragic accident".

Varley, still cradling the child with his head down, responded: "I probably won't see you again. I'm definitely going to hell."

His co-accused continues to try to console him and Varley said: "They'll be whisking me away for neglect."

Preston was born on 16 June 2022, and was immediately taken into care by Oldham Council, and placed with foster parents at five days old.

After undergoing an assessment and familiarisation process in early 2023 he was adopted and began living with the defendants on 1 April at their home.

Varley took a year off work as head of year and as a design and technology teacher at local high school, South Shore Academy, to look after the child, but struggled as a new parent with a baby who frequently woke during the night, the court has heard.

Varley denies murder, manslaughter, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent photos or videos of a child, one of distributing an indecent photo of a child, to his co-accused, and one of making an indecent photo.

McGowan-Fazakerley denies allowing the death of a child, three counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child.

The trial continues.