Footage shows burnt-out car that started hunt for child killers
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Mother jailed for killing baby daughter during first Covid lockdown
A mother who killed her four-month-old baby girl by violently shaking her during the first national coronavirus lockdown has been jailed for 15 years. Melissa Wilband, 28, caused traumatic brain injuries to Lexi Wilband as she bathed her at their home in Newent, Gloucestershire, on Easter Sunday 2020. Bristol Crown Court heard tests showed Lexi died following bleeding on her brain, likely caused by being violently shaken, both recently and on at least one earlier occasion. She died at Bristol Children's Hospital, with a nurse holding her hand, on April 18 – six days after her collapse. Wilband was found guilty of manslaughter earlier this year following a trial. Her former partner, Jack Wheeler, 31, was acquitted of causing or allowing Lexi's death. Mr Wheeler had also been charged with Lexi's manslaughter but this was formally withdrawn during the trial after prosecutors offered no evidence against him. Jailing Wilband, Mr Justice Saini said he was satisfied she had caused the fatal injuries to Lexi by 'violently' shaking her. 'Lexi was about four-months-old when she died. She was a healthy baby. It is important that we recognise this is about her life being taken,' he said. 'Lexi was killed by you when the country was in the first national Covid-19 lockdown. 'Your shaking of Lexi led to severe bleeding in her brain. I am sure, on the evidence, that Lexi had been shaken by you in another, less violent incident before that Easter Sunday. 'Only you will know why you acted in the way you did. 'It is hard to imagine the pain that Lexi must have suffered both from the past violence and the violence that led to her death. She would have cried out in anguish.' During the trial, jurors were told that Wilband and Mr Wheeler were in a relationship for about three years, but that Lexi was conceived with another man in early 2019. But Wilband told Mr Wheeler, of Ledbury, Herefordshire, that he was the baby's biological father and presented him with a fake DNA certificate that claimed he was '100%' the 'farther' of her then-unborn child. A genuine DNA test after Lexi's birth in November 2019 confirmed that Mr Wheeler was not biologically related to her, but he remained with Wilband and brought up Lexi as if she were his own child. Jurors heard how Wilband, who had a volatile relationship with Mr Wheeler, took cocaine six days after Lexi was born. After Lexi collapsed, Wilband made a 111 call from the new-build council house where she lived with Mr Wheeler and Lexi. She claimed Lexi had stopped breathing while in her bouncer chair. Lexi was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and was intubated, with Wilband asked if she would like to hold her baby before the procedure took place. She declined to do so. The infant was then transferred to Bristol Children's Hospital, where Wilband told medics that Mr Wheeler had been carrying Lexi in her bouncer chair and was swinging it. A decision was made to switch off Lexi's ventilator on April 17, following the results of an MRI scan. Jane Osborne KC, prosecuting, said Wilband was aware that her baby might die through the night but did not stay at her bedside. 'A staff nurse held Lexi's hand through the night and remained with her,' Ms Osborne said. 'She arrived just after Lexi had ceased to show any signs of life and had stopped breathing.' A post-mortem examination gave Lexi's cause of death as bleeding to the brain, caused by a non-accidental traumatic event such as shaking. Giving evidence, Wilband denied ever shaking Lexi and said she had a 'bad wrist' that meant she was physically unable to shake her, and sought to blame her partner. In a victim impact statement, Mr Wheeler's mother Donnah Davies and father Paul Wheeler said they knew Lexi was not their biological granddaughter 'but it made no difference to us'. 'She was a beautiful little baby girl and we loved her,' they said. 'I can say that Lexi's death is something that Paul and I will carry with us for the rest of our lives.' David Aubrey KC, defending, said Wilband was immature for her age and had been diagnosed with ADHD. 'The sentencing guidelines recognises that age and or lack of maturity can impact the offender's responsibility and can reduce the sentence,' he said. 'This happened at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic and the defendant found that before she had the support of her family she was now in effect alone and had to cope with the stresses she was facing at the time. 'The lack of support that was taken from her and dealing with things alone is something for the court to have proper regard to.' Speaking afterwards, Ann Hampshire, from the CPS, said Wilband had not shown any remorse for her actions. 'Lexi's life was tragically cut short by someone who should have loved and cared for her – her own mother,' she said. 'Everyone who has been involved in this case has been deeply moved by the tragic circumstances of Lexi's death. 'Every professional she's spoken to – the Probation Service, the psychologist – she's maintained her denial and stated she wants to appeal.'
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Expert shares Trump's two-word nickname as he reveals Russia's honest opinion on president
US security services began investigating Donald Trump in 2015 as he was preparing to announce his candidacy for the 2016 presidential election as a new documentary has revealed what they really think In June 2015, shortly after Donald Trump declared his intention to run for the White House the following year, certain figures within America's intelligence apparatus started scrutinising the controversial business mogul's past. In the subsequent years, numerous allegations surfaced suggesting Trump had received financial backing, or at least substantial assistance, from the Russian state. Writers Craig Unger and Luke Harding have both published books claiming that Trump was groomed as a Kremlin operative following his marriage to Czech model Ivana Zelnickova. However, the reality of the situation is far more straightforward, and considerably harsher, according to former White House national security adviser John Bolton. Speaking in a new British documentary examining Trump, Bolton revealed: "Many alumni of the U.S. intelligence community have said to me that they think that Trump has been recruited by the Kremlin. I don't think so. I think he is a useful idiot." The phrase "useful idiot" became popular during the Cold War era, describing someone who naively advanced Soviet objectives without recognising they were being manipulated. Bolton, with a career spanning four US presidents, made a startling claim in the documentary Trump: Moscow's Man In The White House, suggesting that Vladimir Putin, a seasoned former intelligence operative, has Trump wrapped around his finger: "I think Putin can get him in the place he wants to," he said. "He's manipulable and, does the work that the Russians want without ever knowing it." He elaborated on why intelligence experts, who have successfully turned numerous Russian officials into informants, believe Trump is acting precisely as a Russian asset would. However, Bolton posits that Putin is exploiting Trump's ego for strategic gain rather than financial reward. Trump, for his part, has been less than complimentary about Bolton, his former 25th United States ambassador to the United Nations, branding him "a real dope" and "a nut job." Yuri Shvets, a former KGB agent reportedly consulted by Craig Unger for his book "American Kompromat," drew parallels between Trump and the infamous Cambridge Five – a quintet of idealistic upper-class British spies who passed secrets to the KGB over many years. Addressing claims that he has shown excessive favour towards Russian interests, including allegedly dismissing CIA intelligence on Russian espionage, Trump has consistently maintained that the Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election, widely referred to as The Mueller Report, "completely exonerated" him. However, the report explicitly states that Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election was unlawful and took place "in sweeping and systematic fashion." The document also documented numerous connections between Trump's associates and Russian agents. The investigation detailed how a Russian "troll farm" established bogus social media profiles to saturate online platforms with pro-Trump and anti-Clinton material. Among those identified in the report was Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner Group leader who later mounted a brief mutiny against Putin in 2023 before his death in suspicious circumstances. Mueller's findings led to criminal proceedings against 34 people and three organisations, resulting in eight guilty pleas and one trial conviction. The report stopped short of determining whether Trump had obstructed justice, in part because of Justice Department policy preventing federal prosecution of a serving president.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Cocaine-snorting mother, 28, who shook her baby daughter to death before trying to cover it up with 'spiral of lies' is jailed
A young cocaine-snorting mother who violently shook her four-month-old baby girl to death has been jailed for 15 years. Melissa Wilband, 28, was found guilty by a jury of the manslaughter of Lexi Wilband who collapsed at their home in Newent, Gloucestershire, in April 2020. Bristol Crown Court heard tests revealed how Lexi died following bleeding on her brain, likely caused by being violently shaken, as her mother attempted to cover her actions up. Wilband, who would regularly take cocaine while in the presence of her child, shook her baby daughter on 'more than one occasion,' the court heard. The trial was earlier told how Wilband told a 'spiral of lies', including how she faked a paternity test to falsely claim Jack Wheeler, 31, was Lexi's biological father. Wilband, who tried to blame Mr Wheeler for the shaking, took cocaine throughout her pregnancy and there was evidence that she took cocaine six days after Lexi was born. Mr Wheeler had been charged with Lexi's manslaughter but this was formally withdrawn during the trial after prosecutors offered no evidence against him. He was also acquitted of causing or allowing Lexi's death. When paramedics arrived at Wilband's home, she lied to them about the circumstances that led to Lexi's collapse and then continued to repeatedly lie to doctors at the hospital. She also messaged Mr Wheeler while at the hospital telling him to lie about what had happened that evening. Those messages had been deleted from Wilband's phone but were present on Mr Wheeler's phone. In his initial account to police, Mr Wheeler, of Ledbury, went along with what Wilband had told him to say. However, he changed that account in subsequent police interviews and in his evidence in court. Wilband also told Mr Wheeler to burn drugs bags that were in her bedside drawer so that they would not be found. Again these messages were deleted from Wilband's phone. The court heard in how she and Mr Wheeler would regularly take cocaine while in bed with Lexi in her basket alongside them. Jurors heard how Wilband claimed Lexi had stopped breathing while in her bouncer chair. However, Mr Justice Saini said Lexi was shaken while being bathed and the defendant later tried to 'shift the blame' towards Jack. Sentencing her today, Mr Justice Saini said Lexi was a 'healthy baby' and a 'delightful and smiley girl.' 'It is important that we recognise this is about her life being taken. You killed Lexi by violently shaking her at the family home in Newent,' he told Wildband. 'Lexi was killed by you when the country was in the first national Covid-19 lockdown. 'After the evening meal you were bathing Lexi and you shook Lexi, and immediately after this she went floppy. 'Your shaking of Lexi led to severe bleeding in her brain. 'I am sure on the evidence that Lexi had been shaken by you in another, less violent, incident before that Easter Sunday. Only you will know why you acted in the way you did. 'It is hard to imagine the pain that Lexi must have suffered both from the past violence and the violence that led to her death. 'She would have cried out in anguish.' Wilband was told she would serve two thirds of the 15-year sentence and the remainder under licence. A genuine DNA test after Lexi's birth in November 2019 confirmed that Mr Wheeler was not biologically related to her, but he remained with Wilband and brought up Lexi as if she were his own child. The court also heard Wilband lied to medical professionals and missed several appointments. It was suggested by the prosecution that she might have missed appointments in order to prevent a doctor noticing that something was wrong with Lexi after she had been shaken. Jurors heard how Wilband, who had a volatile relationship with Mr Wheeler, made a 111 call on April 12 2020, from the new-build council house where she lived with Mr Wheeler and Lexi. The court was told that Wilband did not call 999 for an ambulance, but instead dialled 111 - the non-emergency NHS number. She hung up before getting past the automated message and then phoned her father who advised her to dial 999. However, she again dialled 111. It took over three and a half minutes from first dialling 111 for Wilband to speak with emergency services. Lexi was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and was intubated, with Wilband asked if she would like to hold her baby before the procedure took place. She declined to do so. The infant was then transferred to Bristol Children's Hospital, where Wilband told medics that Mr Wheeler had been carrying Lexi in her bouncer chair and was swinging it. A decision was made to switch off Lexi's ventilator on April 17, following the results of an MRI scan. Jurors were told that Wilband spent three hours with Lexi that evening before leaving to go to sleep in a different part of the hospital. Lexi passed away with a nurse holding her hand, on April 18 - six days after she collapsed. Jane Osborne KC, prosecuting, said Wilband was aware that her baby might die through the night but did not stay at her bedside. 'A staff nurse held Lexi's hand through the night and remained with her,' Ms Osborne said. 'On the morning of April 18, Lexi seemed to have longer pauses in her breathing. Ms Wilband was told to attend the ward. 'She arrived just after Lexi had ceased to show any signs of life and had stopped breathing.' A post-mortem examination gave Lexi's cause of death as bleeding to the brain, caused by a non-accidental traumatic event such as someone 'shaking her violently', Ms Osborne said. Further tests found the areas of bleeding in Lexi's eyes were 'too numerous to count', she added. Giving evidence, Wilband denied ever shaking Lexi and said she had a 'bad wrist' that meant she was physically unable to shake her, and sought to blame her partner. Mr Wheeler said he had no idea why Lexi had collapsed and denied carrying her in the bouncer chair. Evidence was also heard that Wilband had researched online for 'baby screaming'. Prosecutors told the court that Lexi was shaken so hard by Wilband on at least two occasions that this caused brain damage which Lexi could not recover from. The events that evening, April 12, 2020, were described differently by Wilband and Mr Wheeler in court, and were contradictory in parts. In a victim impact statement read to the court today, Mr Wheeler's mother Donnah Davies said, although she was not Lexi's paternal grandparent, 'from the day she was born to the moment she died she was our granddaughter.' She told the court: 'She was a beautiful, quiet little baby girl and we loved her. 'The day Lexi died, both Paul (Jack's father) and I went to hospital in Bristol and it is a day we will never forget. 'I picked up Lexi in my arms to say goodbye. She looked so peaceful. I can clearly remember what lovely long eyelashes she had. 'I could not understand or comprehend why she was no longer with us.' Ms Davies said the following days were a 'blur' and said she 'lost the ability to function.' She described her son's arrest as 'overwhelming' and said Lexi's death had 'consumed' the family for the last five years. She said: 'Ledbury is a small community and with Jack being under investigation some people automatically assumed he was guilty. 'I tried to be strong for my family but the stress and worry of it made me extremely anxious. 'Lexi was only in our lives for a short time but Paul and I will never forget her. Lexi, a little four and a half month baby lost her life, all those who knew and loved her will never see her again. 'Lexi's death is something Paul and I will carry with us for the rest of our lives. We are irreversibly changed.' An investigation was launched by Gloucestershire Constabulary's Major Crime Investigation Team on April 13, 2020 when doctors had identified that Lexi's injuries were non-accidental and had been inflicted. Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Adam Stacey said: 'Lexi was four-and-a-half months old when she died. 'Melissa Wilband inflicted such serious injuries that were sadly to prove fatal and tragically Lexi passed away six days later, despite the best efforts of all the medical staff who tried to save her. Further medical evidence showed that Lexi had suffered at least one other episode of shaking at some point before this one. 'Wilband told lie after lie after lie - right from Lexi's conception, and all the way throughout the pregnancy. These lies continued and were made to medical professionals trying to save Lexi's life, to the police, and all the way through to her giving evidence in court. The jury saw those lies for what they were. 'Lexi should be five years old now with her whole future ahead of her. She was shaken by someone who should have been protecting her. Someone who should have put her safety and wellbeing above everything else, her mother. Wilband did not do those things and in fact did the exact opposite. She now faces the consequences of her actions.'
