Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
A couple from the UK received significant prison sentences this week for their ‘brutal campaign of violence’ against a young child.
Scott Jeff, aged 24, and Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, also 24, were sentenced for their atrocious acts against two-year-old Isabella Jonas-Wheildon by a judge at Ipswich Crown Court.
The two were arrested in July 2023 following the discovery of the toddler’s body by police.The medical cause of Isabella’s death was identified as a ‘bone marrow embolism caused by skeletal trauma’.
Nikki Miller from the Crown Prosecution Service stated that the couple had tried to obscure the severity of the injuries.Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell, hailing from Bedfordshire, had moved into temporary accommodation in Ipswich just days before Isabella’s tragic death.The court was informed of the ‘psychological torment’ and ‘physical trauma’ inflicted on Isabella by Jeff, who was described as having an ‘evil temper’.
The child’s body, discovered with ‘traumatic injuries’, was locked in a bathroom on June 30 last year, though it is believed she died four days earlier.
Surveillance footage captured the pair smiling and laughing as they wheeled the deceased toddler in a stroller.
Justice Neil Garnham of the High Court denounced Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell while delivering the sentences.
Jeff received a life sentence with a minimum of 26 years for murder, while the child’s mother, although acquitted of murder, was sentenced to 10 years upon admitting to causing or allowing her child’s death.
Addressing the gravity of the case, the judge remarked, “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 wish to speak confidentially about child welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) is available 24/7 and takes calls from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
