Woman who killed her baby by violently shaking her jailed

A woman who killed her four-month-old baby by violently shaking her during the COVID-19 lockdown has been jailed for 15 years.

Melissa Wilband, 28, was found guilty earlier this year by a jury of the manslaughter of Lexi Wilband, who collapsed at their home in Newent, Gloucestershire.

Bristol Crown Court previously heard that Lexi died following bleeding on her brain, likely caused by being violently shaken, both recently and on at least one earlier occasion.

Lexi died at Bristol Children's Hospital on 18 April 2020 - six days after her collapse.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Saini told Wilband: "You killed Lexi by violently shaking her at the family home in Newent.

"Lexi was killed by you when the country was in the first national COVID-19 lockdown."

'She would have cried out in anguish'

The judge told the court that after an evening meal, Wilband had shaken Lexi while bathing her.

"Immediately after this," he said, "she went floppy".

He added: "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 denied ever shaking Lexi, telling the court she had a "bad wrist" which meant she was physically unable to shake her, and appeared to blame her former partner, Jack Wheeler.

Mr Wheeler, 31, was acquitted of causing or allowing Lexi's death. Charges of manslaughter against him were withdrawn during the trial after prosecutors offered no evidence.

Areas of bleeding 'too numerous to count'

The court heard that on 12 April 2020, Wilband made a non-emergency 111 call and claimed Lexi had stopped breathing while in her bouncer chair.

After the baby was intubated at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Wilband told doctors that Mr Wheeler had been carrying Lexi in her bouncer chair and was swinging it. He denied doing so during the trial.

On 17 April, following the results of an MRI scan, it was decided that Lexi's ventilator would be turned off.

Jane Osborne KC, prosecuting, said Wilband was aware that her baby might die during the night, but did not stay at her bedside.

She said that 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".

Further tests found the areas of bleeding in Lexi's eyes were "too numerous to count", she added.

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Wilband gave partner fake DNA certificate

During the trial, jurors heard that Wilband and Mr Wheeler were in a relationship for about three years, but Lexi was conceived with another man in early 2019.

Wilband initially told Mr Wheeler that he was the baby's biological father - presenting him with a fake DNA certificate that claimed he was "100%" the "father".

After a genuine DNA test in November 2019 showed he was not related to Lexi, Mr Wheeler decided to stay with Wilband and raise the baby as his own child.

Jurors also heard the couple had a volatile relationship, and that Wilband had taken cocaine six days after Lexi was born.

Ann Hampshire, from the CPS, said after the sentencing that Wilband had not shown any remorse for her actions.

"Every professional she's spoken to - the Probation Service, the psychologist - she's maintained her denial and stated she wants to appeal," she said.

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