The couple planned to ‘run away after burying the child’s body’

About a month after “happy” baby Isabella Jonas-Weeldon came to life, her killer Scott Jeffs was considering how to bury her body and fleeing the country.

The 24-year-old had resumed his relationship with Isabella’s mother Chelsea Gleeson-Mitchell, 24, just 36 days before he murdered the two-year-old in Ipswich.

During that time, Jeff beat his girlfriend’s daughter, causing her “psychological distress” and “traumatic injuries”, leading to her death on June 26, 2023.

Following his arrest and subsequent trial, Jeff was Sentenced to a minimum of 26 years in prison for murder While Gleeson-Mitchell was acquitted of murder, he was jailed for 10 years after admitting causing or allowing the death of a child.

Warning: This article contains descriptions of physical abuse

High Court judge Mr Justice Neil Garnham described Gleeson-Mitchell as a “weak and spineless individual and pitifully desperate”.

He also said that Jeff’s attacks were “horrific” and that Isabella would have felt “complete terror” in his presence.

CCTV footage released by Suffolk Police captured the pair laughing and joking just half an hour after the murder and in the days that followed.

After wheeling her body in a pushchair around Ipswich, the couple locked Isabella in a bathroom at the town’s East Villas housing unit and fled.

But how exactly did they plan to get away with it?

During a seven-week trial at Ipswich Crown Court, the jury heard from countless witnesses and examined endless documents of evidence.

This included text messages and internet searches found on the couple’s phones after their arrest in the early hours of July 1 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

Det Ch Ins Craig Powell said, “At the trial Chelsea said Scott had asked her to buy a shovel and effectively they were preparing themselves to dispose of Isabella.”

“In the days following Isabella’s death there was evidence that they were considering ways to leave the country without passports and other travel methods, leaving no doubt that they would flee.”

Some of the destinations they considered included Scotland and Amsterdam, while they also looked at how to get to Southend-on-Sea in Essex.

But their escape plan failed after police officers found Isabella’s body under a pile of blankets in a pushchair on 30 June 2023.

Gleeson-Mitchell’s friend Joanne Gardner raised the alarm after the mother told her her daughter had died almost three days earlier.

Ms Gardner said Gleeson-Mitchell told her he had not contacted authorities out of fear of being “done over” because of the injuries inflicted on Isabella.

Before reaching Ipswich on 19 June, the couple left their hometown of Biggleswade in Bedfordshire and headed with Isabella to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.

Over the next three weeks, they stayed in the town’s St George’s Hotel, slept in a tent on a beach in nearby Caistor-on-Sea and spent time in a caravan park.

During this period he resisted offers of help, covered Isabella’s bruised face with sunglasses, and lied to council housing officers by claiming Gleeson-Mitchell was fleeing an abusive relationship.

By the time they found temporary accommodation in Ipswich, the previously “healthy and contented” child had become the victim of repeated beatings at the hands of Jeff.

The court heard that Isabella sustained injuries caused by “high-velocity traffic accidents” or “being kicked by a horse”.

The blonde girl, who had traces of cocaine and cannabis in her system, died from a bone marrow embolism as a result of skeletal trauma.

After Isabella’s death, placing her body in a pushchair, the couple behaved as if nothing had happened, traveled on buses and bought an X-Box, showing “no grief or emotion”.

Her body was “treated with contempt” and a “shopping bag was carelessly placed” in the pushchair on top of her.

Later, after leaving Isabella’s body at the flat, the couple drove to Ipswich town center to visit shops, McDonald’s and a pub.

He then caught a train to the Corn Exchange pub in Bury St Edmunds, where CCTV footage captured him having drinks and leading a “normal” life.

Det Ch Inspector Powell said, “As a parent I couldn’t understand from what we could see in the CCTV cameras, there was no way they were showing any sadness or emotion.”

“It was disgusting. His actions at that time and his reactions are something I still struggle with today – he had very little emotion.”

Then, during the early hours of July 1, they were both arrested, with bodycam footage showing Jeffs claiming: “I never murdered her.”

But the court heard how Jeff’s “bad temper” and frustration over her struggles with potty training led the child to suffer frequent violent attacks.

Orthopedist Professor Anthony Freemont told the trial that in his 40-year career he had never seen such a serious pelvic injury in a child.

Jeff would kick and stomp on the child and punish her with cold showers while her mother would “stand by and do nothing”.

It was also said how the pair were previously in a relationship in 2019, during which Gleeson-Mitchell’s family said she had “changed” and drank more alcohol.

Gleeson-Mitchell admitted that she did nothing to protect her daughter from Jeff, but thought it was just a phase she was going through.

Gleason-Mitchell’s defense team argued that she had no phone or money and that Jeff had isolated her.

Rhys Lloyd, of domestic violence support charity Leavey, told the BBC that partners controlling activities around money and daily tasks are often an indicator of abuse.

He added, “Many times criminals will aim to isolate their victims and make them really dependent on them and ultimately make it very difficult for them to leave.”

However, Det Ch Inspector Powell said that no evidence was found that Isabella’s mother was ever unable to leave Jeff and seek help.

“(Chelsea’s) role in this is still really important,” he said.

A Local Child Protection Practice Review (LCSPR) has been launched, investigating the actions of the relevant councils in Central Bedfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk before Isabella’s death.

A joint statement said: “It is important that we make every effort to learn from cases like this to reduce the risk of similar cases occurring.”

Throughout the trial, members of Isabella’s family were often present in the public gallery, including her father, Thomas Wheeldon.

He said: “Isabella was the most amazing addition to my life – she was an extension of me and I miss her every day.

“Her life was tragically ended by you evil, sadistic and despicable people.”

• If you have been affected by this story or want support, you can find organizations that provide support and information bbc action line,