Mother Convicted of Infant Daughter's Murder
A mother has been found guilty of murdering her 19-day-old daughter, who died from "catastrophic" injuries including broken ribs and three skull fractures.
Nicole Blain claimed she found baby Thea Wilson lying on the floor of her Greenock flat in July 2023, and suggested the newborn had been dropped by another child.
However, jurors at the High Court in Glasgow found the 30-year-old guilty of killing her young daughter.
The trial revealed evidence that some of Thea's injuries were caused by blunt force trauma, while others suggested she may have been shaken.
On the day of Thea's death, Blain was visited in the morning by a social worker who observed the baby in her crib and noted that the mother had complained of feeling tired.
Blain was scheduled to take Thea to visit her paternal grandmother, Laura Wilson, in Ayrshire later that day.
But early in the afternoon, Blain called Wilson's mobile phone. The call was answered by her husband Alan, who testified that he heard a child squealing in the background.
"It was piercing and extremely loud. I thought it was an older child doing it, but then I realised it was the baby who was screaming," he told the court.
Blain then informed Thea's grandmother that she had found the baby with a bump on her head and said she had called an ambulance.
Later, when they met at the hospital, Blain told her that another child who was in the flat "had done it".
Blain had also spoken earlier on the phone to a support worker, telling her that another child had taken Thea out of the cot and dropped her.
When the support worker arrived at the flat, she dialled 999 after seeing that Thea was cold, unresponsive, and had an "awful colour".
Giving evidence at her trial, Blain denied attempting to shift blame onto another child.
She stated that Thea had been sleeping in a bedside crib and that she herself had taken a nap, but was woken by a neighbour ringing the doorbell.
Blain said it was only upon returning to the bedroom that she noticed Thea lying on the floor without her nappy or the blanket that had been covering her.
She said she did not know exactly what had happened because she was asleep, but believed it must have been a "tragic accident".
During the trial, the jury was shown text messages between Blain and Thea's grandmother that suggested Blain was struggling to cope after the birth.
Thea was found to have two broken ribs and three skull fractures caused by blunt force trauma, as well as other injuries indicating possible shaking.
A doctor who treated Thea in hospital described her injuries as "non-survivable".
She said the baby had suffered extensive bruising and swelling over the head as well as scratches.
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