GUILTY UK - Lexi Draper, 3, & Scarlett Vaughan, 16 mos, murdered, Skiddaw, Rugby, Jan/Feb 2018 *GUILTY*

[Tortoise]

I think there's enough to prove she's guilty, beyond the fact that she didn't seem to care very much that they were dead, and her lifestyle priorities.

Even just the coincidence of two children dying with no natural cause 2 to 3 weeks apart is enough to set alarm bells ringing.

Then there are her internet searches knowing paramedics had resuscitated Lexi previously - bodily signs of death and how long after drowning can someone be resuscitated - 3 hours before she called 999 for Lexi, and they found she had been dead for hours.

She drove to a retail park worried because Scarlett was asleep, after sending messages that day about the possibility of Scarlett dying, and paramedics found her freezing cold, lifeless and starved of oxygen already.

Then the post mortems - both of them with internal bleeding to the neck tissue, and pin point haemorrhages on Scarlett's face, and associated bleeding of lungs, both consistent with blocking of the airways and compression of the neck.

 

[Tortoise]

Birmingham Crown Court 8 T20197175
Louise Porton
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 14 Sworn - 10:36
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness evidence concluded - 10:46
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 15 Sworn - 10:51
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness evidence concluded - 11:15

 

[MsFacetious]

I.... just.... wow. I am speechless. I have no words that are appropriate for the current company. Unbelievable.

What in the world does this even suggest?

I expect they were trying to point out that she didn't impede them in trying to save her child.

 

[Tortoise]

I.... just.... wow. I am speechless. I have no words that are appropriate for the current company. Unbelievable.



I expect they were trying to point out that she didn't impede them in trying to save her child.

Ah yes I think you're right.

 

[Tortoise]

Lovely. A full day of evidence and no reporting.

Birmingham Crown Court 8 T20197175
Louise Porton
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 14 Sworn - 10:36
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness evidence concluded - 10:46
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 15 Sworn - 10:51
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness evidence concluded - 11:15
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 16 Sworn - 11:16
Trial (Part Heard) - No Event - 11:32
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 17 Sworn - 11:49
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 12:25 - 12:06
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 18 Sworn - 12:29
Trial (Part Heard) - Legal Submissions - 12:46
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 14:10 - 12:48
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 20 Sworn - 14:26
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 21 Sworn - 14:42
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness evidence concluded - 14:55
Trial (Part Heard) - Legal Submissions - 15:15
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 10:30 - 15:21

 

[Alyce]

Just having a scroll through twitter and can't find anything for today. Looks as though the Coventry reporter was off on a different job today

 

[MsFacetious]

Ah yes I think you're right.

You know like "if she wanted her dead why would she have let them try to save her?"

Uh.... because otherwise it'd be obvious she wanted her dead?

 

[Tortoise]

You know like "if she wanted her dead why would she have let them try to save her?"

Uh.... because otherwise it'd be obvious she wanted her dead?

Mind you, I remember one time I called an ambulance for my son when he was tiny and had a head injury which I thought was worse than it was because of the amount of blood, he'd fallen against the sharp edge of a low brick wall in the garden, and I opened the front door so that the ambulance people could walk straight in when they arrived and I was dashing backwards and forwards from the house to the street so that when it arrived I could flag them down and they could see from the end of the street where we were. Waving my arms frantically like a lunatic.

LP seems to have kept her door shut waiting for them to call out 'ambulance' before she opened it. We're not hearing everything that's being said in court but I imagine he was asked by the prosecution if the door was already opened for his arrival and the defence barrister is trying to ease that by pointing out it didn't delay them getting inside.

 

[Tortoise]

Whatever this means. No live reports again, at least not yet.

Birmingham Crown Court 8 T20197175
Louise Porton
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 3 Continues - 10:30
Trial (Part Heard) - Prosecution Case - 11:01
Trial (Part Heard) - Prosecution Case - 11:15

I bet they'll all scramble down there if she takes the stand. I hate it when media sets us up to expect live reporting and then drop it. There's not one report from yesterday.

 

[Tortoise]

With a heavy sigh...

Birmingham Crown Court 8 T20197175
Louise Porton
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 3 Continues - 10:30
Trial (Part Heard) - Prosecution Case - 11:01
Trial (Part Heard) - Prosecution Case - 11:15
Trial (Part Heard) - No Event - 11:30
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 22 Sworn - 11:43
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 23 Sworn - 11:51
Trial (Part Heard) - No Event - 12:06
Trial (Part Heard) - No Event - 12:16
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 24 Sworn - 12:19
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 25 Sworn - 12:40
Trial (Part Heard) - Legal Submissions - 12:56
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 14:10 - 12:57
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 26 Sworn - 14:14
Trial (Part Heard) - No Event - 14:43
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 10:30 - 15:18
Trial (Part Heard) - Legal Submissions - 15:14
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 10:30 - 15:18

 

[MsFacetious]

Uh what about witnesses 4-21? Or are they numbered like jurors and don't have to go in numerical order?

 

[Tortoise]

Uh what about witnesses 4-21? Or are they numbered like jurors and don't have to go in numerical order?

I think availability of witnesses means they are sometimes taken out of order. If you look further up the page, the day before they had witnesses 14-18 and 20-21. Witnesses 1 thru 13 will have been called on days when we had media reporting and I didn't pull up the court schedule.

I copied the schedule over for the last two days to keep tabs on what has been happening in court while we've had no reports. I think we've been abandoned by media now until the defence case opens, and depending on whether she takes the stand or calls any witnesses it might then go straight to closing speeches and summing up and we might not hear anything more until the jury goes out.

 

[Tortoise]

I just had a look back to day one and they said the trial was expected to last 3 weeks. We're now in week 2. I never know if they include jury deliberations in that estimate, but it's usually a fairly accurate predictor from start to finish.

 

[Tortoise]

YES!! He's back.

Court LIVE: Mum accused of murdering daughters on trial - recap

 

[Tortoise]

10:30
What did the court hear last time?
We are back at Birmingham Crown Court this morning to hear more evidence in the murder trial of Louise Porton.

Previously, the jury heard from paramedics called to Porton’s flat in the early hours of January 15, 2018.

They found Lexi Draper on the bedroom floor and one medic said she had been “dead for some time”.

You can read more about what they had to say here

10:38
Nurse to give evidence
Everyone is now in place in the courtroom and the trial has resumed.

First in the witness box today is Emma Pugh, who is a paediatric nurse at University Hospital in Coventry.

She was involved in Lexi Draper’s treatment when she was on the high dependency unit at UHCW in early January 2018.

10:50
Mum 'didn't really interact' with daughter
The nurse tells the court that Porton was “quite quiet” while in the hospital with Lexi and “didn’t really interact” with her daughter.

Turning to the night of February 1 into February 2, Ms Pugh says she was on her way to “resus” - the resuscitation area - and she recognised Porton when she saw her in the corridor and this prompted her to tell colleagues about Lexi’s death a couple of weeks earlier.

She tells the jury that when there’s an “unexpected death” of a child a nurse stays with the parent or parents at all times and she did this with Porton when Scarlett died.

Court LIVE: Mum accused of murdering daughters on trial - recap

 

[Tortoise]

10:57
Mum discussed tattoos with nurse while daughter ill
Asked how Porton was while Scarlett was in the “resus” area, Emma Pugh says Porton was “calmer than you might expect but she was teary at times”.

When in the parents’ room after, the nurse says Porton was “more chatty” with her than on previous occasions and “talked a lot about her life and could tell me….things that I found emotional that she didn’t”.

She says Porton showed her photos on her phone of tattoos she had and was “saying some things that were quite surprising”.

11:08
Lexi's stay in hospital
Andrew Smith QC, defending, asks Ms Pugh if Porton was “present with Lexi” while she was on the high dependency unit. The nurse says Porton was.

Mr Smith says a note documented by the witness during Lexi’s stay at UHCW included one saying “mum tending to cares”.

The nurse explains this means that Porton was caring for Lexi and doing things such as changing nappies.


11:15
Not communicating with nurses
Another note made by the nurse talks about Porton not communicating with Lexi or staff and she explains to the court that there was “no conversation” between Porton and staff, and Porton would provide “short answers” to questions.

Mr Smith says that the times that Emma Pugh saw Porton on her mobile included times when Lexi was asleep. The witness agrees.


Court LIVE: Mum accused of murdering daughters on trial - recap

 

[Tortoise]

11:18
Mum held daughter for last time
Moving on to Scarlett’s admission to hospital on the evening of February 1, Mr Smith says that one of the things written down by Emma Pugh in hospital notes was that Porton “was crying at times and more so when time of death announced”.

The court hears that Porton was allowed to see Scarlett before leaving the hospital and when she did she “held Scarlett, was crying and stroked her daughter’s face”.

She also asked if it would be possible to get hand and footprints from her daughter.

That ends Ms Pugh’s evidence.


11:25
"No overt emotion"
A statement from Detective Sergeant Matthew Haden, of Warwickshire Police, is now being read out by prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC.

Det Sgt Haden says he was the on-call detective sergeant on February 1, 2018, and he was informed of a child in cardiac arrest in Rugby - this was Scarlett Vaughan.

He and a colleague went to University Hospital in Coventry and during that time spoke with Louise Porton.

In the statement he said Porton was “quiet” and “it was apparent she had been crying but showed no overt emotion”.


11:25
Short break
The court has now adjourned for a short break and when we resume it is expected that Karen Porton - the defendant’s sister - will give evidence.

Court LIVE: Mum accused of murdering daughters on trial - recap

 

[Tortoise]

11:55
Sister in witness stand
Louise Porton’s sister Karen is now in the witness stand.

The 26-year-old is going to be asked about the time before her nieces’ deaths and the time around their deaths in early 2018, Mr Saxby says.

Court LIVE: Mum accused of murdering daughters on trial - recap

 

[Tortoise]

11:59
Sister concerned mum was leaving children alone
Karen Porton is being taken through messages sent between herself and her sister.

She tells the court that some of them came amid concerns she had that Louise Porton was “leaving the children alone” - this is referring to Lexi and Scarlett.

Moving to January 2018, Mr Saxby asks Karen Porton if she knew of Lexi having “any problems with fitting”.

She replies that she did not.

Court LIVE: Mum accused of murdering daughters on trial - recap

 

[Tortoise]

12:15
Lexi on 'breathing tubes'
Karen Porton says that she was aware of Lexi being taken to hospital on January 2, 2018, as Louise Porton had either messaged her or rang her “straight away”.

She says that her sister was “upset” and spoke of Lexi being on “some breathing tubes”.

Mr Saxby asks about conversations that Louise Porton had with a hospital security guard during Lexi’s hospital stay which began on January 4, 2018.

Karen Porton says she was “aware” of them chatting and says Louise Porton told her they were “conversations to pass the time to keep her mind busy”.

Court LIVE: Mum accused of murdering daughters on trial - recap