Cleveland police failed to arrest man who later killed two-year-old girl

Isabelle Rose Welsh was the victim of a ‘sadistic’ campaign of abuse, the judge said. Photograph: Cleveland police/PA

Cleveland police failed to arrest a paedophile for breaching a non-molestation order, 18 months before he sexually assaulted and murdered and his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter, a court heard.

Isabelle Welsh died on 14 September 2025 after what police described as a “campaign of violence” against her. The two-year-old collapsed at her home in Teesside after weeks of abuse that left her covered in bruises and with 21 broken bones.