Mum's final act before murdering her daughter revealed in chilling CCTV
The final moments of two little girls before they were cruelly murdered by their mother have been revealed.
Louise Porton, 23, killed her daughters Lexi, 3, and 17-month-old Scarlett on January 15 and February 1, in 2018, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
Lexi had been taken to hospital in early January with breathing problems but was sent home with antibiotics.
The court heard paramedics arrived at Porton’s home on January 15 to find Lexi dead.
Eighteen days later, Porton called emergency services telling them Scarlett was unwell in the car. She drove Scarlett to hospital.
But doctors found Scarlett had been dead for some time when they examined her.
The court heard the pathologist could not identify the cause of death for either Lexi or her sister.
However, there were signs of an internal injury to Scarlett’s neck and her blood was found on a hotel pillow.
Both deaths were said to be consistent with “airway obstruction”.
On Thursday, she was convicted of murdering both of them. She will be sentenced on Friday (local time).
The final moments of Scarlett’s life
CCTV released by the Crown Prosecution Service showed the final moments of Scarlett’s life.
Porton leaves a hotel holding Scarlett before placing her in a car.
She stops at a petrol station as the little girl lies dying inside while she pumps gas.
The 23-year-old pays the attendant and drives off - this was just before she called the hospital.
Porton’s Facebook profile featured a picture of her two daughters.
“Mummy's angels taken from me too soon,” she wrote.
“You will never be forgotten.”
Mum’s ‘burden’
The Crown Prosecution case claimed Porton saw her two little girls as a burden to her.
This was supported by evidence from witnesses and evidence recovered from her phone which showed she frequently left Lexi and Scarlett by themselves.
The prosecution claimed Porton also laughed in a funeral parlour laughing after Lexi’s death.
Porton was active on dating websites exchanged messages with men, arranged photo shoots and sent sexual images of herself whilst Lexi was seriously ill in hospital
The court heard the mum had searched the web for how long it took a body to go cold just hours before she called emergency services about Lexi.
CPS’s Anjuli Shergill said the messages sent by Porton during the time of both her daughters’ deaths were “chilling”.
“With CCTV and witness accounts, we were able to piece together the lead up to the deaths of both children,” Ms Shergill said.
“When put in the context of the medical expert evidence and her own inconsistent accounts as to how the children died, we built a compelling case against her.”
The Crown provided examples of Porton’s messages on dating site Badoo with a man named Dave just one day after Lexi’s death.
She accepted 41 friend requests on January 16.
Porton had been messaging a man named Scott since January 14 to arrange a meeting but they held off meeting and suggested a date over the weekend (January 19-20).
A man named Leon also asks about a date to which she replies, “yeah, see how things go”.
According to The Sun, the court heard Porton left Lexi in a hospital bed at one point to perform sex acts on a client.
The mum performed sex acts for money and often appeared in lewd photo shoots, the court heard.
The ‘heartbroken’ father who never met his daughter
Chris Draper, the father of both Lexi and Scarlett, said in a statement the family are distressed by their deaths.
“When we lost Lexi we were heartbroken and couldn't believe she had gone,” Mr Draper said.
“Then we were devastated to hear about Scarlett.”
Mr Draper added he had only a “short time” with Lexi and never met Scarlett.
“It makes it all the more heartbreaking,” he said.
“We will miss out on all those special occasions they would have celebrated. Their first day at school, birthdays, getting married and having children of their own.
“The loss of Lexi and Scarlett has not just affected the immediate family, but also all those who were part of their lives.
“The only comfort is that Lexi and Scarlett are together.”
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