Mum's chilling TikTok videos after daughter’s 'brutal' death
TikTok videos made by a mother who was convicted of manslaughter, have come to light, sharing tributes to her daughter who was found dead after a violent assault.
Nicola Priest along with her now-ex boyfriend Callum Redfern, both 22, were both sentenced to more than 10 years in prison earlier this month, following the death of Priest's three-year-old daughter, Kaylee-Jayde Priest.
On August 8, 2020, Kaylee-Jayde suffered catastrophic abdominal and chest injuries, including fractured ribs, during an attack at her mother's Kingshurst home in England.
According to West Midland Police, Kaylee-Jayde's injuries were consistent with someone punching, kicking and stamping on multiple times.
One of Kalyee-Jayde's broken ribs punctured a lung and she was found dead at 11am the next morning when Priest went to check on her.
It is undetermined who delivered the fatal blows to the toddler. Experts revealed in court if Kaylee-Jayde received medical attention following the assault, there is a good chance she would have survived.
Disturbing TikToks and confronting texts
In September, Priest shared what appears to be her first TikTok — a montage of photos of Kaylee-Jayde.
"RIP my baby," she wrote in the caption.
Her next video came days later, and features her crying and lip syncing to a song featuring the lyrics "I'm sorry mum and dad, I know I messed up bad".
Priest then made another video montage for Kaylee-Jayde, saying she "loves" her, before she started making dancing videos.
According to West Midlands Police, Priest was "addicted to social media", and ignored her daughter at the time of the assault last year.
"Instead, her attention was on uploading videos and images to Snapchat – including ones of her love bites — and messaging friends and Redfern late into the night," police said.
Redfern pinned the fatal assault on Priest, however prosecutors suggested it was him who lashed out at Kaylee-Jayde, frustrated by her calls for attention after being put to bed.
"On the night of the assault they [Priest and Redfern] were excited to see each other: their focus was on each other," Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Adam Jobson said in a statement.
"The prosecution case was that Kaylee-Jayde was calling out for their attention, she wanted to carry on playing, and they lashed out in frustration."
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Pathology tests found Kaylee-Jayde had partially-healed fractures to her sternum, ribs and jaw, meaning this was not the first time the three-year-old was subject to "serious violence".
Priest and Redfern had no explanation for the previous injuries, none of which were reported to a doctor.
The police investigation unearthed disturbing text messages between Priest and Redfern, where the two would discuss physical punishments they would dish out to Kaylee-Jayde.
"There was evidence of past, partially-healed injuries on Kaylee-Jayde’s body," Insp Jobson said.
"We believe the level of discipline she was subjected to became increasingly forceful and violent during Priest and Redfern’s relationship, culminating in the fatal assault."
Couple cleared of murder
Following a six-week trial, Priest and Redfern were cleared of murder, but the jury found them guilty of manslaughter, with Priest also being convicted of child neglect relating to Kaylee-Jayde's historic injuries.
Priest was jailed for 15 years and Redfern for 14 on August 6.
"This was a heart-breaking case in which an innocent child has experienced terrible suffering at the hands of those who should be caring for her," Insp Jobson said.
“Throughout our investigation we strived to find out exactly how and why Kaylee-Jayde Priest died… sadly it will only ever be Priest and Redfern who know the exact sequence of events that day."
Kaylee-Jayde's grandmother, Debbie Windmill, says she will "forever" hold the memory of her granddaughter in her heart.
"I loved every moment of watching her develop to nearly school age; preparing to buy my first grandchild her pre-school uniform was something that filled me with such happiness," Ms Windmill said.
“I couldn’t wait to see her in it, but this opportunity was stolen from me in the most brutal of ways."
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