Mum who blamed another child for her baby's death found guilty of murder

A mother has been found guilty of murdering her 19-day-old daughter, who died with "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 on 14 July 2023, and had suggested the newborn had been dropped by another child.

But jurors at the High Court in Glasgow found the 30-year-old guilty of killing her young daughter.

The trial heard evidence that some of Thea's injuries had been caused by blunt force trauma, while others indicated she may have been shaken.

The judge, Lord Scott, said Blain would be jailed for life when she is sentenced next month.

However, he said he wanted more information before deciding how long she will spend in jail before she can apply for parole.

Blain sobbed loudly before, during and after the verdict was read out.

As she was remanded in custody and led away she shouted over to a friend: "Tell my dad I love him."

The trial heard that Blain had said she was struggling with post-natal depression after Thea's birth.

On the day of Thea's death, she was visited in the morning by a social worker who said the baby was in her crib, and that the mother had complained of feeling tired.

Blain was due 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 told the court he had heard a child screaming in the background.

He told the court: "I had never heard anything like it.

"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.

"She [Blain] did mumble 'I do not know what to do'. She did not sound right. I said: 'Hang up and call an ambulance'."

Blain also spoke on the phone to Thea's grandmother, saying she had found the baby with a bump on her head.

Later, when they met at the hospital, Blain told her another child who was in the flat "had done it".

Blain had also spoken on the phone earlier 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, not making any sounds and looked an "awful colour".

Thea died later that day in hospital.

Giving evidence at her trial, Blain denied trying to throw another child "under the bus" by blaming them for what happened.

She claimed Thea had been sleeping in a bedside crib and she herself had taken a nap, but was woken by a neighbour ringing the doorbell.

She said it was only when she returned to the bedroom that she noticed Thea was lying on the floor without her nappy or the blanket that had been covering her.

Blain said she did not know exactly what had taken place because she was asleep, but she 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 she 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 injures that indicated she may have been shaken.

A pathologist told the trial they were the type of injuries normally associated with a car crash, and unlikely to have been caused by another child.

A doctor who treated Thea in hospital described her injuries as "non-survivable".

She said the baby had suffered extensive bruising and swelling over her head, as well as scratches.

After the verdict Det Ch Insp Laura Young of Police Scotland said: "This is a tragic case in which a baby has lost her life and Nicole Blain will now have to face the consequences of her actions.

"I would like to thank all the officers involved, as well as our partner agencies, for their work during this investigation."