A WOMAN has been convicted of the manslaughter of her four-month-old daughter four years ago, after violently shaking her on more than one occasion.

Melissa Wilband, 28, from Newent, had denied killing Lexi Wilband, but jurors found her guilty today (Wednesday, April 2) at Bristol Crown after deliberating for 10 hours following a four-week trial.

The court was told that Lexi collapsed at her home in Mantley Grove, Newent, on April 12, 2020 and died in hospital six days later.

Medical experts told the jury the damage caused to her brain was consistent with Lexi having been shaken at least once in the weeks or months leading up to her death, as well as on the day in question.

Wilband's boyfriend at the time, Jack Wheeler – who was not Lexi's biological father – was also charged with manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child.

However, after both gave evidence in court, the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence for the manslaughter charge for 31-year-old Wheeler and the jury found him not guilty of the other charge.

Prosecutor Jane Osbourne KC told the court Lexi was shaken so hard by Wilband on at least two occasions that this caused brain damage she could not recover from.

The events on the evening of April 12 were described differently by Wilband and Wheeler in court.

The jury was also told there were other aspects of Wilband's behaviour in the months preceding Lexi's death which showed she was responsible for her daughter's injuries.

She told a spiral of lies, including faking a paternity test to falsely claim Wheeler was Lexi's biological father.

Wilband also lied about their use of cocaine while looking after her children.

She took cocaine throughout her pregnancy and afterwards – including just six days after Lexi was born.

It was revealed in court how she and Wheeler would regularly take cocaine in bed with Lexi in her basket alongside.

Wilband lied to medical professionals and missed several appointments, and it was suggested by the prosecution that she might have missed appointments in order to prevent a doctor noticing that something was wrong with Lexi after being shaken.

Evidence was also heard that Wilband had researched online for 'baby screaming'.

On the night Lexi collapsed, Wilband did not call 999 for an ambulance, but instead dialled 111 – the non-emergency NHS number.

She hung up before getting past the automated message and then phoned her father who advised her to dial 999.

However, she again dialled 111, and it took over three and a half minutes from first dialling 111 for her to speak with emergency services.

When paramedics attended Wilband lied to them about the circumstances that led to Lexi's collapse, and continued to repeatedly lie to doctors at the hospital.

Shortly after her arrival at hospital Wilband messaged Wheeler telling him to lie about what had happened that evening. Those messages were later deleted from Wilband's phone but were present on his phone.

Wheeler, of Coachmans Court, Ledbury, went along with what Wilband had told him to say when first quizzed by police. However, he changed that account in subsequent interviews and in his evidence in court.

Wilband also messaged Wheeler to burn drugs bags in her bedside drawer so they wouldn’t be found, which were again deleted from her phone.

An investigation was launched by Gloucestershire Constabulary's Major Crime Investigation Team on April 13, when doctors had identified that Lexi's injuries were non-accidental and had been inflicted.

Detective Inspector Adam Stacey said: “Lexi was four-and-a-half months old when she died. Melissa Wilband inflicted such serious injuries that were sadly to prove fatal and tragically Lexi passed away six days later, despite the best efforts of all the medical staff who tried to save her.

“Further medical evidence showed that Lexi had suffered at least one other episode of shaking at some point before this one.

"Wilband told lie after lie after lie – right from Lexi's conception, and all the way throughout the pregnancy. These lies continued and were made to medical professionals trying to save Lexi's life, to the police, and all the way through to her giving evidence in court. The jury saw those lies for what they were.

"Lexi should be five years old now with her whole future ahead of her. She was shaken by someone who should have been protecting her.

“Someone who should have put her safety and wellbeing above everything else, her mother. Wilband did not do those things and in fact did the exact opposite. She now faces the consequences of her actions."

Wilband was bailed to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on May 22 .