Ipswich – Man convicted of the murder of Isabella Jonas-Wheildon

Scott Jeff & Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell

A 24-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering a two-year-old girl who was found deceased in temporary accommodation in Ipswich last summer, while the girl’s mother has been convicted of an alternative homicide offence.

Scott Jeff was convicted of murdering Isabella Jonas-Wheildon at Ipswich Crown Court today, Friday 22 November, following an eight-week trial.

Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, aged 24, was on trial alongside Jeff and was found not guilty of murder, with the judge directing the jury that it was only possible for one of them to be convicted of this offence.

However, Gleason-Mitchell had previously pleaded guilty to causing or allowing the death of a child and two offences of cruelty to a child. Causing or allowing the death of a child is a homicide offence.

Jeff had also denied two counts of cruelty to a child but was found guilty of these offences in addition to the murder conviction.

Isabella’s body had been discovered on Friday 30 June 2023 in a buggy at the temporary accommodation in Ipswich where Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell had been staying for the previous 11 days. It is believed she had died four days earlier, during the evening of Monday 26 June.

The defendants, who were both of no fixed address but formerly from Bedfordshire, were arrested in the early hours of Saturday 1 July in Bury St Edmunds, having fled Ipswich after police had found Isabella’s body in the flat where they had been staying.

Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell were both charged with murder on Tuesday 4 July and made their first court appearance the following day. The pair were later additionally charged with two counts of cruelty to a child after tests found traces of cocaine and cannabis in Isabella’s system.

An initial post-mortem examination held on Tuesday 4 July was inconclusive. Following a subsequent number of expert tests, Isabella’s cause of death was determined to have been bone marrow embolism and skeletal trauma.  

Isabella had sustained fractures to both of her wrists and her pelvis – injuries which were consistent with having been kicked or stamped on – and also had extensive bruising all over her body. Bone marrow from her pelvic injuries entered her bloodstream and lungs, causing the embolism.

These injuries occurred in the timeframe since Jeff had entered into a relationship with Gleason-Mitchell, with the pathologist determining that the first significant injury (which was to her wrists) occurred after Monday 12 June.

The court heard that the Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell had entered into a relationship in May 2023 (having previously been in a short relationship in 2019) and that Gleason-Mitchell had begun claiming that Jeff may in fact be Isabella’s father – a claim that was later proven to be untrue.

They had left their home in Bedfordshire a month prior to their arrests, on Thursday 1 June, and travelled via train to Great Yarmouth. They initially told friends and family they were going on holiday, but then later claimed they were fleeing domestic abuse at the hands of a former partner of Gleason-Mitchell’s – a claim she later admitted was false.

They then spent the next 11 days staying at different accommodation in Great Yarmouth and also Caister-on-Sea, which is just slightly further along the Norfolk coast.

By Monday 12 June they had run out of money for proper accommodation and bought a tent and camped on the beach at Caister-on-Sea for the next four nights.

On Friday 16 June, police were alerted to their presence on the beach and officers checked on their welfare and supported a move to alternative accommodation. At the same time an employee of a nearby restaurant had secured them some free accommodation at another holiday park nearby. This offer was corroborated by the police and they were transported there later that day.

Over the course of that weekend they were found temporary accommodation in Ipswich, where they arrived on Monday 19 June.

It is believed that Isabella had already sustained broken wrists and some bruising prior to their arrival in Ipswich and she was frequently seen wearing a winter coat (during what was a very hot June) and large sunglasses to hide injuries.  

It was during the next week while at the temporary accommodation in Ipswich that the prosecution attested Isabella had sustained more severe injuries, culminating it what proved to be a fatal assault on Monday 26 June.

Later that evening Isabella began to have difficulty breathing and the pair claimed they attempted to perform CPR on her. Gleason-Mitchell stated at the time they realised she had died, she looked at her watch and it was 11.37pm.

30 minutes after this (at 12.07am on Tuesday 27 June) the couple went out to the shops and CCTV footage shows them joking, apparently unaffected by what had just taken place.

Over the course of the next three-days they proceeded to carry-on as ‘normal’, pushing Isabella’s body around in a buggy. This included getting the bus into town to go shopping and going to the pub.

As the week progressed, Gleason-Mitchell was in contact with a friend and told her something bad had happened, before eventually disclosing that Isabella had died and her body was in a buggy in the bathroom of their flat.

Her friend contacted Bedfordshire Police on Friday 30 June and they in turn contacted Suffolk Police, who immediately began enquiries to locate them. They were quickly tracked down to the temporary accommodation in Ipswich.

When officers entered the flat they discovered Isabella’s body in the buggy in the bathroom as had been described.

Jeff and Gleason-Mitchell were not present and it is believed they attempted to return to the flat and after spotting police at the building, made efforts to quickly leave Ipswich.

After getting a train to Bury St Edmunds, they then spent several hours in a pub until closing time. Following extensive enquiries, police located them in Bury St Edmunds at around 12.40am on Saturday 1 July, when they were both arrested.

Both Scott Jeff and Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell denied the charge of murder. The jury had been directed by the judge they could not both be found guilty of murder, as only one of them was responsible for causing Isabella’s injuries and the jury ultimately found Scott Jeff guilty by a unanimous verdict. The offences to which Gleason-Mitchell pleaded guilty are also extremely serious.

The pair have been remanded in custody pending a sentencing hearing to be held at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday 13 December.

Detective Chief Inspector Craig Powell, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: “The murder of any child is in my opinion the worst crime imaginable. When they are killed at the hands of those who were supposed to protect and care for such a young and innocent life it is somehow even worse. 

“Tragically this is exactly what happened to two-year-old Isabella Jonas-Wheildon. Today has seen the delivery of justice for Isabella and her family, with Scott Jeff having been found guilty of her murder and her own mother, Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, being convicted of causing or allowing her death.

“This poor family have had to endure not only the loss of their precious Isabella, but have then been subjected to hearing the most harrowing details of the final few weeks of her life. These details included the suffering delivered by Scott Jeff whilst her mother Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell stood close by and did nothing to intervene, despite having so much opportunity to have done something to stop it.

“I want to pay my respects and heartfelt thanks to the family of Isabella who have - since the very beginning of this investigation - put their unwavering faith and trust in the Constabulary and my team. The family have remained so dignified and brave, even when faced with detailed evidence at the lengthy trial. This trial and the pain and suffering which it caused was only necessary due to Scott unsuccessfully attempting to deny his guilt.

“Isabella has I know touched the hearts of so many. I recognise how difficult this case has been for the many witnesses and jury members, along with the entire investigation and prosecution team, including Sally Howes KC and Junior Counsel Alex Kettle-Williams. I alongside the family wish to thank them all for delivering justice for Isabella.”