Mother convicted of manslaughter after four-month-old Lexi died from catastrophic brain injuries during first COVID lockdown
A woman who killed her four-month-old baby by violently shaking her has been jailed for 15 years at Bristol Crown Court.
Melissa Wilband, 28, was found guilty earlier this year by a jury of the manslaughter of Lexi Wilband, who collapsed at their home in Newent, Gloucestershire, on 12 April 2020. The infant died six days later at Bristol Children’s Hospital from catastrophic brain injuries.
Medical evidence presented during the four-week trial revealed that Lexi had been shaken on at least two occasions – once in the weeks or months before her death, and again on the day she collapsed.
Judge’s Sentencing Remarks
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Saini told Wilband: “You killed Lexi by violently shaking her at the family home in Newent. Lexi was killed by you when the country was in the first national COVID-19 lockdown.”
The judge said he was satisfied Wilband had shaken Lexi twice, adding: “Lexi was about four-months-old when she died. She was a healthy baby. It is hard to imagine the pain that Lexi must have suffered both from the past violence and the violence that led to her death.”
Night of the Incident
On the evening of 12 April 2020, Wilband made a 111 call claiming Lexi had stopped breathing while in her bouncer chair. However, the court heard she initially dialled the non-emergency NHS number rather than 999, hanging up before getting past the automated message.
She then phoned her father who advised her to dial 999, but she again dialled 111. It took over three and a half minutes from first dialling 111 for Wilband to speak with emergency services.
When paramedics arrived, Wilband lied about the circumstances that led to Lexi’s collapse and continued to mislead doctors at the hospital.
Hospital Treatment
Lexi was initially taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital where she was intubated. When asked if she would like to hold her baby before the procedure, Wilband declined.
The infant was then transferred to Bristol Children’s Hospital, where Wilband told medics that her partner Jack Wheeler had been carrying Lexi in her bouncer chair and was swinging it – a claim he denied.
Following an MRI scan, a decision was made to switch off Lexi’s ventilator on 17 April. Prosecutor Jane Osborne KC told the court that Wilband spent three hours with Lexi that evening before leaving to go to sleep in a different part of the hospital, despite knowing her baby might die through the night.
“A staff nurse held Lexi’s hand through the night and remained with her,” Ms Osborne said. Lexi died on the morning of 18 April 2020, with Wilband arriving just after her daughter had stopped breathing.
Medical Evidence
A post-mortem examination gave Lexi’s cause of death as bleeding to the brain, caused by a non-accidental traumatic event consistent with violent shaking. Further tests found the areas of bleeding in Lexi’s eyes were “too numerous to count”.
Medical experts explained how the damage to Lexi’s brain was consistent with her having been shaken at least once in the weeks or months leading up to her death, as well as on the day in question.
Web of Lies
The trial revealed extensive evidence of Wilband’s dishonesty and concerning behaviour. The jury heard how she:
- Faked a paternity test to falsely claim Jack Wheeler was Lexi’s biological father, even misspelling “father” as “farther” on the fake certificate
- Took cocaine throughout her pregnancy and just six days after Lexi was born
- Regularly used cocaine while in bed with Lexi in her basket alongside
- Missed several medical appointments, possibly to prevent doctors noticing signs of abuse
- Conducted online searches for “baby screaming”
- Instructed Wheeler to burn drug bags in her bedside drawer after Lexi’s collapse
- Deleted incriminating messages from her phone
Partner Acquitted
Jack Wheeler, 31, Wilband’s boyfriend at the time, was acquitted of causing or allowing Lexi’s death. He had also been charged with manslaughter but this charge was withdrawn during the trial after prosecutors offered no evidence against him.
A genuine DNA test after Lexi’s birth confirmed Wheeler was not her biological father – she had been conceived with another man in early 2019. However, Wheeler had remained with Wilband and raised Lexi as his own child.
Police Investigation
Detective Inspector Adam Stacey of Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Major Crime Investigation Team 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.
He added: “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.
Crown Prosecution Service Response
Ann Hampshire of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Lexi’s life was tragically cut short by her mother, who should have loved and cared for her.”
The case highlighted the vulnerability of infants during the COVID-19 lockdown period, when many families were isolated from normal support networks and health visiting services were disrupted.
Wilband was convicted of manslaughter by a unanimous jury verdict on 2 April 2025 after just over 10 and a half hours of deliberation. She had denied ever shaking Lexi during the trial, claiming she had a “bad wrist” that made her physically unable to shake her daughter, and attempting to blame her partner.
The 15-year sentence reflects the severity of the crime and the breach of trust involved in a mother causing fatal injuries to her own infant child through deliberate violence on multiple occasions.
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