Nicole Blain was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 19 years after being convicted of murdering her 19-day-old daughter Thea Wilson
NEED TO KNOW
- Nicole Blain was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 19 years for murdering her 19-day-old daughter Thea Wilson
- The 30-year-old had claimed another child caused the newborn’s fatal injuries, but a judge rejected the explanation as “patently absurd,” per the BBC
- Cries of “monster” rang out in court as Blain was led away following sentencing for the baby’s 2023 death
Nicole Blain, the Scottish mother convicted of murdering her newborn daughter after claiming another child caused the fatal injuries, was sentenced to life in prison and heckled as a “monster” while being led out of the courtroom.
Blain, 30, was ordered to serve a minimum of 19 years behind bars after being sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow, Scotland, according to the BBC.
The sentencing comes about a month after Blain was convicted of murdering her 19-day-old daughter, Thea Wilson, whom prosecutors said died after suffering catastrophic injuries, including multiple skull fractures and broken ribs.
Judge Lord Scott rejected Blain’s claim that another child had caused the injuries, calling her account a “patently absurd” version of events, the BBC reported.
Credit: Scotland Police
“Rather than love, protect and nurture her, what Thea received from you was catastrophic deadly violence,” the judge told Blain, per the outlet.
As PEOPLE previously reported, the case stemmed from a July 14, 2023, emergency call reporting that Thea had become unwell at a home in Greenock. The infant was taken to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, where she died, according to a Police Scotland release.
Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty
At trial, jurors heard that Thea suffered three skull fractures, broken ribs, brain damage and bleeding behind her eyes. A pathologist testified the injuries were consistent with violent shaking and impact with a hard surface, according to the BBC.
Blain had maintained that she awoke from a nap and found her daughter injured on the floor, suggesting another child had dropped the newborn, per the outlet, which reported prosecutors argued the explanation was “just nonsense.”
A jury ultimately found her guilty of murder.
Credit: Alamy
“It could not have been caused by a fall or being dropped,” Judge Scott said at sentencing, according to the BBC. “Despite persistent attempts to suggest it, what was done was not by another child, but by you, the main person responsible for the care of baby Thea.”
The judge also described Blain’s efforts to blame another child as “a feeble attempt to evade responsibility” for the crime, per the outlet.
According to the BBC, cries of “monster” rang out from the public gallery as Blain was led away to begin serving her sentence.
The baby’s father, Ross Wilson, said in a victim impact statement read in court that losing Thea had “broken” his heart and “shattered” his life.
“The emptiness I felt walking away from her … since that moment I cannot sleep, eat or take part in any form of physical exercise,” Wilson said, according to the BBC. “The pain is constant — it does not ease, it does not fade.”
Following the hearing, supporters gathered outside court for a balloon release in Thea’s memory while shouting, “Justice for Thea,” the outlet reported.
Blain’s attorney said, per the outlet, that an appeal of both her conviction and sentence has already been lodged.
“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,” Detective Chief Inspector Laura Young previously said in a statement.
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