LOUISE PORTON FROM RUGBY FOUND GUILTY OF MURDERING HER DAUGHTERS IN HORRIFIC CRIME SCENE
A woman responsible for the deaths of her two daughters due to their interference with her sex life has received a life sentence.Louise Porton denied causing the deaths of three-year-old Lexi Draper and 17-month-old Scarlett Vaughan, who died 18 days apart last year.
However, she was convicted of their murders and received a minimum term of 32 years in prison at Birmingham Crown Court.
During the trial, jurors observed that Porton did not exhibit signs of distress over her children’s deaths.
In her sentencing, Mrs Justice Yip condemned the murders as "evil" and "calculated," emphasizing that the children, who were innocent and vulnerable, deserved protection and care from their mother, which she failed to provide.
The judge stated that Porton had no identifiable mental health issues or medical conditions to explain her actions.
The judge further explained that Porton deliberately suffocated Lexi in the early hours of 15 January 2018 and was seen “laughing” at a funeral parlour two days before Scarlett’s death on 1 February.
Evidence showed Porton accepted 41 dating app friend requests shortly after Lexi’s death and remained seemingly unemotional after Scarlett’s death.
While Lexi was hospitalized suffering from illness, Porton took topless photos and attempted to arrange sex acts for money with a man she had met online.
Both deaths involved clear airway obstruction, and doctors found no natural cause for the tragic outcomes.
Warwickshire Police revealed evidence suggesting Porton had tried to kill her daughter twice in early January 2018 before succeeding.
Court searches indicated she looked up reasons such as "Why did my 3 year(-old) stop breathing" and "How long after drowning can someone be resuscitated?" in her Google account.
The children’s father, Chris Draper, expressed his devastation in a victim impact statement, questioning Porton’s motives and condemning her for harming their daughters.
He remarked on her lack of remorse and his inability to understand why his children were taken from him, describing his ongoing grief and rage.
The trial also uncovered that from August 2016 to November 2017, Porton resided in Willenhall, near Walsall, where her landlady increasingly cared for Lexi and Scarlett as Porton engaged in social activities rather than caring for her children.
Detective Superintendent Pete Hill of Warwickshire Police described the murders as premeditated and showed no remorse, stating that the sentence reflected the gravity of her crimes.
Additionally, Warwickshire County Council and the Warwickshire Safeguarding Board announced that a serious case review would be conducted in light of the children’s deaths.
