MELISSA WILBAND FROM NEWENT SENTENCED FOR MANSLAUGHTER IN BRISTOL

A woman from the Westcountry has been sentenced for manslaughter after violently shaking her four-month-old daughter multiple times. Melissa Wilband denied causing her child's death, but after a four-week trial at Bristol Crown Court, jurors took just over ten and a half hours to find her guilty. GloucestershireLive reports that Lexi Wilband collapsed at their home on Mantley Grove, Newent, Forest of Dean, on April 12, 2020. She was taken to hospital but died six days later, on April 18, due to severe brain injuries consistent with being shaken.

Medical experts testified that Lexi had been shaken at least once before her collapse and on the night she fell ill. The court heard that Wilband’s former boyfriend, Jack Wheeler, was also charged with manslaughter and related offences, but the prosecution chose not to proceed with those charges, resulting in his acquittal.

It was alleged that Wilband shook Lexi so violently that she suffered irreversible brain damage. Evidence revealed that Wilband lied repeatedly, including faking paternity tests and claiming that she and Wheeler used cocaine while caring for the children. Her drug use was confirmed by evidence showing she used cocaine during pregnancy and shortly after Lexi’s birth, and both she and Wheeler reportedly used cocaine while in bed with the infant.

Additionally, Wilband failed to call emergency services appropriately on the night Lexi collapsed. Instead, she dialed non-emergency numbers and hung up, lying repeatedly to paramedics and medical staff about the circumstances. Court evidence included messages where Wilband instructed Wheeler to lie about the events and to burn drugs.

Detective Inspector Adam Stacey emphasized that Lexi, only around four and a half months old, suffered serious injuries from Wilband’s actions, with further evidence suggesting previous episodes of shaking.

Wilband is scheduled for sentencing on May 22 at Bristol Crown Court, having been bailed pending her hearing. The case highlights her failure to protect her child along with her continued deception during the investigation and trial period.