Mother is accused of murdering her 'unwanted' baby nine months after she was returned from foster care, jury hears

Kinga Wydrzynska, 26, of Rugby, Warwickshire, had hidden her pregnancy and handed Isabella over as "unwanted" at birth in December 2023, but the child was placed back with her and father Michal Stasiak, 28, less than a year before she died on January 7 2025. Prosecutor Annabel Darlow KC told Warwick Crown Court that Wydrzynska recorded a six-minute "self-pitying" selfie next to her daughter's "lifeless" body before dialling 999, adjusting camera angles and lamenting what the situation meant for herself. Both parents, Polish nationals, deny all charges including murder, sexual assault by penetration, and cruelty.

Isabella, 13 months old, had sustained a fractured skull, broken ribs, a broken right arm, multiple bruises and a burn covering her entire face.

The court heard Stasiak had a gambling habit and had moved out of the family home three and a half weeks before Isabella's death, following Wydrzynska's allegation that he had attacked her.

Wydrzynska had also searched online for 'how long do you get in prison for beating a child?', jurors were told.