Saturday 3 August 2019 The Guardian •
National^15
Mother
who killed
daughters
sentenced
to 32 years
Caroline Davies
A mother who murdered her two
young daughters 18 days apart after
they “got in the way” of her living the
life she wanted, has been jailed for at
least 32 years.
Louise Porton, 23, killed Lexi
Draper, three, and 17-month old Scar-
lett Vaughan last year. Both deaths
were consistent with deliberate airway
obstruction, and doctors could not
fi nd “any natural reason why either
should have died”, prosecutors said.
Porton suff ocated Lexi in the early
hours of 15 January , and was then
heard “laughing” at a funeral parlour
two days before killing her younger
child Scarlett on 1 February. A jury
heard that Porton, who described
herself as a model on a dating app,
accepted 41 friend requests from men
the day after Lexi’s death.
After Scarlett’s death, she had
delayed calling an ambulance, even
filling up with petrol as the tod-
dler lay dead or dying in her car, and
was described as being “calm and
emotionless”.
Her children “got in the way of her
doing what she wanted, when shewanted and with whom she wanted ”,
said Oliver Saxby QC, prosecuting.
Porton, of Skiddaw, Rugby, War-
wickshire, denied killing the girls, but
was unanimously convicted following
a fi ve-week trial.
Jailing her for life, with a minimum
term of 32 years, the judge, Mrs Jus-
tice Yip, described Porton’s actions as
“evil” and “calculated”.
“One way or another you squeezed
the life out of each of your daughters,only calling the emergency services
when you knew they were dead. I am
sure at the time of the deaths, you
intended to kill each of your daugh-
ters. Why you did so, only you will
know.”
Evidence pointed to Porton hav-
ing made two previous unsuccessful
attempts on Lexi’s life. She had twice
been taken to hospital but was sent
home with antibiotics for an appar-
ent chest infection.
The judge said she was sure that
Porton had been responsible for events
leading to Lexi’s earlier admissions to
hospital on 2 January and on 4 Janu-
ary when her life was saved by skilled
resuscitation by paramedics.
Porton had made “sinister” internet
searches at the time about death and
breathing and drowning , Birmingham
crown court heard.
The crown alleged Lexi had been
dead for some time before a 999 call
was made. Of Lexi’s death, the judge
said: “I am left in no doubt that you
delayed calling for an ambulance until
you were sure she was dead and could
not be resuscitated.”
When Lexi was ill in hospital, Por-
ton took topless photos in the hospital
toilets and was arranging to perform
sex acts for money with a man she had
met through a website, the jury heard.
After Lexi’s death, it appeared to the
funeral arranger present that Porton
was “using FaceTime and that she was
speaking to a man”.▲ Louise Porton, 23, used a dating
app the day after Lexi Draper’s death The deaths of
Louise Porton’s
daughters
Lexi Draper,
three, left, and
17-month-old
Scarlett Vaughan
were consistent
with airway
obstruction
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