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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Neil Murphy

Evil mum Louise Porton's dating app messages day after murdering daughter

Evil mum Louise Porton sent dating app messages to men just a day after she murdered her daughter.

Louise Porton had denied killing three-year-old Lexi Draper and 17-month-old Scarlett Vaughan, but was found guilty by a unanimous jury decision at Birmingham Crown Court after a five-week trial.

Jurors heard Porton had accepted 41 friend requests on a dating app just a day after first child Lexi died, and was described by prosecutors as being "calm and emotionless" following Scarlett's death.

Lexi and Scarlett died just two weeks apart last year.

When Lexi was ill in hospital, just over a week before she died, Porton took topless photos in the toilets and was arranging to perform sex acts for money with a man she had met through a website.

Louise Porton was found guilty of murdering both of her daughters (PA)
Messages the mum-of-two sent to clients were read out in court (Helen Tipper / SWNS)

The text messages show how Porton asked for money for fuel so she could drive her seriously ill daughter to hospital.

Another showed how she sent messages to other men just one day after her daughter had passed away.

Porton also swapped more than 80 messages with a hospital guard after meeting him in the A&E department, prosecutors said.

She admitted spending "two or three hours" each day chatting to men on dating apps MeetMe and Badoo.

And just 24 hours after Lexi's death, Porton was chatting with men on MeetMe, where she accepted 41 friend requests.

She was also seen Facetiming with a man while arranging Lexi's burial at a funeral home, the trial was told.

The text exchanges Louise Porton had with a mate called 'Patrick' saying her daughter Scarlett was ill (SWNS)
Text message exchanges between Louise Porton and and two men about a possible meet up (SWNS)

Both children had symptoms consistent with deliberate airway obstruction and Scarlett had signs of recent bleeding in her neck tissue, suggestive of neck compression, jurors heard.

Mr Saxby said specialist doctors could find no "natural reason" for why either child had died.

After Scarlett's fatal collapse, Porton told police it was "entirely false" to suggest the toddler was already dead when she was recorded on CCTV carrying the little girl from a hotel, in Rugby, where she had been staying.

But the paramedic responding to the subsequent non-emergency 111 call Porton made, described the girl being "freezing and completely lifeless" when he arrived.

CCTV showed Porton filling up with petrol during the period when jurors heard Scarlett had already died.

Tributes were paid to the two girls under this picture (Facebook)
Lexi Draper, three, and 16-month-old Scarlett Vaughan (Facebook)

Porton had denied wrong-doing throughout, telling police in a prepared statement: "My children were never an inconvenience to me and I accommodated my lifestyle and personal life around them.

"I still don't know how my daughters died, or what caused it."

In a heartbreaking statement, Chris Draper, Lexi's and Scarlett's dad, said: "When we lost Lexi we were heart broken and couldn't believe she had gone.

"Then we were devastated to hear about Scarlett.

"Only having a short time with Lexi and never meeting Scarlett makes it all the more heart breaking.

"We will miss out on all those special occasions they would have celebrated. Their first day at school, birthdays, getting married and having children of their own.

"The loss of Lexi and Scarlett has not just affected the immediate family, but also all those who were part of their lives.

"The only comfort is that Lexi and Scarlett are together.

"We would like to thank everyone for their support and help."

Porton, formerly of Skiddaw, Rugby, Warwickshire, will be sentenced by Mrs Justice Yip on Friday.

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