A judge has begun his summary of the trial of a couple accused of murdering a two-year-old girl whose body was found in her pushchair in temporary housing in Ipswich last summer.

Before Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday were Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell and Scott Jeff, both 24 and of no fixed address, who have denied murdering Isabella Wheildon between June 26 and 30 last year.

In addition to denying murder, Jeff has also denied causing or allowing the death of a child between June 26 and 30 last year and two offences of cruelty to a child.

Gleason-Mitchell has pleaded guilty to causing or allowing the death of Isabella, who was her daughter, and two offences of cruelty to a child under 16.

Jeff was not the father of Isabella.

The court had previously heard that Isabella’s body was found in her pushchair in the shower of temporary housing at East Villa in Sidegate Lane in east Ipswich in June last year.

She had suffered extensive bruising all over her body, fractures to both her wrists and her pelvis caused by possible kicking or stamping in the weeks after Jeff started a relationship with Gleason-Mitchell.

It has been alleged that following Isabella’s death the couple had pushed her dead body around in her pushchair with the hood up for several days before leaving her body in the Ipswich housing unit and fleeing to Bury St Edmunds.

They were arrested in the west Suffolk town.

Following the summary, which will continue on Thursday by Justice Garnham, the jury will retire to consider its verdicts in the case.

Gleason-Mitchell and Jeff have been on trial since it began at the start of October and have been remanded in custody.