A mum accused of murdering her two daughters has denied causing their injuries, or being 'fascinated with death'.

Louise Porton, 23, told the trial at Birmingham Crown Court that she was not responsible for the bruising or bleeding her daughters sustained before their deaths.

Lexi Draper, three, was pronounced dead at their flat in Rugby on January 15, 2018.

Two weeks later her baby sister Scarlett Vaughan, who was 17 months old, also died.

Prosecutor Mr Oliver Saxby QC alleges that Porton obstructed their airways causing her daughters' deaths because they got in the way of her lifestyle.

The court previously heard how Porton had joked about giving her children sleeping tablets and sent naked pictures to men for money while Lexi was in hospital.

Today, Porton's evidence concluded and she denied harming Lexi or Scarlett.

Chilling internet searches

Mr Saxby accused Porton of "doing something" to cause Lexi's death around the time she was making internet searches about death and resuscitation.

Porton told the court she "didn't do anything to Lexi" and denied she had a "fascination with death".

Yesterday the court heard about internet pages she visited, called "for how long after drowning can someone be resuscitated” and “how long does it take for a dead body to go cold up to the shoulder”.

Porton said she did not know why she visited them but denied she was thinking about harming her children.


Mr Saxby told the court that blotches on Lexi's cheek could have been caused by her having her airway obstructed, which Porton said did not happen.

He also asked Porton about a number of injuries that Scarlett sustained prior to her death, including bruising to her neck and head, which Porton told the court she did not cause.

Porton told the court that blood linked to Scarlett which was found on her pillow could have been caused by her teething.

Mr Saxby put it to Porton that her youngest daughter Scarlett was dead before she called the emergency services on the night of February 1 last year - something Porton denied.

The court previously heard evidence from a medical professional who said Scarlett's temperature was very low when it was taken at the hospital, suggesting she had been dead for some time.

Mr Saxby also told the court that Porton had failed to mention in her evidence some symptoms she had previously said Scarlett was suffering in the days before her death.

He said Porton had previously mentioned her daughter having a cough and not eating much, which he said must have "slipped her mind" when asked about her symptoms in court.


Text messages read out in court suggested that Porton's sister Karen believed she was coming across as "emotionless" and "heartless" in the days after Lexi's death.

They also suggest Porton was considering meeting up with men she met online, prompting her sister to tell her to "put Scarlett first".

In previous evidence, the court heard that Porton would make money from sending sexual images to men using her mobile phone.

She admitted to asking a man for money in return for sexual photos while she was in hospital with her daughter Lexi in the days leading to her death.

Porton also told the court that she is the kind of person who doesn't show emotion and would not cry in public.

Mr Saxby also accused Porton of getting drunk two days after Lexi's death.

Porton said she couldn't be sure if she had been drinking that night but didn't believe she would have got that drunk.


Porton also admitted to trying to 'hide her lifestyle' by lying about sending messages concerning her children to men she knew over the internet.

Porton told the court she lied because admitting her lifestyle was "embarrassing".

The court heard that Porton answered "no comment" to police questions in interviews of January this year, which she says she did to follow the advice offered by her solicitor.

She told the court that she did want to help police with an explanation of what happened. 

The trial continues.

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