WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT: Nicole Blain, 30, has been convicted of murdering her 19-day-old daughter Thea Jane Wilson after footage emerged of her storming off at her gender reveal party
A mum who brutally murdered her newborn baby was caught on camera storming out of her gender reveal party after discovering she was expecting a girl.
Nicole Blain, 30, was yesterday found guilty of the murder of her 19-day-old daughter Thea Jane Wilson following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
Baby Thea suffered a series of devastating injuries including three skull fractures, brain damage and bleeding behind the eyes after a violent outburst by Blain at her flat in Greenock, Inverclyde, on July 14, 2023. The infant’s injuries were consistent with her being violently shaken and repeatedly slammed against a hard floor, wall or furniture.
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Footage has now emerged from Blain’s gender reveal party for the then unborn Thea, published on February 7, 2023. The clip shows Blain visibly agitated as she stands clutching a pink knife.
Blain appears to shout at her loved-one holding a black balloon containing either blue or pink confetti – signifying which gender her baby will be – while attempting to burst it. She eventually manages and streams of pink confetti scatter across the living room, reports the Daily Record. Blain is then filmed walking off.
The mum attempted to cover-up her daughter’s death by saying she had woken up from a nap to find her on the floor. She later went on to claim another child also in the flat had “done” whatever happened to Thea. A pathologist later ruled out Thea could have been fatally hurt by being dropped by this youngster.
Thea was described during the trial as “perfect” when she was born on June 25, 2023. Blain – who had been on bail – cried hysterically as she was led handcuffed to the cells. She will return to the dock next month.
On the day of the killing, there had been a plan for Blain to take the child to her paternal grandmother Laura Wilson’s home in Ayrshire. But, it was around 2pm that afternoon, the gran’s husband Alan took a call on her mobile from Blain.
Mr Wilson, 59, told jurors: “I could hear screaming. I had never heard anything like it. It was piercing and extremely loud. I thought it was an older child doing it, but then I realised it was the baby who was screaming. She (Blain) did mumble ‘I do not know what to do’. She did not sound right. I said ‘hang up and phone an ambulance’.”
Mrs Wilson also spoke with the killer mum. The witness recalled: “She said she had found Thea on the floor with no clothes on and had a bump on her head.” Mrs Wilson rushed through to the hospital in Glasgow to be there for her beloved granddaughter. She quizzed Blain on what had happened at the flat.
Mrs Wilson: “She said that it was (another child also staying with her) who had done it.” Blain added she had woke up and found Thea out of her crib and on the floor. Thea tragically did not recover – it was concluded the baby had suffered “significant non-accidental head trauma”. As well as the skull fractures, Thea also had injuries to her ribs consistent with her chest being pressed.
The baby’s neck was also hurt which could have been from “forceful” movement back and forwards of her head. Pathologist Leighanne Deboys told the jury a combination of Thea being shaken and impact with a hard surface would account for these horrific injuries – described by another medic as similar to those suffered by a car crash victim.
In court, Blain said she loved Thea, which she also declared in texts to the baby’s gran Laura Wilson. In separate footage in June last year, Blain was filmed being hounded out of her then home in Renfrewshire after an irate mob descended on the property.
Police had to guard the house as two women – one believed to be Blain – were escorted into a van by three officers. Sentencing was deferred on Blain – who had a minor previous assault conviction – for reports.
