Mother guilty of murdering baby daughter after brutal shaking injuries

Nicole Blain was found guilty by majority verdict at the High Court in Glasgow of murdering her 19-day-old daughter after Thea June Wilson suffered catastrophic head injuries in a flat in Greenock, Inverclyde. The baby, born on June 25, 2023, died on July 14, 2023, after prosecutors said Blain repeatedly shook her and inflicted blunt force trauma by means unknown.

The case exposed how quickly lethal abuse can escalate in the first weeks of life. Jurors heard that Thea was under three weeks old when she died, with doctors describing her condition as non-survivable. Medical evidence detailed extensive bruising, swelling and scratches, while doctors said the injuries were not consistent with the baby being dropped.

The forensic evidence was even more stark. A pathologist told the court that Thea had three separate skull fractures, two posterior rib fractures, neck injuries consistent with forceful back-and-forth movement, and bleeding in all layers of her retinas. The pattern was described as significant non-accidental head trauma, with a shaken-impact mechanism considered more likely than an accident.

The court also heard evidence that Blain tried to shift blame onto another child. Prosecutors said she told Thea’s paternal grandmother that another child had “done” whatever had happened to the baby, and later said she did not know how she would “forgive” that child. Blain denied murdering her daughter and told jurors the death was a “tragic accident.”

A social worker who met Blain on the morning of the killing told the court she said she was “tired,” and later described her as extremely distressed after Thea was taken to hospital. Those details placed the focus squarely on the window before the baby reached emergency care, when warning signs, caregiver distress and the vulnerability of a newborn collided with fatal consequences. Blain was due back in court for sentencing on May 28, 2026.