Father,31,beats daughter,4, to death causing 66 injuries in horrific abuse.

A father who beat his four-year-old daughter to death in a fit of rage was today found guilty of murder.
31-year-old Carl Wheatley,caused 66 injuries to Alex Marie and knocked out two of her teeth over a series of savage attacks in the weeks running up to her death.

When he finally called emergency services, they discovered the lifeless body of Alexa-Marie Quinn and he admitted he had lost his temper.

The killer had been granted custody of his daughter just three months before her death on March 12 last year, after convincing social workers he could look after her. She had previously been living with foster parents.

During the trial, the court heard young Alexa-Marie had probably been dead for several hours before paramedics arrived at their home in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.


Her father had searched online for how to treat bruising and repair teeth.

A post-mortem examination revealed she had died from extreme blunt force trauma and the jury heard Wheatley told emergency services: "I got a bit frustrated and I harmed the poor child."

The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict today at St Albans Crown Court. Wheatley will be sentenced at the same court on Friday.

Detective Chief Inspector Jerome Kent from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit led the investigation and said: "Alexa-Marie suffered horrific injuries at the hands of her father, a man who should have been protecting her.

"Not only did he cause her such significant injury prior to her death, he failed to seek any help for her, leaving her to suffer.

"Alexa-Marie, who has been described as a happy child prior to living with her father, died because he lost his temper and took his frustrations out on her.

"At the age of four she was not able to protect herself from this violent man, who then went out of his way to ensure no one else could protect or help her either.

"This is an extremely tragic case. No child should ever suffer in this way and our thoughts are with Alexa-Marie's family and those who cared for her.

"I would like to thank them for their support during this extremely difficult time. I would also like to thank the officers and other professionals who have worked on this case; they have shown great professionalism in the face of such appalling events."

Adrian Foster, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service said: "This was a terrible crime, which led to the untimely death of four-year-old Alexa-Marie Quinn at her home in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

"Wheatley admitted causing Alexa-Marie's death by pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but not murder.

However, the prosecution case was that her death was not caused by a sudden moment of frustration and a single severe blow, but a sustained period of hard hitting which intended to cause her really serious harm.

"This was an extremely difficult and complex case to prosecute. Without any eye witnesses, we needed lengthy and highly technical evidence from top medical experts to help provide an explanation as to why this little girl died.

"This evidence, along with expert evidence on Wheatley's mental state, enabled the prosecution to piece together what had happened and exclude any possible innocent explanation for her death.

"We have worked closely with the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit since this investigation was launched and as a result of the hard work and diligence of the prosecution team, a just outcome has been achieved for Alexa-Marie. We hope that the conviction will in some way help her extended family come to terms with this tragic event.

"The mandatory sentence is life imprisonment and the judge will set a minimum term. No matter how long he remains in prison we acknowledge that nothing can make up for the loss of Alexa. Our thoughts are very much with her extended family at this time."