A woman accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter sobbed in the dock as video footage of the giggling youngster taken in the month before her death was played to the court.

In four short video clips, Isabella Wheildon, whose badly beaten body was found in temporary housing in Ipswich in June last year, was seen looking fit and well playing happily on a toy toadstool in a playground, running on a beach and giggling uncontrollably as someone made her laugh.

As the clips were played to the court on a large screen, Isabella's mother, 24-year-old Chelsea Gleason-Mitchell, put her head in her hands and sobbed.

Sally Howes KC, prosecuting, said three of the video clips were taken on separate days towards the end of May last year and the fourth was taken on June 1.

Gleason Mitchell, and her partner Scott Jeff, also  24, and formerly of Bedfordshire, have denied murdering Isabella between June 26-30 last year.

Jeff has also denied causing or allowing the death of a child between June 26-30 last year and two offences of cruelty to a child under 16.

The court has heard that Gleason-Mitchell has admitted causing or allowing Isabella's death and two offences of child cruelty.

Isabella's body was found  by police in her pushchair under a pile of blankets in temporary accommodation in Sidegate Lane, Ipswich, in June last year- three months before her third birthday.

It has been alleged that during the three days before the discovery Gleason-Mitchell and Jeff pushed Isabella's dead body around in her pushchair and visited a local pub and went shopping in Ipswich town centre.

Jeff is alleged to have repeatedly beaten  Isabella, leaving her with several fractures and covered in bruises, and forced her to take cold showers while Gleason-Mitchell is alleged to have stood back, watched and did nothing’ as Jeff carried out his ‘callous, cruel and ultimately fatal’ attacks.

The trial, which is expected to last between six and eight weeks, continues.