A mother in Scotland has been found guilty of killing her newborn daughter in a case that shocked many people.
Nicole Blain, 30, was convicted of murdering her 19-day-old baby, Thea June Wilson, at her flat in Greenock, Glasgow, in July 2023. The court heard that the attack happened after Blain lost her temper while struggling to cope with caring for the child.
The trial took place at the High Court in Glasgow. It lasted a week, and by the end, jurors rejected Blain’s version of events. She had claimed that another young child in the flat was responsible for what happened. Prosecutors strongly challenged that claim, calling it “nonsense,” and the jury agreed.
Judge Lord Scott told Blain, “I will be passing a life sentence.” He said more information was needed before deciding how long she must serve, but she would remain in custody in the meantime.
The injuries suffered by baby Thea were described as “catastrophic.” Medical experts told the court that she had three skull fractures, broken ribs, and serious brain damage. There was also bleeding behind her eyes. These injuries suggested blunt force trauma.
Doctors explained that the injuries were consistent with a baby being violently shaken and struck against a hard surface, such as a floor, wall, or piece of furniture. A pathologist made it clear that the injuries could not have been caused by a toddler.
This directly contradicted Blain’s claims. She told the court she had been asleep and woke up to find her baby on the floor. She said the other child must have caused the harm. But experts said that was not possible.
The court also heard disturbing details about Blain’s behavior after the incident.
In the days following her daughter’s death, Blain posted several videos on TikTok. In these videos, she asked viewers for money to help pay for Thea’s funeral. She said she wanted a horse and carriage for the coffin and told people she would be grateful for donations.
She described the death as an “unexpected tragedy.” In one video, she said, “Nobody deserves the s**t I have been through, losing my wee lassie is the worst thing I have been through in my life.”
She added, “I really don’t see light at the end of this tunnel for me. It’s been over a week, but it only feels like it happened last night.”
In another clip, Blain said, “If people want to donate, I would be grateful. Good things will come your way.” She also told viewers, “I will be able to learn to live with it eventually, but I don’t know how long that is going to take.”
At the same time, she posted a video where she lip-synced to the song “Forever” by Wes Nelson. The lyrics included, “In the next life I hope you’ll have me, I just wanna wake up next to you.”
Other videos showed her lying on a pink knitted blanket with matching teddy bears. She said she was “sleeping with Thea’s stuff to go in her coffin.” These videos were later deleted, but they were discussed during the case and reported after the trial.
Blain also addressed “rumours” in one of her videos. She said, “I’m her mother, I was there, I know what happened, I don’t need to explain what happened.” However, the evidence presented in court told a very different story.
The baby’s grandmother, Laura Wilson, gave emotional testimony during the trial. She said Thea had been “perfect” when she was born on June 25, 2023. She last saw the baby on July 8 and described her as “fantastic.” She said she had no concerns about the baby’s wellbeing at that time.
On the day of the incident, there had been plans for Blain to bring Thea to the grandmother’s home in Ayrshire. But that visit never happened.
Instead, around 2pm, Laura Wilson’s husband, Alan, received a call from Blain. He told the court that he could hear loud screaming in the background. He said, “I could hear screaming. I had never heard anything like it.”
He first thought it was an older child, but then realized it was the baby. He described the sound as “piercing and extremely loud.” He said Blain sounded distressed and unsure of what to do. He recalled her saying, “I do not know what to do.”
He told her to hang up and call an ambulance immediately.
Laura Wilson also spoke to Blain on the phone. She said Blain told her she had found Thea on the floor with no clothes on and a bump on her head. The grandmother rushed to the hospital in Glasgow to be with her granddaughter. While there, she questioned Blain about what had happened.
Blain repeated her claim that another child in the flat was responsible. Despite medical efforts, Thea did not survive. Doctors concluded she had suffered “significant non-accidental head trauma.”
Further examination revealed more injuries. The baby’s ribs showed signs of pressure, suggesting her chest had been squeezed. Her neck was also injured, likely from forceful back-and-forth movement.
One medical expert compared the injuries to those seen in car crash victims.
A social worker named Stacey Jones also spoke in court. She had met Blain at the hospital shortly after the incident. Jones said Blain appeared extremely distressed. She recalled Blain saying something like, “I do not know how I will forgive (another child) for this.”
This statement again showed that Blain was blaming someone else for what had happened.
Blain later took the stand in her own defense. She became emotional and cried as she spoke about the incident. She described her daughter’s death as “a tragic accident.” She said she had been asleep and was woken by a neighbor knocking on the door.
According to her, she did not immediately notice the baby on the floor. She claimed she later found Thea unresponsive. Blain told the court, “I can remember the trauma of finding my daughter. I will never get it out of my head. My baby died in my arms.”
She insisted that she loved her daughter and would never harm her. She said, “Never in a million years” would she have hurt Thea.
She also denied trying to blame the other child unfairly. She said she was not “throwing (the other child) under the bus.” Blain added, “In my eyes, (the other child) did not kill Thea. What happened to Thea was a tragic accident.”
She said the only thing she blamed was herself for being asleep.
However, prosecutor Alan Cameron KC rejected her explanation. He told the court that the idea another child caused the injuries was “just nonsense.” He argued that Blain had harmed the baby and then realized she was in serious trouble.
Despite her denials, the jury found her guilty of murder. After the verdict was read, Blain broke down in tears. She cried hysterically as she was handcuffed and taken away to the cells.
At the time of the trial, she had been on bail. But after the conviction, she was immediately taken into custody. Judge Lord Scott addressed the jury after the case. He described it as a “thankfully unusual case involving the murder of a baby.”
He said he would decide the length of Blain’s sentence at a later hearing.
The case also brought attention to Blain’s earlier claims about her mental health. After Thea’s birth, she had said she was struggling with post-natal depression. This was mentioned during the trial, but it did not change the outcome.
Blain also had a minor previous conviction for assault, which was noted in court.
One detail that stood out after the trial was a video from her past. A gender reveal clip resurfaced online. In the video, Blain is seen holding a knife while a friend holds a black balloon. After a short delay, she pops the balloon, and pink confetti falls out, revealing she is having a girl.
In the clip, she appears irritated. After popping the balloon, she walks off and makes a rude gesture toward someone filming. This video, along with her TikTok posts after the baby’s death, painted a troubling picture that many people found hard to understand.
In the end, the court focused on the medical evidence and the facts presented during the trial. The injuries to baby Thea were severe and could not be explained by an accident or the actions of a toddler. Experts were clear about that.
Blain’s version of events was not supported by the evidence. Her claims were rejected, and the jury reached a clear decision. Blain will return to court for sentencing, where the judge will decide how long she must serve as part of her life sentence.
