Inside the Twisted Case of a Mom & Boyfriend Who Killed Girl, 3, Because She Interrupted Plans for Sex

A mother’s 2021 sentencing after the brutal death of her 3-year-old daughter is still stirring controversy today.

Nicola Priest was sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter in connection with the death of her child, 3-year-old daughter Kaylee-Jayde Priest, alongside her then-boyfriend Callum Redfern, who received 14 years after his manslaughter conviction for his role in the toddler’s death.

Critics of the court’s ruling have continued to press authorities to change their sentences to life in prison, using social media and online petitions to raise awareness about the then-22-year-old mother and her then-21-year-old boyfriend’s actions, who were found guilty by a Birmingham Crown Court jury found responsible for the girl’s death.

More than four years after Kaylee-Jayde’s death in August 2020, the child’s mother and her boyfriend remain behind bars. Court documents show Priest is eligible for parole in April 2030.

What Happened to Kaylee-Jayde?

Police were called to Priest’s Solihull apartment, about 10 miles southeast of Birmingham, England, on Aug. 9, 2022. However, by the time Kaylee-Jayde’s mother had called police, prosecutors said during the trial the 3-year-old was already dead, according to BBC.

According to the outlet, prosecutor Andrew Smith told the court that Kaylee-Jayde’s death was caused by a “sustained assault” at some point during the night, while she was in Priest and Redfern’s care. The West Midlands Police Department said at the time that Kaylee-Jayde “suffered catastrophic abdominal and chest injuries, including fractured ribs,” according to Business Insider.

In court, experts compared the 3 year old’s injuries to injuries a child might suffer after being struck by a car at 40 mph or falling from about 30 feet onto concrete, according to the BBC.

Prosecutors Said Girl Was Killed After Interrupting Plans for Sex

In court, prosecutors told the jury that they believed Kaylee-Jayde was killed in a rage after she allegedly interrupted her mother and her boyfriend’s plans to have sex. Prosecutor Justice Foxton reportedly told the jury that Kaylee-Jade was put to bed around 7 p.m. local time, according to BBC.

“But like many children her age, Kaylee did not want to go to bed, but to stay up and play,” the lawyer said, later adding, “No doubt irritated by Kaylee crying, asking to be let out, it interrupted the two of you when you wanted to have sex. You lost your tempers and were parties to the assault which cost Kaylee her life.”

A History of Abuse

The prosecution team pointed to text message exchanges between Priest and Redfern, which showed them complaining about Kaylee-Jayde’s behavior and describing physical abuse.

In one July 2020 text message, Priest reportedly told Redfern: “I’m gonna kill her… because she keeps leaving the living room or going in the kitchen, so I’ve paled [hit] her one and smacked her for [dirtying] her nappy,” BBC reported during the trial.

Detective Inspector Adam Jobson, who testified at the trial, said investigators believed the discipline Kaylee-Jayde received from her mother and her mother’s boyfriend “became increasingly forceful and violent” throughout their relationship, according to BBC.

The outlet also reported that prosecutors explained how neighbors below Priest’s apartment had previously heard loud noises upstairs followed by Kaylee-Jayde crying. One neighbor allegedly heard Priest say after one of those occasions: “I’ll just say she fell off the bed,” according to BBC’s trial report.

Family Members Mourn, As Others Call for Harsher Justice

Priest and Redfern were not found guilty of murder, according to court records, while the mother received 15 years in prison for manslaughter and her boyfriend received 14 years. The BBC reported that prosecutors could not link the two adults directly to the toddler’s death via physical evidence, and both Priest and Redfern pointed fingers at each other when asked who was responsible for her injuries.

After the trial, Kaylee-Jayde’s grandmother Debbie Windmill released a statement mourning her granddaughter’s death, according to The Guardian.

“I could never stop staring at the smile on her beautiful face,” the grandmother said about Kayee-Jayde. “I loved every moment watching her develop to nearly school age; preparing to buy my first grandchild her pre-school uniform was something that filled me with such happiness. I couldn’t wait to see her in it, but this opportunity was stolen from me in the most brutal of ways.”

Windmill added: “Everybody deserves the gift of life. Kaylee-Jayde deserved to show the world who she could have been and what greatness she could have brought to this world. Nanny will forever hold you in her heart.”

In addition to an online petition signed by hundreds calling for Priest and Redfern to face harsher punishment, videos describing the killing – some calling for a stricter sentencing – have received hundreds of millions of views on TikTok, where Kaylee-Jayde’s mother once shared videos of her and her daughter, some expressing remorse for her death, according to Newsweek.

After Priest’s sentencing, Jobson told The Guardian he “cannot imagine for one second what Kaylee-Jayde’s family must be going through,” adding that Kaylee-Jayde died “at the hands of her own mother and Nicky Priest’s boyfriend, Callum.”

“I don’t think, sadly, we will ever fully know what has happened,” the detective continued. “We’ll never get that full picture, both have not admitted their own responsibility.”

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.