Mother who murdered her two daughters after they 'got in the way' of her sex life. Video / YouTube / The Telegraph
A mother who murdered her two young daughters after they "got in the way" of her sex life is facing a life sentence.
Louise Porton, 23, suffocated Lexi Draper, three, and strangled 16-month-old Scarlett Vaughan in Rugby, Warwickshire, in 2018.
In video shown in court, the part-time model was seen casually leading Lexi into their home hours before she killed her on January 15 last year.
Porton, who had searched "'can you actually die if you have a blocked nose and cover your mouth with tape" online, waited "for some time" before calling 999, a court heard.
Lexi Draper, left, and Scarlett Vaughan were killed by their mother. Photo / Warwickshire Police
Jurors were told that the mother-of-two did not seem distressed by Lexi's death and accepted 41 friend requests on the dating app Badoo a day later.
Porton killed her second daughter Scarlett less than three weeks later on February 1 and told a 111 call handler that her condition "did not seem urgent".
The toddler had died by the time paramedics arrived nine minutes later.
Porton, described as "calm and emotionless", denied all responsibility, telling police in a prepared statement: "I still don't know how my daughters died, or what caused it."
She was convicted of two counts of murder on Thursday following a five-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
The jury heard both children had symptoms consistent with deliberate airway obstruction and Scarlett had signs of recent bleeding in her neck tissue, suggestive of neck compression.
Opening the case, prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC said: "The overwhelming inference is that Lexi and Scarlett died because someone deliberately interfered with their breathing.
"That someone can only have been this defendant."
He added that the children "got in the way of [Porton] doing what she wanted, when she wanted and with whom she wanted".
Louise Porton 'lied repeatedly to friends, family and professionals to cover her tracks'. Photo / Warwickshire Police
Lexi had been taken to hospital twice less than two weeks before her death, but she was sent home with antibiotics for an apparent chest infection.
Prosecutors said that while in hospital with her sick daughter, Porton went to the toilets and took topless photos and was arranging to perform sex acts for money with a man she had met through a website.
It was in the days after Lexi was discharged on January 4, the prosecution alleged the mother looked online for "can you actually die if you have a blocked nose and cover your mouth with tape".
Porton also searched "how long after drowning can someone be resuscitated?" and accessed an article called "Toddler brought back to life after nearly drowning", jurors heard.
Afterwards, in a statement released through police, the children's father and family said: "Only having a short time with Lexi and never meeting Scarlett makes it all the more heart-breaking.
"We will miss out on all those special occasions they would have celebrated; their first day at school, birthdays, getting married and having children of their own."
"The only comfort is that Lexi and Scarlett are together," they added.
Detective Superintendent Pete Hill, of Warwickshire Police, said: "I will never be able to understand why Louise Porton murdered her children, Lexi and Scarlett.
"It is clear from the evidence that Porton tried to kill her daughter Lexi on at least two occasions prior to her death on 15 January 2018.
"Not content with killing one of her children, she did exactly the same to her other daughter, Scarlett, on 1 February 2018.
"She has lied repeatedly to friends, family and professionals to cover her tracks.
