Mother Accused Of Murder Posted TikTok Videos Of Herself Dancing Weeks After 3-Year-Old's Death

A mother who is accused of murdering her 3-year-old daughter posted TikTok videos of herself dancing while smiling to sexually explicit lyrics, weeks after her child died of horrific injuries, a court heard.

Nicola Priest, 23, from West Midlands in England, appeared in court Tuesday on charges of murdering her daughter, Kaylee-Jayde Priest, last year. Priest and her then-boyfriend, Callum Redfern, 22, both accused of murdering the child, have denied the charges, Birmingham Live reported.

Kaylee-Jayde was found dead on August 9, 2020, in an apartment where she lived with Priest. The child's body was found along with a “dirty mattress” in a bedroom without carpets, curtains, and light bulbs.

According to medical reports, Kaylee-Jayde died from chest and abdominal injuries. She suffered 19 rib fractures in the hours before her death, the prosecutor told the court. The medical reports also indicated that she had previously suffered broken ribs, sternum, and legs.

Priest admitted that she had posted a video on TikTok called “My Version” with a smiling emoji where she could be seen dancing and smiling around 6 weeks after the child's death. However, she claimed that it did not mean she was not "broken" by her daughter's death.

"Just because I did some dance videos doesn’t mean I didn’t miss the little girl,” the woman told the court. "I am still broken. I am still struggling to sleep at night and eating," she added.

Priest alleged that Redfern was responsible for causing all the injuries to Kaylee-Jayde. The woman claimed she had heard "three to five smacks" and the sound of her child screaming from the bedroom where Redfern was with Kaylee-Jayde the night before her death, BBC News reported.

However, during the initial interviews, the woman did not tell police that Redfern had injured the child. She told the court she did not blame him then because she loved him but her feelings later changed.

When the court asked Priest why she delayed calling the emergency number when she found the child unresponsive, she said she "did not know how to approach it." Her trial continues in court.