999 call that was riddled with lies

SMITH wept as the court heard her repeatedly lie to a 999 call handler in a desperate attempt to cover up the murder.

Audio of the call reveals Smith’s panic as Ayeeshia lies ‘floppy’ and ‘ lifeless’ on the floor.

A hysterical Smith tells the operator: ‘My daughter’s ... prone to seizures,’ before shrieking: ‘She’s not breathing right now.’

Causes of Ayeeshia’s injuries included being stamped on and crushed while laying face down on the floor. She was squeezed so hard her ribs were fractured.

Yet when the operator asks: ‘Did you say she’s having a seizure?’ Smith pauses before replying: ‘Um, yeah. When she gets too hot she has a seizure.’

The court heard the couple perform CPR on Ayeeshia for several minutes.

The phone is then put on loudspeaker and Rigby puts his finger in his step-daughter’s mouth to remove obstructions to her air- way. He counts to five repeatedly as he performs chest compressions and Smith is heard wailing in the background.

Smith then says: ‘Nothing’s happening. There’s no heart beat.’

Sentencing the couple, the judge said their delay in calling 999 was an aggravating factor.

He told Smith: ‘You did not dare try and stop [Rigby] from taking the futile steps to cool Ayeeshia down, because you did not want to be found out.’