Louise Porton: Murder accused gave children 'whatever they wanted'
A woman accused of murdering her two young daughters denied being involved in their deaths and said she tried to give them "whatever they wanted".
Louise Porton, 23, of Rugby, said Lexi Draper, three, and 17-month-old Scarlett Vaughan were "always making me laugh", Birmingham Crown Court heard. Ms Porton, of Beechwood Court, denied causing Lexi to fit before the toddler's death in January 2018. Parenting was "not one of the easiest things to do", Ms Porton accepted. In court, she said of her daughters: "They were always giving me something to do. "I would take them to places, play parks, and try to give them everything they wanted." Describing parenting, the former part-time model said: "It's not one of the easiest things to do but it was something I could cope at." Prosecutors allege Ms Porton suffocated Lexi in the early hours of 15 January last year and was overheard laughing at a funeral parlour two days before killing Scarlett. Questioned about web searches made in the hours before Lexi died, the defendant said she had not been thinking about harming her children. During her evidence, Ms Porton agreed she had sent a message to a photographer asking for money in return for engaging in sexual acts during a photoshoot. Prosecutors allege both girls' deaths were consistent with deliberate airway obstruction and her daughters "got in the way of [Ms Porton] doing what she wanted, when she wanted and with whom she wanted". The trial continues. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.