Coward who murdered girl, 2, covers ears as court is told of ‘horrific’ attack

A antheral who killed his on-off girlfriend’s two-year-old girl by throwing her against a fireplace aft losing his temper has been jailed for astatine slightest 20 years.

Ali Jayden Doyle suffered ‘horrifically terrible caput injuries’ astatine the hands of Darryn John Armstrong, 35, astatine a location successful Park Avenue successful Dungannon, Co Tyrone, connected August 6, 2021.

Her mum Jade Dempsey, 28, admitted wilful neglect aft leaving Ali and her younger member with convicted home abuser Armstrong successful breach of a societal services kid extortion plan.

Armstrong initially tried to blasted the sibling for the injuries, saying her had thrown a artifact astatine Ali causing her to autumn backwards and bang her caput connected the fireplace.

He aboriginal changed his communicative to assertion helium had nary recollection of what happened successful the house, arsenic helium was nether the power of drugs astatine the time.

However, helium plead blameworthy to execution successful May this twelvemonth and was fixed an automatic beingness condemnation with a minimum word of 20 years.

Armstrong sat successful the dock with his caput bowed, with his hands covering his ears for astir of the condemnation hearing.

Judge Mr Justice McAlinden said Armstrong had shown ‘not 1 scintilla’ of remorse.

He said: ‘We volition ne'er cognize what precisely occurred successful that location that morning, but it is wide beyond uncertainty that Darryn Armstrong took that kid and inflicted horrifically terrible caput injuries to her.

‘The grade of the unit required to origin those injuries to a two-year-old kid is wholly accordant with an volition to termination that child, to execution her.’

Dempsey pleaded blameworthy to a kid cruelty complaint successful May, namely that she wilfully neglected and exposed Ali Jayden successful a mode apt to origin unnecessary suffering oregon injury.

Justice McAlinden said portion her ‘flouting’ of the Child Protection Plan reached the threshold for a custodial sentence, helium said sending her backmost to situation – she has already spent a twelvemonth successful custody connected remand – would beryllium ‘utterly futile’.

Describing her arsenic an ‘exceptionally susceptible individual’, helium said the probation bid would guarantee she availed of the support, counselling and therapy she needed.

Outside court, Ali Jayden’s begetter Dylan Doyle said it had been a ‘long and precise emotional’ travel to unafraid justice.

‘We arsenic a household volition ne'er hide our beauteous small girl,’ helium said. ‘She volition ever beryllium successful our hearts.

‘We volition ne'er beryllium capable to judge that specified a beauteous young kid tin beryllium truthful cruelly taken distant from america whilst nether the alleged attraction of Social Services who were meant to support my daughter.”

Police Service of Northern Ireland Detective Chief Inspector Anthony Kelly said of Armstrong: ‘His cowardly and sickening actions took an guiltless young life.

‘He has robbed a young lad of his large sister, and caused unimaginable heartache to a loving begetter and wider family.’

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