The minimum sentence for a man found guilty of killing his ex-girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter is 20 years in jail, reports Breaking News.
In August 2021, Darryn John Armstrong, 35, fatally injured Ali Jayden Doyle’s head at a residence on Park Avenue in Dungannon, County Tyrone.
Judge Mr. Justice McAlinden, who handed down the sentence at Belfast Crown Court, stated that Armstrong, whose address was Maghaberry Prison, had not displayed “one scintilla of regret or remorse” for his crimes.
For the most of the sentencing hearing, Armstrong sat in the dock with his hands over his ears and his head bent, reports Breaking News.
The child’s mother, Jade Dempsey, 28, confessed to a charge of deliberate neglect and was handed a three-year probation term at the same court.
On the morning of the August 6, 2021, murder, Dempsey had left her two little children in Armstrong’s care because she was going to Belfast to get a buggy.
This was against a Child Protection Plan set by Social Services, which said that Armstrong, who had a history of serious offences, including domestic violence, should not interact with the children, reports Breaking News.
Armstrong first stated that Ali Jayden lost her balance, fell back, and struck her head on the fireplace after her younger brother threw a toy at her.
Later, he acknowledged that he lost his patience and threw the child against the hearth.
Armstrong also altered his account to say that he was under the influence of drugs at the time and had no memory of what had occurred in the residence.
But in May of this year, he entered a guilty plea to murder and was automatically sentenced to life in prison, reports Breaking News.
The three years he has already spent in jail prior to sentence will be taken into account for calculating the 20-year minimum tariff.
“We will never know exactly what happened in that house that morning, but it is clear beyond doubt that Darryn Armstrong took that child and inflicted horrifically severe head injuries on her,” the judge said as he handed down the sentence on Thursday, reports Breaking News.
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