A 35-year old man who murdered his on/off partner’s two-year old “utterly defenceless” daughter has been handed a life sentence of 20 years.
Ali Jayden Doyle died from a severe head injury she sustained in a house in the Park Avenue area of Dungannon in August, 2021.
The toddler was murdered by Darryn John Armstrong who initially blamed Ali Jayden’s one-year old brother for causing the fatal wound by throwing a plastic toy at her which caused her to fall against a fireplace.
Despite this false version of events, Armstrong subsequently admitted that on the morning of August 6, 2021 he had Ali Jayden in his arms and that he threw the child who hit her head on the fireplace.
He also admitted that he was under the influence of cannabis at the time, was ‘frustrated’ and lost his temper.
As he imposed the minimum term upon Darryn John Armstrong at a Tariff hearing in Belfast Crown Court, Mr Justice McAlinden said he had not expressed any remorse or regret for the “brutal murder” of the child.
Ali Jayden’s 28-year old mother Jade Dempsey, whose address is the subject of a reporting restriction, was made the subject of a three-year Probation Order on a charge of wilfully neglecting and exposing her daughter in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health on August 6, 2012.
She wasn’t present when her daughter was killed in Armstrong’s Co Tyrone home as she was due to travel to Belfast to buy a double-buggy and had left her daughter and son in the care of her on/off partner Armstrong.
This was in breach of a Child Protection Plan imposed by social services which banned Armstrong from having contact with the youngsters.
Imposing the 20-year sentence, Mr Justice McAlinden told Armstrong that the time he has already sent on remand will be taken into account when calculating the date when he is considered eligible for release by the Parole Commissioners.