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Darryn Armstrong (35) was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 20 years at Belfast Crown Court today, after admitting the murder of two-year-old Ali Jayden Doyle, in his home in Dungannon, in August 2021. Armstrong pleaded guilty at Belfast Crown Court in May 2024 to the little girl’s murder.
Ali’s mother, 27-year-old Jade Dempsey, was made the subject of a three-year Probation Order after pleading guilty to child cruelty by wilfully neglecting and exposing her daughter in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury.
PPS Acting Assistant Director Catherine Kierans said: “Two-year-old Ali Jayden Doyle died whilst in the care of her mother’s boyfriend, Darryn Armstrong. He murdered the defenceless toddler by inflicting a fatal head injury to Ali after Jade Dempsey had left Ali with him, despite having been warned not to do so by social services due to the potential risk he presented to her children.
“The prosecution team in the PPS Serious Crime Unit worked closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, who had carried out a full investigation, to bring both defendants before the court and build a robust case against Darryn Armstrong and Jade Dempsey, resulting in their guilty pleas.
“The callous way in which young Ali’s life was taken will have a lasting impact on her loved ones, including her little brother who has been robbed of growing up with his older sister. I hope the conclusion of this case will bring some sense of closure to them as they attempt to move forward and rebuild their lives without Ali.”