'UNSPEAKABLY VILE'
Two-year-old boy found with ‘adult bite mark’ and had bottle ‘forced into his mouth’ as dad, 31, is jailed for murder
Hardcastle claimed the tot injured himself after hitting his head on a coffee table
A TWO-year-old boy brutally murdered by his dad was found with an "adult bite mark" and had a bottle "forced into his mouth".
Daniel Hardcastle, 31, killed little Damion Russell in an "unspeakably vile" assault at their home in Blackpool, Lancashire, in August last year.
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The trial heard that Damion had suffered the bite to his upper right thigh.
He had also suffered fractured ribs, bruising across his whole body and a tear to the inside of his lip consistent with a drinking bottle being forced into his mouth.
Hardcastle claimed the youngster had injured himself after falling and hitting his head on a coffee table at their home in Central Drive.
But a pathologist found the extensive injuries suffered by the little boy were inconsistent with that claim.
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Pathology determined Hardcastle had inflicted a very severe head injury to Damion by either forcefully shaking him and then banging his head against a solid object or directly caused Damion’s head to collide with a solid object with such force that his it caused significant injuries to his neck and eyes.
Damion was taken to hospital following the assault, but his injuries were unsurvivable and he sadly died two days later.
Hardcastle was yesterday found guilty of murder after a four-week trial at Preston Crown Court.
The jury took just two hours to reach their unanimous verdict.
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He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 22 years before he will be able to apply for parole.
The jury were told Hardcastle, who had sole care of his son, had started drinking more in the days and weeks before the assault.
He had isolated himself from his support network and the night immediately before inflicting the injuries which ultimately killed Damion, Hardcastle spent all night chatting to a woman he had met online.
Det Supt Al Davies, of the Force Major Investigation Team, said: “First and foremost my thoughts today are with Damion’s loved ones.
"I hope this sentence gives them some sense that while nothing can bring Damion back that justice has been done for their loved one.
“Damion’s murder was an unspeakably vile and heinous act committed by the very man Damion should have been able to rely upon to love and protect him – his own father.”
'BONNY LITTLE CHAP'
Ahead of the sentencing, Lancashire Police posted a video compilation of Damion on Facebook.
It included him playing in a children's playground. It's understood to have been played in court during the sentencing.
The post said: "This is Damion Russell.
"Bonny little chap we’re sure you will agree with his bright blue eyes and his lovely smile. Full of innocent joy like any other little toddler.
"He loved playing in the park, riding his bike and singing along to ‘row your boat’ with his grandma. He didn’t like broccoli!
"Like any youngster Damion deserved to enjoy his innocence; to be loved and cherished by the man who should have done everything he could to protect him and bring him up – his dad.
"But we are sad to say Damion didn’t get a chance to grow up or even enjoy much of a life at all.
"Instead, he found himself subjected to a horrifically violent and sustained assault which caused injuries which tragically led to his death. And the man who caused those injuries was his own father.
"Damion was just two years old when he died.
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"Tuesday (July 9) would have been Damion’s third birthday. His family planted some forget me not seeds and made him a little garden.
"They had balloons and a tea party, something they say Damion would have loved."
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