Maya Chappell’s life was cruelly cut short by a man after his benefits were stopped and drug dealers started calling debts while the toddler’s mother turned a blind eye to her suffering.
The happy-go-lucky toddler was always singing and dancing before the dark shadow of Michael Daymond’s presence entered her young life and brought it to a violent end.
The 27-year-old lost his temper and took out his anger on the defenceless two-year-old while her mother Dana Carr was at work.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the 24-year-old’s desperate need to be loved led her down the path of idly standing by while her new boyfriend carried out a five-week period of torture ending in Maya’s tragic death.
Family members raised concerns about marks and bruising appearing on the body of the two-year-old but her heartless mother refused to accept what Daymond was doing to her.
Weeks of nipping and punching quickly descended into a fatal attack on the vulnerable toddler when the 27-year-old’s benefits were stopped.
The pair continually lied about the source of the toddler’s injuries and even tried to blame her for inflicting them on herself.
Maya’s father, James Chappell, was so concerned about the impact Daymond was having on his daughter that he contacted Durham Constabulary under Sarah's Law in an attempt to secure protection for her.
Even after Daymond called Carr to tell her that Maya was seriously ill, the 24-year-old was sending messages to her partner pleading with him not to leave her as paramedics battled to safe to the toddler’s life.
Medical experts told jurors that the damage to Maya’s eyes were the equivalent of a serious car crash or a fall from a tall building.
Daymond had only been in Maya’s life for a few weeks before concerns were raised about bruising and marks on her body, including heavy bruising on her pubic bone.
It was while Carr was out at work that Daymond began physically abusing the toddler – she was photographed with injuries to her face, abdomen, and pubic area, in the weeks leading up to her death.
Carr’s stepfather, Christopher Fellows, sent photographs of Maya’s injuries to Carr but his warning went unheeded, the court heard.
Jurors were shown two short video clips of the two-year-old Daymond recorded where she is clearly upset, trying to back away into a small box-shaped opening in a room-tidy cabinet.
Benjamin Nolan KC, prosecuting, told the court that the footage was recorded shortly before the youngster suffered her fatal head injuries.
He said: "He then sent the video clip to Carr and to Carr's stepfather, a man named Chris Fellows. Carr responds by a text saying “wtf”, i.e., “what the f***”. There then followed a number of calls and texts between the couple."
Phone records between the co-accused show that Daymond told Carr that Maya was 'seriously ill' before he called 999.
Mr Nolan said: "In the seconds and minutes that follow, as the emergency services were dispatched to the scene, Carr attempted to call Daymond several times unsuccessfully at first but then successfully.
"She also managed to text him. She sent him messages to the effect “I’m coming”, “please don’t leave me” and “are you ok”. Not a single message asking about Maya."
Daymond, who was convicted of murder and a child cruelty charge following a trial which lasted three weeks, was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years behind bars.
Carr, who was convicted of allowing the death of the defenceless youngster, was sentenced to nine years in prison after she turned a blind eye to murdered toddler's suffering
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Judge Mr Justice Bright described Maya as ‘irreplaceable’ as he sentenced then to prison.
He said: “Nothing that I say or do today can bring any comfort or consolation to the family members who loved her, and who continue to love her.
“But I want you all to hear, from me, how much we all care – the police who investigated the case with such dedication, the lawyers, on all sides of the court, who have worked to ensure that justice was done, and the jury, many of whom I know were moved to tears during the trial.
“Maya affected all of us. She will never be forgotten.”
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