Maya Chappell: Council investigates circumstances of murder

Maya Chappell suffered fatal head injuries at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend when he reacted angrily to a spiralling drug debt and learning his benefits had been stopped.

The two-year-old was shaken to death by Michael Daymond in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, in September 2022.

The 27-year-old was jailed for life while Maya’s mother, Dana Carr, was locked up for nine years after she turned a blind eye to the toddler’s suffering in the weeks leading up to her death.

Maya Chappell (Image: Durham Constabulary)

Jurors heard how the couple and Maya moved from Consett just weeks before the toddler was murdered.

Durham County Council said a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review was under way as the local authority investigates the circumstances  of the murder.

Speaking after the sentencing, John Pearce, Durham County Council's corporate director for children and young people's services, said: "Our thoughts are firmly with Maya Chappell's loved ones.

"A Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review is underway which the council is contributing to and it would be inappropriate to comment while this is ongoing."

During the pair’s trial at Teesside Crown Court, jurors heard how family members had raised concerns about Maya’s wellbeing after they regularly saw bruising on marks on her.

Child murderer Michael Daymond and Maya's mother, Dana Carr, have both been jailed (Image: Newsquest)

The court heard how the incidents only started when Carr started a relationship with Daymond just nine weeks before Maya died.

James Chappell, Maya’s father, had tried to contact Durham Constabulary under Sarah’s Law to get a background check on his ex-partner’s new boyfriend because he was so concerned about the injuries his daughter was showing.

See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here

• The devastating impact of a child's murder laid bare in court
• Judge tells families - "Maya affected all of us. She will never be forgotten."
• Toddler's murderer sentenced to life while her mother is jailed for nine years

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Judge Mr Justice Bright said the pair lied repeatedly about the source of the toddler’s injuries and they kept Maya off nursery to avoid scrutiny about the bruising all over her body.

"This was a murder of a young child; she was particularly vulnerable because of her age. She had been left in your case and you abused that trust," he said as he sentenced Daymond.

Addressing 24-year-old Carr, the judge said he accepted that she is consumed with grief and that she loved her daughter but called her a 'prodigious' liar who aimed to protect Daymond even though she knew he was causing her suffering - 'you lied to James Chappell, your stepfather, the nursery and your former employer'.

"There were numerous messages on your phone that could only have been sent by someone who knew May was being hurt by Daymond," he added.