'Delightful' boy, 2, who 'lit up lives' before being brutally killed at hands of callous dad

The foster carer of a baby boy who was brutally murdered by his own dad has remembered the 'delightful' child who 'lit up their lives'.

Little Damion Hardcastle was found at a flat in Blackpool covered in bruises and in a state of cardiac arrest on August 19, 2023. A court has now heard harrowing details of the horrific injuries the tot endured at the hands of his dad Daniel Hardcastle.

Hardcastle, who has been convicted of murder, claimed that the toddler had fallen and banged his head, but medical evidence later proved that Damion’s death was caused by a violent assault, LancsLive reports.

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Damion had been placed in the care of his father following a 12 month assessment period. The little boy had been removed from his mother at 10 months old and placed with foster parents, but following a DNA test which confirmed he was the father, Hardcastle applied for custody.

The pair moved to a flat in Central Drive, Blackpool, with support from family members, social workers and a mental health charity Dad Matters. Damion was allocated a nursery place and there was a playgroup across the road.

However in the weeks before Damion died, Hardcastle's mum was taken into hospital and the father began drinking. On several occasions he visited local shops to buy alcohol, leaving his son alone in the flat.

On August 19, 2023, Hardcastle called 999 reporting his son had fallen on a coffee table while playing. Police and paramedics rushed to the flat bit were instantly sceptical about the account Hardcastle gave. Attempts had been made to clean blood from the floor and bloodstained clothes and bedding had been placed in bin bags and the washing machine.

Scans and a post mortem confirmed Damion had suffered a litany of injuries over at least three days before the serious head injury which resulted in his death. Among them were a bite mark to his leg, which Hardcastle claimed he had caused during 'rough play' a week earlier. However experts said Damion must have been in agony and screaming as a result of the injury.

There were also a number of fractured ribs and a serious injury to Damion's mouth where is father had forced a "sippy cup" into his face, causing his lip to detach from his gum.

At sentencing, a statement read out on behalf of his foster carer said: "His foster carer has been in court to represent and honour Damion and describes how he positively impacted their lives.

"He was a delight who would light up their world. He enjoyed bath time and sensory play. Realising the force inflicted on him breaks her heart."

As part of the investigation, data analysis from Hardcastle’s mobile phone revealed that he had made a number of searches in relation to the ageing process of bruises, with one search just four minutes before his call to the emergency services. Hardcastle made no comment in a subsequent police interview and went on to plead not guilty at court.

After being found guilty of murder, Daniel Hardcastle, 31, was sentenced to a minimum of 22 year before he is eligible to apply for parole. He showed no emotion as he was led away to the cells.

Sentencing, Mrs Justice Hill said: "By assaulting Damion in this way you grossly abused your position of trust. You were Damion's father and he was in your sole care. He was a helpless child. It was your duty as his father to protect him, especially given the difficult start he had in life and his inability to rely on his mother to care for him."