Liam Whoriskey sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter of toddler


25 year old Liam Whoriskey from Derry has been sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment for the manslaughter of three year old Kayden McGuinness in September 2017.
Whoriskey was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for the offence of manslaughter and two years’ imprisonment for a child cruelty offence, to run consecutively. Half of the sentence is to be served in prison and half to be served on licence.
Detective Inspector Peter McKenna said: “Kayden was just three years old when his young life was brutally ended. He was violently attacked by Liam Whoriskey, a man who had been trusted to look after him and take care of him.
“Nothing will ever take away the pain felt by Kayden’s family and as we approach Christmas time, this will be even more difficult for them. Their lives have been destroyed and Kayden’s parents have had their beautiful little boy cruelly taken away from them in the worst way imaginable.
“Kayden’s little sister was just five months old when her little brother died and she has to grow up without her big brother. Whoriskey’s actions meant that she never got the chance to know him.
“On the night Kayden died, his Mother Erin was attending a family gathering, having been persuaded to attend. She left the house late, as she always put her children to bed and tucked them in and this night was to be no different. As she left, she gave her little boy three kisses and told him how much she loved him. Having met the whole family, I know that this was how they all felt about Kayden – they all doted on him.
“Throughout this, Whoriskey has shown no remorse. At the time of Kayden’s death, he was being assessed for Autism. Woriskey would have known that this three year old child, already vulnerable by his age and with some communication difficulties, would never have been able to explain what happened to him had he survived.
Woriskey’s attack left Kayden with a number of injuries including a large number of bruises and bleeding over the surface of his brain, caused by blows to the head. When he was questioned about Kayden’s injuries by police, Whoriskey denied causing them. It clearly did not weigh on his conscience that he had savagely taken the life of a three year old.
“Whilst I have stood here today and condemned Whoriskey for his despicable actions, I do not want that to be the final word that people remember. I want people to remember the little boy who, in his family’s words, was a smiling, happy and loveable child.”

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