Dad brutally killed son, two, weeks after getting sole custody from loving foster parents

A Dad murdered his own two-year-old son, just weeks after he was given sole custody of the boy who had been cared for by doting foster parents.

Tattoo artist Daniel Hardcastle, 31, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years for an horrific physical abuse campaign that saw his son Damion Russell bitten, beaten and inflicted with a serious head injury that ended his life.

In a harrowing case, reminiscent of Baby P, Damion suffered 80 separate injuries in the space of a few weeks before his death.

Blackpool Council will now carry out a local child safeguarding practice review to identify what went wrong, as the death was so soon after he was handed over to his father.

Preston Crown Court heard that Damion was born in July 2021 and taken into care aged 10 months as his mother could not look after him.

He was placed with foster parents Michelle and Shaun Allan, who lovingly cared for him for another ten months.

In early 2023 Hardcastle was identified as Damion's father through DNA testing and he fought hard to have a role in his life.

For several weeks, from February 6 2023, he visited him under supervision of Blackpool Council social services at a

contact centre and his parenting was assessed at a residential centre until 18th May 2023.

The court heard Hardcastle initially enjoyed time with his son and welcomed support from local services, friend Sophie, who had a child of a similar age, and his mum, Linda Hardcastle, who would have him sometimes overnight.

However, he later stopped accepting such support and his mother was taken ill and he resorted to drinking and speaking to women online.

Sentencing him, Mrs Justice Hill, said: "Over time, for whatever reason, you stopped accepting the support that was offered to you.

"You did not take Damion to playgroup after 9th June or to nursery after 3rd July.

"Sophie offered to have playdates with you, or look after Damion so you could go out, but you did not take her up on these suggestions.

"Your mother sadly became unwell throughout July. On 3rd August she collapsed in the street; and on 13th August she was admitted to hospital having suffered a stroke. She was therefore unable to help you with Damion.

"You were seen on CCTV going to your local shops, without Damion present... on many of these occasions you bought alcohol.

"You were in touch with several women on social media. You stayed up all night on Thursday 17th and Friday 18th August on a video call with one such woman, Charlotte.

"The call with Charlotte ended at around 5 am on 19th August. At one point you turned the video camera on your phone around so that she could see Damion sleeping in his bed. The room was dark.

"She saw him face down, in a starfish shape. She said how cute he looked.

"In reality, you had already caused significant physical injuries to Damion."

Dr Medcalf, forensic pathologist, identified some 80 separate injuries to Damion’s body at post-mortem.

He had injuries to his head, face and neck, his chest and abdomen, the back of his trunk, both his arms, both his legs and both his feet and fractured ribs.

There were significant marks on Damion’s right thigh, including an adult bite mark.

There was a very serious injury to Damion’s mouth, including the frenulum, the tissue that attaches the top lip to the teeth, which was effectively destroyed, caused by a sipping cup being rammed into his mouth, with the latest about three days before death.

During his trial Hardcastle, who denied murder, blamed injuries on "rough play" said the toddler had fallen and banged his head on a coffee table just prior to death.

The court heard Hardcastle either forcefully shook Damion and banged his head, or caused Damion’s head to come into contact with a solid object.

The jury found him unanimously guilty after less then two hours of deliberation.