A Monaghan man who murdered an 11-month-old baby has been ordered to serve 13 years in jail.
Sharyar Ali, of Westenra Terrace in Monaghan, who killed his then-girlfriend’s son, Hunter McGleenon, in Keady, Co Armagh in November 2019, was sentenced at Newry Crown Court today.
The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge back in April of this year.
When first arrested, Detective Sergeant James Brannigan explained Ali had been in a relationship with the child's mother for around a year, residing with her in Keady, despite being married to a businesswoman in Manchester.
She owned a phone shop in Monaghan where he worked.
On the morning of the 26th of November 2019, an ambulance was called as Hunter wasn't breathing.
He was taken to hospital but pronounced dead, and a post-mortem revealed a significant head injury deemed "non-accidental trauma."
As Hunter was in Ali's care since the previous evening, he was arrested.
During interview, Mr Ali claimed the baby woke around 6am and at some point, fell onto a concrete floor, striking his head.
Ali claimed he gave the child CPR then placed him in a cold shower which "seemed to revive him".
He put the child back in his cot and returned to bed himself, sleeping until around 9.30.
Ali claimed to have looked in on Hunter and saw that his lips were blue.
Hunter's mother had spent the night with her grandmother, a short distance away.
Ali drove Hunter there, informing the mother he wasn't breathing properly.
Police enquiries established while Ali was in charge of Hunter, he had driven to a Dundalk casino, remaining there for over two hours, while the child was left alone in the car.
Later, he drove to Monaghan to collect post, allegedly leaving Hunter alone in the house.
Throughout the course of multiple interviews, Ali gave conflicting accounts of his movements.
Today, Ali was handed a minimum 13-year jail term for the Keady baby’s murder.
