Mother jailed for 24 years for beating 21 month old daughter to death

The drug-addict mother of little Ayeeshia Jane Smith has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years for beating the 21-month-old to death.



Kathryn Smith was convicted of murder last week. Her ex-partner, Matthew Rigby, who was found guilty of allowing the girl's death, was given a three-and-a-half-year sentence today,Daily Mail reports.

Judge Geraldine Andrews said of Ayeeshia:

'For no apparent reason her life was snuffed out by a brutal beating in her bedroom surrounded by her toys' 'You were devious, manipulative and selfish young woman. You were completely self-centred and told lie after lie to the authorities.'

Ayeeshia was heard screaming 'stop mummy, stop daddy' before she was murdered in May 2014. Her catalogue of injuries - which were likened to those of a 'car crash victim' - included a torn heart, a partially severed tongue, shattered ribs and was missing tufts of hair.