Liam Whoriskey appeared in court this morning over the murder of Kayden McLaughlin-McGuinness who was found dead at his home in the Bogside in September 2017
Liam Whoriskey, of Glenabbey Gardens, appeared at Derry Crown Court sitting in Belfast where he was formally arraigned on four charges over the toddler’s death.
The 24-year-old defendant pleaded not guilty to murdering three-year-old Kayden McLaughlin-McGuinness on a date between September 15 and September 18, 2017.
He also denied causing the death of a child by an unlawful act between the same dates.
Whoriskey further pleaded not guilty to causing cruelty to a child under 16 on August 15, 2017, and a similar charge on a date between September 6 and September 16, 2017
The defendant was remanded back into custody to Magbhaberry prison ahead of the start of his trial in May this year which is expected to last a number of weeks.
A previous hearing at Derry Magistrates’ Court in June last year heard a detective tell a district judge that Kayden had sustained 13 blows to the head in what the officer described as a “blunt force attack”.
The court heard Kayden would have survived for only 30 minutes after suffering the fatal blow.
A post mortem examination also revealed the toddler had sustained a rib fracture, between six and 10 days before his death.
