A babysitter who battered a two-year-old girl to death on his 15th birthday has been ordered to be detained for at least 15 years for her murder.
Karl McCluney kicked, punched and bit Demi Leigh Mahon, leaving her with 68 injuries and suffering brain damage.
After the ferocious attack in Salford, Demi Leigh was taken to hospital and her parents were at her bedside when her life support machine was switched off two days later.
McCluney, now 16, was convicted of Demi Leigh's murder at Manchester Crown Court last month.
He sat slouched in a chair with his hands in his pockets as the sentence was handed to him by Mr Justice Sweeney at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday. McCluney was allowed to sit outside the dock with his solicitor and a prison guard beside him because of his age.
Demi Leigh was left with McCluney by her drug addict mother, Ann Marie McDonald, on July 15 last year while she went to cash her child benefit. The teenager took Demi Leigh to the park before carrying out the attack at his home in Liverpool Road, Eccles, Salford. He punched and kicked the little girl repeatedly and ferociously.
He has never explained his actions, apart from alluding to the fact that Demi Leigh's behaviour was annoying him.
The judge described the murder as "savage". He said: "You were extremely fed up with having to babysit because it was your birthday, nobody had planned anything for you and you did not think that was fair.
"At the flat, Demi Leigh was crying and you became angry with her. Unsurprisingly, given your anger, she cried more. You got angrier and angrier until you lost your temper altogether. You then, over a period, according to you, of about 10 minutes, you hit her many times.
"You were large and powerful, she was only a small child and stood no chance against your onslaught."
