Jordan Monaghan is set to have his sentence reviewed for being "unduly lenient" after he was convicted of three murders.
The 31-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum term of 40 years after being found guilty of murdering his two children, 24-day-old Ruby and 21-month-old Logan, and partner Evie Adams, 27, in three different incidents. He was also convicted of attempting to kill another child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on two separate occasions.
However, the Attorney General's office has now confirmed his sentence has been referred to the Court of Appeal to determine whether the minimum term handed down to Monaghan by Mr Justice Goose last December is long enough, reports Lancs Live. Monaghan, of Belgrave Close in Blackburn, denied the three murders during a ten week trial at Preston Crown Court.
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He claimed his children had died from natural causes in 2013, and said his partner took her own life in 2019. A jury heard evidence stating Monaghan had actually smothered his newborn daughter to death on New Year's Day in 2013, just hours after she was discharged from hospital with a common chest complaint.
They were then told how Monaghan smothered his 21-month-old son Logan in his buggy just eight months later, after a trip to Waves Waterpark in Blackburn, hearing that he'd killed the children to try and save his relationship with their mother Laura Grey after the pair split up twice - once when Logan had to be taken to hospital after swallowing paracetamol before Ruby was born, and again when Monaghan's gambling addiction was revealed.
Further evidence came to light in January 2018, and Lancashire Police reviewed the deaths of both children, launching a double murder investigation which saw Monaghan arrested and bailed under investigation. Whilst officers were investigating, Monaghan entered a new relationship with 27-year-old Evie Adams.
The pair argued during a weekend trip to Blackpool in October 2019, and less than two weeks later Evie was found unresponsive, having died from an overdose of tramadol and diazepam. Monaghan staged her death to make it appear she had taken her own life, but the jury heard detailed accounts of how the construction worker sourced the drugs and covertly gave them to his partner.
He was charged with all three murders in January 2021, before being convicted by a jury last December. Handing down a sentence of life with a minimum of 40 years, Mr Justice Goose described Monaghan as a "cruel man" who murdered his victims in a "covert and secretive" manner.
A spokesperson from the Attorney General’s Office said: “The Solicitor General was shocked by this case and wishes to express his sympathies to the families of the victims. I can confirm that the Solicitor General has referred Jordan Monaghan’s sentence to the Court of Appeal as he agrees that it appears unduly lenient. It is now for the Court to decide whether to increase the sentence.”
The Court of Appeal will hear the case on May 4 2022. However, given the complicated nature of the case, it could take a few days before the outcome is known.
