Zak Hughes, 29, has been sentenced at Belfast Crown Court for the murder of Sarah Montgomery, 27, at her flat in Donaghadee last year. Hughes, of Ardglen Place in north Belfast's Ardoyne area, beat Ms Montgomery to death while she was 32 weeks pregnant with their son. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of murder and child destruction.
Attack with Father's Day gift
The court heard that one of the weapons Hughes used was a water bottle that Ms Montgomery had bought him as a Father's Day present from their two children. The attack, which lasted 19 minutes, was triggered after she confronted him about lying regarding his fiancee's pregnancy. A recording of the attack captured her screams as he launched the assault.
A post-mortem indicated at least 59 applications of blunt trauma, and that she died following a sustained blunt force trauma attack. The prosecution said it must be viewed as one of the worst cases of domestic violence in recent times.
Aftermath and arrest
Following the attack, Hughes took Ms Montgomery's mobile phone, locked the door, and left to pick up their other child from a local primary school. He made several stops, including at Primark in Newtownards, where he bought a new outfit and changed. He dumped her phone and keys at one location and his bloodied clothes and water bottle at another. He also texted Ms Montgomery twice and later attended a baby shower for his fiancee.
Her grandfather found her the following day, lying on her side, face down and covered in blood. Efforts to revive her were made, but she was described as cold and stiff. Hughes was arrested on Sunday and initially denied involvement before admitting what he had done.
Sentencing and comparisons
During the sentencing hearing on Friday, comparisons were drawn with Stephen McCullagh's murder of his pregnant partner Natalie McNally in Lurgan in 2022. The judge noted that femicide is a real issue in this jurisdiction.
Madam Justice McBride said she will take time to reflect on submissions before setting a tariff. A review hearing is set for next Friday.
