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| Man jailed for toddler's murder | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A man found guilty of murdering his former partner's daughter nearly 25 years ago has been jailed for life. | |
| Nicholas Byard, 46, of The Common, Barwell, Leicestershire, was convicted by a jury on Wednesday of the murder of Lisa Jayne Pegg in February 1982. | |
| He had denied murder, claiming the three-year-old had died after falling down stairs at the couple's home. | |
| The judge at Nottingham Crown Court told Byard he would serve at least 13 and a half years in prison. | |
| Sentencing Byard, Mr Justice Treacy told him: "First and foremost your victim was a little girl of three-and-a-half years who was unable to defend herself and was entirely within your power. | |
| "You were in a position of trust towards her, trust which you grossly betrayed." | |
| After all these years, we now know the truth about how Lisa met her death Julie Pegg, Lisa's mother | |
| Byard was not prosecuted at the time of the offence because the then attorney general deemed there was a lack of evidence. | |
| But jurors at Nottingham Crown Court heard evidence from medical experts that indicated the girl's injuries were too serious to be caused by such an accident. | But jurors at Nottingham Crown Court heard evidence from medical experts that indicated the girl's injuries were too serious to be caused by such an accident. |
| The case had been reopened in 2002 after Lisa's father, Alan Pegg, asked police to reinvestigate. | The case had been reopened in 2002 after Lisa's father, Alan Pegg, asked police to reinvestigate. |
| Byard remained with the child's mother, Julie Pegg, after the toddler died because she believed his claims, and they had two children together. | Byard remained with the child's mother, Julie Pegg, after the toddler died because she believed his claims, and they had two children together. |
| In a statement issued through police, she said: "In February 1982, I lived through every mother's worst nightmare - the death of my child. Lisa was only three when she died. Her life was cut tragically, senselessly short. | In a statement issued through police, she said: "In February 1982, I lived through every mother's worst nightmare - the death of my child. Lisa was only three when she died. Her life was cut tragically, senselessly short. |
| "For all these years, I have believed that my daughter died as a result of an accident, having fallen down the stairs in our home. | "For all these years, I have believed that my daughter died as a result of an accident, having fallen down the stairs in our home. |
| "When the police told us they were reinvestigating Lisa's death and that new evidence had come to light that suggested her death may not have been the accident we always believed it to be, my family and I were once again plunged into a nightmare." | "When the police told us they were reinvestigating Lisa's death and that new evidence had come to light that suggested her death may not have been the accident we always believed it to be, my family and I were once again plunged into a nightmare." |
| She added: "After all these years, we now know the truth about how Lisa met her death." | She added: "After all these years, we now know the truth about how Lisa met her death." |