A 29-year-old Belfast man who carried out a fatal, sustained attack on his heavily pregnant partner as she pleaded for mercy has received a mandatory life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years at Belfast Crown Court.
Zak Hughes, residing at Ardglen Place in Belfast, appeared in the dock for sentencing having entered formal guilty pleas to murder and child destruction.
The court heard that the killing took place on 27 June 2025 inside a residential flat in Donaghadee, County Down, where 27-year-old Sarah Montgomery lived. Sarah was 32 weeks pregnant with their unborn child, a boy, and the couple already shared two young daughters together.
Prosecuting counsel detailed how a confrontation developed after Sarah challenged Hughes regarding his repeated dishonesty and deception. Hughes reacted with savage and relentless physical violence. Even as the heavily pregnant woman cried out and screamed for mercy, Hughes continued the assault, inflicting at least 59 separate blows to her body and head. Sarah was left critically injured inside the property, where emergency services discovered her unresponsive the following day; she was pronounced dead at the scene, with medical personnel confirming the death of her unborn son.
In the hours following the fatal beating, Hughes took calculated steps to cover up his crimes. He travelled to a local retail shopping centre, purchased a new change of clothes and shoes, and discarded his worn garments inside a public toilet facility. Hughes then systematically disposed of key physical evidence, including Sarah’s personal mobile phone and the keys to her residence, before travelling back to his home in Belfast.
Although Hughes initially maintained a denial of responsibility during early police interviews, he subsequently abandoned his defence and pleaded guilty to both charges on the indictment:
One count of murder
One count of child destruction
Sentencing Hughes, Madam Justice McBride condemned the unsparing cruelty of the prolonged violence inflicted upon a vulnerable, heavily pregnant mother carrying his child. The judge noted that Hughes had continued to strike Sarah relentlessly despite her audible pleas for him to stop.
Madam Justice McBride imposed a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, setting the minimum custodial term at 20 years before Hughes can be considered for parole release. A concurrent sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment was handed down for the child destruction conviction.
Hughes will remain behind bars until at least 2045, after which any potential release will be strictly at the discretion of the Parole Commissioners on lifelong licence conditions.
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