Zak Hughes has been sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of Sarah Montgomery and the destruction of her unborn child. The 29-year-old from Ardoyne in Belfast fatally assaulted Montgomery in her Donaghadee flat in County Down during June 2025, when she was 32 weeks into her pregnancy.
According to BBC News, Montgomery was 27 years old at the time of her death and left behind two daughters, aged five and seven. Hughes entered guilty pleas to both murder and child destruction charges in June 2026, leading to his sentencing.
The case reflects a broader pattern of violence affecting women in Northern Ireland. Since 2020, at least 31 women have been killed in the region, highlighting persistent concerns about domestic and interpersonal violence within communities across the country.
What happens next
Hughes will serve a minimum of 20 years before becoming eligible for parole consideration. His sentence reflects the severity of the offences, which encompassed both the unlawful killing of Montgomery and the destruction of her unborn child at an advanced stage of pregnancy.
