A CLEVEDON man has been jailed for severely injuring a seven-month-old child he was babysitting.

Paul Davis, (pictured right), aged 28, of Wrangle Farm Green, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm and was jailed for a year and eight months at Bristol Crown Court on March 5.

The court heard how Davis claimed the baby had a fit following a feed and may have hurt itself during a seizure.

Tara Wolfe, prosecuting, said Davis told the baby’s mother the child had some milk before going rigid, with its eyes rolling to the back of its head.

He claimed the youngster tried to be sick, so he put his fingers in its mouth and it vomited several times.

Miss Wolfe added that Davis said he tried to call 999 but his phone wasn’t working.

The court heard that when the baby’s uncle arrived at the house he found the baby limp and unresponsive. Bruises were also found on the child’s chin and right arm.

The baby, who cannot be identified, was taken to Bristol Children’s Hospital where CT and MRI scans showed bruising around the lower face and neck, a brain bleed and bleeding to both retinas.

The medical examination also showed the baby suffered brain and spinal injuries consistent with being shaken.

The court heard how Davis denied injuring the baby when he was arrested and implied it could have been roughly handled by its mother or paramedics.

Experts agreed the baby’s brain injuries were most probably caused by shaking and the court heard that the full effects of the trauma may not be known for years.

Fiona Elder, defending, said her client accepted causing the injuries but didn’t mean to hurt the child.

She said Davis was medically discharged from the Army and was not working due to suffering post traumatic stress disorder.

Miss Elder added that it was a one-off incident and a momentary loss of control.