A DAD-of-two who shook his 13-week-old daughter and left her with a life-threatening brain bleed, was spared jail.

Burnley Crown Court was told the defendant lost his temper and shook the ‘colicky and screaming’ infant three times.

He rushed her to hospital when she went floppy, but lied about what happened and the tot’s grandmothers and his brother were arrested. The defendant owned up during family proceedings six months later, three-and-a-half years ago.

The hearing was told the little girl, amazingly, had fully recovered from her injuries and Judge Beverley Lunt said locking up the dad would do him more harm than good.

The man, from Burnley, who cannot be named, admitted child cruelty in 2010. He was given 12 months in prison, suspended for two years. The 26-year-old had no previous convictions.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said the victim was taken to Burnley General Hospital by her father. She was extremely ill and a specialist paediatric team was needed to treat her.

Staff described her body as having shut down, they weren’t able to use a vein for intravenous fluids and had to put it into her shin bone and give twice the normal amount. Doctors were unsure whether she had septicaemia, meningitis or a brain bleed.

The tot responded well and was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital for scans and tests, which found the brain bleed and bleeding in the left eye.

Mr Parker said the infant was transferred to Burnley eight days later and discharged three days after that. No medical reasons were found for her injuries and medics called police, believing they were consistent with shaking.

The defendant and his partner were arrested and both denied responsibility.

The baby and her sibling were taken into care.

Mr Parker said in 2011, the defendant admitted to his partner he had shaken the child and had not told anybody as he had been very scared.

Sentencing, Judge Lunt told the dad his lies ‘put the child at risk’ and was ‘astonished’ he then ‘pointed to others’.