DAD Mark Stephenson subjected his 12-week-old baby Sacha to violent, repeated shaking that led to her death, it was claimed in court on Monday, December 3.

The 30-year-old house husband, of Saxon Close, Cricklade, admitted to police that he shook the infant several times after dropping her in order to revive her.

But he denies he murdered her after her health deteriorated.

Bristol Crown Court heard how Stephenson cared for Sacha when his partner, Carolyn Iles, worked evening shifts in Swindon.

Prosecuting, John Royce QC told the court Sacha was born in July 2000. In September she had her routine immunisation vaccines and became "grizzly." Her parents took her to a medical centre for a check, after which she improved.

Mr Royce said on September 20 Stephenson rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital, Swindon, claiming he had found the child "grey, limp and struggling for breath." He said he had tried to resuscitate her, and shook her after she appeared to have stopped breathing.

The court heard Stephenson was interviewed by police several times. He eventually told police that, earlier, he had shaken the child some eight times after he dropped her.

"The prosecution's case is that for one reason or another this man lost his temper, or he got very stressed out on this occasion, and he shook that child with considerable force and intended to do so."

Carolyn Iles, 24, said she looked after the child from September. She was fitting, had no major functions, was blind, deaf and was fed by tube. She died on January 20 this year.

Miss Iles said that when the injuries came to light there was no suggestion her partner had shaken the child.

Paul O'Keeffe, consultant paediatrician at Princess Margaret Hospital said he examined Sacha. He noted her eyes were unresponsive to light and evidence of blood vessels leaking in her eyes.He said a CT scan was carried out on Sacha's brain which revealed there were signs of fresh bleeding over the surface of her brain and there appeared to be evidence of older blood on another part of her brain.

He said: "My first thought was that this was a shaking injury, a non-accidental shaking injury."

The case continues