DAD Mark Stephenson subjected his months-old baby Sacha to violent, repeated shaking which led to her death, it was claimed in court.

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

But he denies that he murdered her after her health deteriorated and she died in January.

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

Prosecuting, John Royce QC told the court Sacha was born in July last year.

In September 2000, she had her routine immunisation vaccines and became "grizzly" so much so that her parents took her to a medical centre for a check, after which she improved.

Mr Royce said on September 20 Stephenson rushed Sacha to Princess Margaret Hospital, Swindon, claiming he had found the child "grey, limp and struggling for breath".

He said that he had tried to resuscitate her, and shook her, after she appeared to have stopped breathing.

Mr Royce said a CT scan of the child showed her to have bleeding within her skull around the brain.

The child was taken to Bristol Children's Hospital because her condition was felt to be extremely serious.

"The nature of the medical findings indicated the injury she sustained was not an accident," Mr Royce said. "The defendant was arrested on suspicion of causing her grievous bodily harm."

The court heard Stephenson was interviewed 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 force that might cause really serious injury and that he intended to do so," he said.

The case continues.