Man jailed for shaking five month old baby so hard she went blind and damaged her brain after she refused to feed

A man has been jailed after shaking a five-month old baby so hard he left her blind and brain damaged.

Mark Spike, 24,  lost his temper after the baby girl refused a bottle - one doctor said they were the worst injuries he had seen in his career.

He caused a brain injury and retinal haemorrhages after growing angry because the baby girl would not take a bottle and started crying.

Spike, of Newmarket, Suffolk, was found guilty of GBH at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday and sentenced to two years in prison.

Speaking after the case, Det Insp Adrian Randall said: "Sadly the little girl may never recover from the injuries sustained and it isn't clear how the brain injury will affect her in the future.

"Our thoughts remain with her and her family."

Officers were called to reports of a baby girl having breathing problems and vomiting in October 2013.

She then had a seizure in front of paramedics and later found to have a brain injury and retinal haemorrhages causing partial blindness.

Examinations revealed the injuries were non-accidental injuries - either inflected by head trauma or shaking.

DI Randall said the trial had taken some time to get to court due to the police and Crown Prosecution gathering evidence from experts.

One of those experts concluded the force required to produce these injuries would be far more than would be expected during normal play.