A BABY was shaken so violently by his father that paramedics believed the child was ‘already dead’, a court heard.

The four-month-old boy was left with injuries so serious, including bleeding on his brain and spine, that medics feared the worst when they responded to an emergency call in the early hours.

The dad admitted he was frustrated with the child after he refused a feed.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, then lied to the police, doctors and family about what had happened to his son, despite being given several chances to tell the truth.

But the Burnley man later admitted his guilt, pleading guilty to malicious wounding.

Prosecutor Charles Brown told Preston Crown Court: “The defendant was separated from the baby’s mother.

“He collected his child from his ex-partner’s address to spend the day with him.

“They spent the day with friends and family before returning to the defendant’s home at around 7.30pm. During the course of the day none of those around the defendant had any concerns about how he was with the child.”

Mr Brown went on to explain how at around 5am on June 23, 2018, the defendant’s neighbour was woken by his intercom buzzer.

When he went outside to check what was going on, he found the defendant holding the child in a state of ‘serious distress.’

He said: “The defendant asked the neighbour to call an ambulance as the child had become floppy.

“The paramedics arrived and their first thoughts were that he had died. Fortunately that was not that case and a later scan showed bleeding to the brain and multiple haemorrhages. A transfer to the Royal Manchester Children Hospital was arranged.

“There were no outwards signs of trauma to the child. The injuries that he sustained were typical of rapid acceleration and deceleration – violent shaking.”

The defendant said he became frustrated with the child after he woke and refused to take his feed. Mr Brown said: “He claimed to have tapped on his chest, blew on him and swung on him. Clearly the child’s injuries resulted from violent shaking in addition to anything else that the defendant did.”

The court heard how despite horrendous injuries, the child has recovered and his growth and speech development is normal. However he will require surgery on his eyes for damage sustained during the attack.

A victim impact statement read out in court by the baby’s grandmother, stated that the family had been through ‘living hell.’

She said: “When we arrived at the hospital my grandson was surrounded by medical experts. It was absolute torture to see him lying there.

“After an agonising wait we were advised of the severity of his injuries.

“His father lied to the paramedics and police to cover up his violent and callous actions.

“Clearly he did not care for my grandson’s life. If he had cared for him, his own son, he would have admitted his guilt. He has shown no remorse for his actions.

“No words can possibly describe the pain and heartbreak we were experiencing.”

Judge Andrew Woolman sentenced the man to 32 months in prison.