A 24-year-old man has been jailed for eight years for fracturing his baby daughter's skull, ribs and ankle in three separate violent assaults.

The Bradford father, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, lost his temper when he was looking after her for an hour while his partner and her mother went shopping.

He was convicted by a jury at Bradford Crown Court in July of three offences of causing the two-month-old baby grievous bodily harm with intent on December 28, 2010.

Yesterday he was brought from prison to Leeds Crown Court for sentence.

The court was told that the man, who was living in the Bolton Woods area of Bradford at the time, squeezed the little girl’s ribs so hard that they “popped” at the sides.

He broke her ankle by twisting her leg and fractured her skull using blunt trauma.

The jury was told the girl’s injuries were typical of those caused by someone frustrated by the demands of a baby and losing control. They heard the man was under pressure at home at the time and suffering from depression.

Sentencing him, Judge Christopher Batty told the father the consequences of what he did will live with him forever.

He inflicted three separate, serious injuries after losing his temper over a prolonged period of time.

“They were against a little baby, who was only two months old, with whose care you were trusted,” Judge Batty said.

In mitigation, the man’s barrister, Tina Landale, said he had no previous convictions for violence and he still denied that he had harmed his baby.

He loved her but had now lost contact with her and his former partner, the court heard.

After the case, Detective Constable Donna Hector, of the Bradford District Children's Safeguarding Unit, said: “This was a horrendous attack on a two-month-old girl who had no way of defending herself against the superior strength of this man. He tried to hide his actions, blaming an accident for the severe injuries she had sustained.

“It was clear from our investigations, however, that they had been the result of a sustained assault.

“Today’s sentence underlines the way in which both the police and the courts view offences against children and the outcome for the perpetrators involved.

“If you want to report an offence, you can contact us anonymously and in absolute confidence on 0800 555 111.”