Babysitter convicted of attempted killing

The High Court in Glasgow heard that Douglas Cooper, 24, broke the baby's skull in three places.

Throughout his trial Cooper claimed the injury had been caused by the child falling from his arms and hitting her head on a door.

But the jury did not believe his story and yesterday found him guilty of the murder attempt, which took place on 12 January last year at a house in Midlothian.

Cooper sat in the dock crying as the verdict was announced and shook his head as he was led away to the cells.

Temporary judge John Beckett, QC, will sentence Cooper, from Bonnyigg, Midlothian, later this month.

Earlier, the baby's mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she had left Cooper looking after the baby while she was out. She said that she received a phone call from Cooper about 8:55pm and added: "He sounded panicky. He said there is something wrong with her. He said she wasn't breathing properly and didn't look right."

The mother said she returned home to find her daughter lying on a couch not moving, with her head to one side. She told advocate depute Lesley Shand, QC, prosecuting: "She was just gasping for breath."

The jury heard that doctors carried out a scan that showed the baby's head had been fractured in three places.

The baby's mother told Miss Shand that the baby cried when Cooper picked her up.