A dad who deliberately jabbed his baby son with a needle causing the child to bleed has walked free from court.
The Merseyside man, who cannot be named for legal reasons to protect his victim's identity, first squeezed the newborn child.
That initial attack, when his son was just 26-days-old, led to the baby being taken off his parents, and re-homed with relatives.
But after they were granted supervised access at a nursery, CCTV cameras captured a deeply disturbing second assault.
The dad took out what is thought to be a needle from his pocket, concealed it, then jabbed his baby in the side - an attack the child's mum said "tore my family apart".
Liverpool Crown Court heard the first incident happened after she went to bed early, leaving the child with his dad overnight.
In the morning, the dad said he had noticed marks on one of his son's legs that she should look at, but she was unsure what they were, so rang medics.
There were no signs that he was in any pain, but the couple took the baby to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where a doctor found three bruises.
Katy Appleton, prosecuting, said the baby was examined by a consultant paediatrician, who found two 3cm long purple marks to his left thigh and right lower back, and smaller marks above each hip, which he said "were bruises and non-accidental".
Care proceedings were launched and the dad admitted squeezing his son, but said he relaxed his grip when his crying became higher pitched. Ms Appleton said: "He admitted that he had been frustrated with the continuous crying."
The couple were allowed to visit their baby and when he was 12-weeks-old, saw him in the presence of a support worker.
The dad took off his coat off and removed an item from a pocket, which he concealed in his right hand, then took his baby.
He walked around the room, before his son became upset and was handed back to his mum, then eventually fell asleep.
She noticed blood on the baby's vest and when the dad gave his son back to nursery staff, said: "He's got blood on his vest.
"I don't know where it's come from, I've checked his body for any cuts or anything that it could have come from. If it's possible could you keep him away from any blood please."
A nursery worker said the dad had "a bit of attitude" and she couldn't see an injury, but spotted blood on the vest near the baby's right ribs.
Later, the baby's relative found a small red mark, which "looked like a puncture wound in the middle of a bruise" and rang Careline.
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Doctors at Alder Hey concluded it was "caused deliberately with a very sharp object, such as a needle, which could penetrate the clothing easily".
A second doctor who viewed the CCTV agreed and said the dad "jabbed" the baby with it through his clothing.
Ms Appleton said the dad admitted using what "might have been a toothpick" to hurt his son when he started to cry, but "was at a loss to explain why he did it".
He told police that while he had been excited about becoming a dad, after the child was born he couldn't stop him crying.
The dad said he argued with his wife over how he behaved towards his son, started drinking more, and tried to get counselling, but there was no record of this.
He said his son did nothing wrong, but he jabbed him with a needle or pin, and pretended nothing had happened afterwards.
Ms Appleton said the dad - who covered his face with his hands in the dock - was very distressed and told officers he wanted his son to know how sorry he was.
In a victim statement, the mum said "the pain I felt every time I had to leave my baby killed me" and after the second attack, "my heart shattered all over again".
She said watching the CCTV, when her husband "turned his back to the camera and stabbed" her son made her feel sick.
The court heard her son has now been returned to her, but she said her husband "emotionally destroyed my first year of being a mum".
She said: "He lied continuously for months saying he hadn't done it. How could he do this to two people he was supposed to love? I will never get back this first year."
The dad, who had no previous convictions, admitted two offences of child cruelty. An indefinite order prevents him having any direct contact with his son.
Rachel Oakdene, defending, said her client was diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder, anxiety and depression.
She said the treatment suggested was psychotherapy, which he wouldn't receive in prison, and jail would only be a "short term solution" and wouldn't "tackle the root of this bizarre conduct".
Ms Oakdene said the dad was ashamed and remorseful, had lost the two people he loved the most and accepted his wife would divorce him.
She added: "He describes in the report how he became a monster to his son, failing to keep him safe."
Ms Oakdene said her client also told a psychiatrist: "I'm broken and I want to get fixed."
Judge Thomas Teague, QC, said the dad must have used "significant force" to cause the bruises and while only "minimal force" was required to cause the puncture wound "that was a deliberate act on your part".
He said his actions caused his wife "extreme distress", but "happily" her baby was now back in her care.
The judge said the dad had a "deeply troubled childhood", a history of self-harm, "significant and chronic mental health problems" and was undergoing cognitive behavioural therapy.
Judge Teague said a pre-sentence report found his mental disorder was "integral to the otherwise motiveless offences", and while it didn't substantially reduce his culpability, was a contributory factor.
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He said: "Cases of cruelty to children rightly give rise to public concern. Any parent or grandparent, and I pause to note that I am both, is bound to feel revulsion at the deliberate infliction of injury to a baby.
"Emotions of that kind are both inevitable and not to be criticised. This court however is required to put emotion to one side."
Judge Teague handed the dad six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, with 200 hours of unpaid work and a 60-hour Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, which he said would "better serve the public interest, the safety of children and the interests of justice" than a short prison sentence.
