A milk tanker driver who fractured a seven-week-old baby's skull but did not admit to knocking his head for a month has received a suspended jail term.

Robin Wintle only told police he may have knocked and shaken the child after a serious head injury was diagnosed, Bristol Crown Court was told.

The baby, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has since developed a cyst in the front of his brain as a result of a premature loss of brain tissue and the court heard the full impact of his injury would not be known until he starts school.

Wintle, 38, formerly of Winterbourne, but now living in Hinton near Chippenham, pleaded guilty to causing cruelty to a child.

Handing him a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, Judge Richard Bromilow told him: "What you did, I have no doubt, you will regret for the rest of your life."

Wintle, who was told to undergo six months' supervision with a probation officer, declined to comment as he left court yesterday.

Mark Hollier, prosecuting, said on November 3 last year the baby's parents became concerned the lad was ill and took him to the doctor, who then referred the child to Bristol Children's Hospital.

Having appeared to be all right, the baby was discharged but the next day his mother noticed his hands were twitching and he was staring.

Mr Hollier said that, when re-admitted to hospital, the baby had seizures and a brain scan revealed he had bleeding to both sides of his brain and a fracture to the right side of his skull.

Wintle said that, while coming down steep steps, he may have hit the child's elbow. Hospital staff advised police, Wintle was arrested and denied any knowledge of how the fracture was caused.

Shortly after he rang officers and asked to be re-interviewed, the court heard.

Mr Hollier said: "He apologised to police. He said he was sorry. He said he was coming down the stairs and (the baby) hit his head on the corner of a step and it knocked him out.

"He regained consciousness, then relapsed, and Mr Wintle shook him four times to revive him.

"An expert said the injury could have been caused in the way described by the defendant."

Mr Hollier said that in March this year the lad was deemed to be doing well but some impairment to movement had been noticed and the full impact of the injury would not be known until he was of school age.

Rosaleen Collins, defending, stressed her client was of previous impeccable character.

She said: "It is a sad case but not a bad case. This was a man who retreated into a dark tunnel, through complete and utter panic. He went into denial and he understands the effect that had."

Miss Collins said it had been an accident made worse by the behaviour of her client afterwards.

She said, though, that the delay in Wintle admitting the accident did not affect the treatment the baby received. She told the court: "The further it went, the harder it was for him to say 'I need to explain what happened'.

It has been a salutary lesson for him."