Having earlier been cleared of murder, a Dad has been jailed for causing the death of his daughter who he threw into a cot more than 20 years ago.

Maisie Newell was four weeks old when she suffered head injuries which left her disabled as a result of the incident in Edgware, London, in August 2000. She later died as a result of her injuries in June 2014, aged 13.

Dean Smith, 46, who was cleared of murder at a trial at the Old Bailey in September, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.

Smith, now of Bushey, near Watford, had previously served three years in prison, having admitted assaulting Maisie, who was adopted by another family following the incident.

Giving evidence in his Old Bailey murder trial, Smith described himself as a “lowlife scumbag” who tossed his four weeks old daughter 6ft into her cot at the family home because she won’t stop crying.

He told jurors he had asked his partner not to go out on the day of the incident because he was feeling “anxious” and “on edge”, and did not want to be left with a “screaming baby”.

After fatally injuring Maisie, stonemason Smith lit a cigarette, drank a beer and played on his PlayStation until his partner returned home and noticed the baby was “pale”.

Initially, Smith kept quiet about what happened and when he did eventually tell his partner, they concocted a lie, blaming another child for causing the injuries, the court was told.

Jailing Smith, Judge Mark Lucraft QC said one of the aggravating features of the case was the lies that Smith and his then-partner told about what happened to Maisie.

On learning of Maisie’s death nearly 14 years later, the defendant said he “broke down”.

He told jurors: “I think I’m a lowlife scumbag. I cannot believe I did it. I’m disgusted in myself. I wish it was me, not her.”

In a victim impact statement read to court, Tracey Newell, who adopted Maisie aged 20 months, said she had suffered “unspeakable injuries”. “The damage to her brain was catastrophic, irreversible and life-changing,” she said.

“Maisie always had the ability to draw people to her, she was like sunshine, radiant and bright,” she said.

“Whilst her body was so damaged, her soul remained intact.”

Mrs Newell added that the family was “pleased” her story has finally been heard in court.