A CLYDEBANK man who was convicted of attempting to murder a nine-month-old baby girl has been jailed for six years.

Twenty-one-year-old William Robertson launched a violent attack on the defenceless baby which left her with a fractured skull and massive bruising to her forehead and ear.

The attempted murder took place at his flat at Jean Armour Drive, Drumry, on September 9, 2017 while Robertson was caring for the infant, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

A hearing at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday was told that Robertson continues to protest his innocence despite being found guilty.

Judge Norman Ritchie told Robertson: “You were convicted of endangering the life of a vulnerable, defenceless child.

"You caused significant injury, but by good fortune the child has recovered well.”

Judge Ritchie ordered that Robertson should be monitored in the community for two years after his release to protect the public.

Robertson claimed that the baby had sustained her injuries in a fall from a couch. However, medical experts said that her horrific injuries were caused by more than one incident.

In evidence, Robertson insisted he was sleeping and was wakened by the baby falling off the couch.

He denied ever hitting the baby and claimed: “I'm not a monster.”

Robertson also denied he was drunk and angry that night, although he admitted downing a can of Dragon Soop and some Mad Dog 20/20.

He claimed he was prepared to undergo a lie detector test to prove his innocence and said during his trial he had tried to get on to the Jeremy Kyle Show on TV to do so.

But the jury did not believe him and found him guilty of attempting to murder the baby by repeatedly striking her on the head and body or by means unknown to the prosecutor.

The court heard that Robertson ran to his mother's nearby house at 4am with the seriously injured baby in his arms.

An ambulance was called and at the Royal Children's Hospital the baby was found to have suffered a fractured skull and extensive bruising.

The child's mother, aged 19, said Robertson phoned to say her daughter was in hospital and added: “He was trying to sound upset. I could tell it was put on by the tone of his voice. It was as if he was pretending to cry.”

The mum said when she arrived at the hospital around 4.20am Robertson was sitting on a chair and her daughter was in a hospital bed screaming and crying.

She said: “He was sitting next to my daughter. He was not trying to comfort her. He said 'It's not what it looks like.'

“I could smell drink off him and his eyes were just all over the place.”

She said that Robertson gave her three different accounts of how the baby came to be injured.

The child, who is now aged two, has made a full recovery.

Defence QC Donald Findlay said that his client continues to maintain he is innocent and that the child's fall was an accident.

Mr Findlay added: “Whatever happened, on this occasion he failed, and will pay the penalty for that failure.”

Following Robertson's conviction in November, it was revealed that he had also been convicted of threatening and abusive behaviour towards three former partners between January 2016 and August 2017.

He received a total jail sentence of three years for those offences at Dumbarton Sheriff Court after being found guilty in October.