A father who shook his four-month-old son to leave him brain damaged and blamed the tot’s older brother for inflicting the injuries has been jailed for eight years.

Gary Bennison, 24, of South End Road, Hornchurch, fractured the infant’s spine and broke three of his ribs when he was just three weeks old.

Three months later Bennison left the child with multiple bleeds to the brain and cerebral swelling after shaking him in fury.

But the cowardly dad claimed his two-year-old son was responsible for the shocking injuries.

Bennison was convicted on Monday of carrying out two separate attacks on his son after a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Judge Joanna Korner told him: “You shook him with such violence that the doctor said it must have been repeated cycles of shaking to cause multiple haemorrhages to the brain and cerebral swelling.

“Despite overwhelming evidence that all injuries were caused by you, you continued to deny it and persistently blamed your older son – who was only two years old – for the injuries to the brain.”

Bennison had savagely attacked his son in February last year, and deliberately shook him weeks later on May 19.

The baby started vomiting and had to be taken to hospital, said Mark Horsley, prosecuting.

Doctors then found rib and spinal injuries consistent with heavy blows to the back, the court heard.

Recent tests have shown the victim still has abnormalities to the frontal lobe of his brain and that his development has been delayed by his injuries.

Mr Horsey said further research has to be done to ascertain the long-term impact of his injuries.

Bennison, who was jailed for eight years, denied but was convicted of grievous bodily harm in respect of the first attack and grievous bodily harm with intent for the second.