Alfie Sullock
Micheal Pearce attacked his girlfriend's baby Alfie while she was on a night out Gwent Police

A man who killed his girlfriend's six-week old baby by beating him with a shoe and a plastic bottle has been jailed for nine years.

Michael Pearce, 33, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Alfie Sullock while he was babysitting him for his girlfriend Donna Sullock in Caerphilly, South Wales.

The court heard he agreed to look after the child so she could go on a night for the first time since giving birth. While he was looking after him, Pearce drank five pints of beer and sent text messages to reassure her he could be trusted with Alfie even after he had beaten him.

The judge at Newport Crown Court asked whether "obsessive" Pearce had decided to attack the six-week-old because he was jealous Sullock did not want to have a baby with him.

Upon sentencing, Judge Justice Baker told Pearce: "Alfie died as a result of you having inflicted upon him multiple blunt force injuries. Alfie's age made him vulnerable and you sought to care for him. He was only in your care for a short time and this was not a momentary loss of control by a sleep deprived parent."

He added: "We may never know whether you were motivated by jealousy as a result of Donna's refusal to have your child earlier that evening."

The jury heard how minutes after Peace had texted Sullock to let her know Alfie was fine, he dialled 999 to claim he gone to the toilet and returned to see Alfie had stopped breathing. Paramedics arrived at his home to find the boy lifeless.

Alfie was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, where a scan revealed he had suffered a brain haemorrhage as a result of severe trauma. He died four days later.

Pearce was cleared of murder, but a jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter following 36 hours of deliberation.

Following the outcome, Sullock said she was "disappointed" by the verdict.

She added: "Whatever sentence he will get, it will never be long enough for taking Alfie's life away.

"We have been through a year of absolute hell."