A QUEENSLAND stay-at-home mother has escaped immediate jail time after being convicted of assaulting her baby daughter, despite a judge describing the act as “an attack on a defenceless victim”.

A Brisbane Supreme Court jury on Wednesday found Ashleigh Meagan Watterson not guilty of two counts of attempted murder, as well as an alternative charge of grievous bodily harm, but convicted her of assaulting four-month-old Sarah.

Justice Martin Burns sentenced her to two years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for a period of five years, for deliberately cutting off the infant’s air supply in October 2010.

Ashleigh Meagan Watterson, 30, pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of four-month-old Sarah, who suffered catastrophic brain injuries when she was deprived of oxygen in late 2010.

A Brisbane Supreme Court jury retired on Tuesday afternoon and returned shortly before 4pm on Wednesday to find her guilty of one count of assault occasioning bodily harm but not guilty of two counts of attempted murder, as well as an alternative count of grievous bodily harm.

The 30-year displayed no obvious emotion as the verdicts were announced.

So far, she has spent 19 days in pre-sentence custody.

The trial had heard after being charged Watterson told police she had been “possessed” and tried to stop Sarah’s breathing on three occasions. Crown prosecutor Danny Boyle said in his closing submissions on Monday the jury should believe the confession but reject any suggestion Watterson was not mentally present when she tried to kill her baby.

But in her testimony, Watterson said she lied about harming Sarah because she wanted to be “locked up” and spare her Christian family the trauma of criminal proceedings.

“Because I did not want to commit suicide, I thought of a way of ending the whole turmoil for my family,” she said.

The court heard this led Ms Watterson to give false statements to police even though she knew she “hadn’t done anything to Sarah”.

She also said the content of messages and conversations before the court, alleged by the prosecution to be admissions of guilt, was “completely incorrect”.

Asked why she did this, Ms Watterson said: “Because I wanted it to come to an end for my family. I wanted to be locked up.”