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A man who punched a two-year-old girl because he wanted "peace" to watch the X Factor was warned yesterday he is facing jail.

A court heard the child suffered bleeding on the brain and multiple head fractures and would need "intervention and support in the future".

Darren Eamonn Fagan, 29, had been due to stand trial charged with attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

However, he was recently re-arrainged and admitted the lesser offence.

His guilty plea was accepted by the prosecution who asked the attempted murder charge be "left on the books".

The court heard the girl was assaulted in her home in Bessbrook, Co Armagh, on October 19, 2014.

The mother told police the girl’s dad had dropped her home on Sunday evening and she became unsettled when put to bed, describing her face as "red and sweating" when she went to check on her.

After going to look for medicine, she said she noticed Fagan, who had taken a "cocktail of drink and drugs", was no longer in the living room.

And as she went upstairs her daughter "stopped crying" and she heard a "sudden noise like a thud".

The judge was told the mum saw the defendant crouched over her child’s bed and noticed a large lump on her head.

Belfast Crown Court heard: "She shouted at him, 'Oh my God, you’ve hit her', and the defendant replied, 'No, it’s not what it looks like'."

A lawyer said the mother ran up the street to a neighbour’s home.

He added: "The child was violently vomiting at this stage. She told people at the house to ring for an ambulance."

A police officer performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation before the girl was taken to hospital.

The accused, formerly of Clonavon Avenue, Portadown, Co Armagh, was arrested and said: "I did not do anything."

Judge Geoffrey Miller was told Fagan had an "extensive criminal record" including convictions for violence.

One was for attacking the 20-month-old child of a previous partner.

The court heard Fagan told the

Probation Service, which assessed him as “dangerous”, he “punched the child as she would not stop crying”

A defence lawyer said the defendant had an “absolutely wretched childhood” and was sorry for the attack on the child.

The lawyer urged the judge to afford Fagan up to 25% reduction in any term given his plea, remorse and personal circumstances at the time, adding the sentencing range was between four-and- a-half years and 13 years.

Remanding Fagan back into custody, Judge Geoffrey Miller said he would pass sentence on June 9.