A Chinese policeman who grabbed an infant from the arms of her father and threw her to the ground has been sacked from the force and formally arrested.

The man, who is in his 50s and a police veteran of about 30 years, has been in detention since earlier this week.

The seven-month-old infant suffered a fractured skull but is now said to be out of danger.

The officer, who was drunk at the time of the incident, made a bet with friends that the girl was only a doll.

The incident was covered up by the local police for almost a month, and the officer was only punished with 15 days of confinement by his superiors.

When outraged local officials broke the story to news media, it caused a nationwide uproar.

The local police chief has now been suspended. In his own defence he said he was waiting for forensic results before taking legal action against the officer, but the father of the young victim refused to have her examined by police doctors.

The police chief explained that he did not want to make the incident public before legal procedures could take place as he was concerned about protecting the image of the police.

He also said the police department had given 20,000 yuan ($3,266, £2,095) to the victim's family.