A mother whose baby suffered horrific injuries after she hurled him head-first to the ground has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.

But Kim Clark will be detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act and will only be sent to prison if she becomes well enough before the sentence expires.

Maidstone Crown Court heard before carrying out the shocking act at her Ashford home, she told her partner: "I am sorry." Asked for what, she replied: "For what I am about to do."

The baby boy suffered life-changing injuries. Stock image, posed by model.

Prosecutor Christopher Tehrani QC said the 34-year-old former secondary schoolteacher raised the boy's legs up to her shoulders with his head angled down and "threw him to the ground with significant force".

The child suffered skull fractures and permanent brain damage, leaving the prognosis uncertain for the future.

Following an application by KentOnline, the judge, Mr Justice Spencer, lifted an order which had banned identification of the child.

"I am sorry for what I am about to do" - Kim Clark, before the attack

Clark, previously of Stumble Lane, Kingsnorth, admitted attempted murder shortly before she was due to stand trial last month.

Mr Tehrani said she met the child’s father, accountant David Hamer, through a dating site in October 2013. She became pregnant the following February.

But her personality disorder made her obsessively jealous and suspicious of Mr Hamer, suspecting him of having affairs with friends and work colleagues. She made suicide threats.

Matters came to a head on February 15 last year when Clark made more accusations and Mr Hamer prepared to leave her.

She followed him to the hallway, carrying the 15-week-old baby and after apologising threw him onto the hard floor covered with only a thin carpet.

The child appeared to be lifeless. He had a large swelling on the side of his head.

The boy was locked up for sexual abuse

Clark was screaming that the baby was dying and threatening to kill herself. Mr Hamer followed her to the kitchen where she attempted to stab him, but caused only minor scratches.

She picked the knife up and pressed it against her stomach. Mr Hamer managed to disarm her.

Clark phoned for an ambulance. When the police arrived she tried to blame Mr Hamer for the baby's injuries.

The boy was taken to the William Harvey Hospital and then transferred to London's King's College Hospital, where surgeons saved his life.

"He had sustained terrible injuries. They were the sort which are encountered if a child falls from an upstairs window" - Mr Justice Spencer

"He had sustained terrible injuries," said the judge. "They were the sort which are encountered if a child falls from an upstairs window."

The latest information was that the child had developed epileptic seizures and there was weakness in the left arm and leg, indicative of cerebral palsy.

Mr Hamer had spoken of his indescribable shock at what happened.

"He will never understand what motivated you to perpetuate such violence," said Mr Justice Spencer.

After her arrest, Clark was transferred to a psychiatric ward at the Trevor Gibbens Unit at Maidstone Hospital.

The judge said after hearing psychiatric evidence he was satisfied Clark needed treatment for her disorder.

"You will be detained in hospital for as long as is necessary," he told her. "If and when it is no longer necessary, and if your sentence of imprisonment has not expired, you will be transferred to prison.

"Once in prison, you will serve the remainder of the sentence."

After sentencing, Detective Inspector Lee Whitehead from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: "This was a tragic and difficult case which has left a child with life-changing injuries. I would like to thank my team for their professionalism and hard work."