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A Tesco shopper has been found guilty of punching a five-day-old baby in the face as she slept in her mum's trolley.

David Hardy, 63, denied common assault and told Manchester Magistrates Court he thought the girl was a doll.

Hardy claimed he was "trying to lighten the mood" when he touched the infant.

Her mum Elsie Duckers told his trial she thought her baby was going to die as she started screaming after the alleged punch.

Hardy told magistrates he was pretending to wake up what he thought was a doll by "flicking her face" in an attempt at humour which backfired.

(Image: MEN) (Image: Manchester Evening News)

He said: "I thought I was just going to make the girl laugh. I don’t know why I thought that.

“I thought it was a little girl’s dolly. I realise now it wasn’t but at the time.

"I immediately realised. I stood back and thought ‘oh god, it’s a baby’. I honestly thought it was a doll.

"I didn't punch anyone. I just flicked the face. Not with any force.

"I just feel wracked with guilt for what I have done. I wouldn’t do that. I still can’t believe I did it."

Mrs Duckers, who was with her seven-year-old daughter, Libby, at the time of the alleged attack, took Elsie to hospital and the baby was discharged the following morning.

(Image: MEN)

She told the court she had never seen Hardy before and was left fearing for her baby's life when she screamed out in agony.

She said: "He kind of acted as if he hadn’t done it at first.

"It was only when he saw the mark he admitted he had done it and then said he thought she was a doll."

Asked how the incident had affected her, she said: “It was more the effect on my other daughter seeing it which made it worse.

"She had to witness that. She had people talking about it in school.

“It’s quite distressing, obviously, for her to witness. It was distressing for me for me as an adult but for a seven-year-old child.”