A MAN who head-butted his four-month-old baby daughter during a vicious attack on his wife, has been jailed for 21 months.

Philip Butler, of Slaidburn Avenue, Breightmet, had attacked his wife Karen who was cradling the baby. As he attempted to head-butt her he accidentally hit the child.

The girl was treated at hospital for a bruised head. The court heard that Butler had since shown little remorse for assaulting his wife.

In another incident, after they had separated, Butler held a kitchen knife to his wife's throat.

Butler, whose criminal record started when he was 13, admitted to a history of violence and claimed he wanted help to deal with his bad temper. But yesterday, Judge Derwin Hope at Bolton Crown Court, said only a prison sentence could be justified.

He added: "It was disgraceful conduct. You attacked your wife as she held the child and kicked her in the head. You attempted to head-butt her but hit your child instead. You have shown little remorse for what you did."

The 26-year-old admitted three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on two occasions and one charge of affray.

Prosecutor Lisa Boocock said that Butler had been very drunk at the time of the first assault. Police spotted Mrs Butler walking down the street with blood on her face after the incident.

The couple separated but Butler visited her while she was with a friend. He asked her to go in the kitchen with him.

He then asked her who she was seeing and, when she refused to tell him, he held a kitchen knife to her throat. She went to the living room where her friend was and Butler followed, becoming more aggressive. He walked up to her and punched her in the face, breaking her nose. Mark Fireman, defending, said that Butler admitted to having a bad temper and was willing to seek help.