The trial of a man accused of the murder of his baby daughter has taken a dramatic turn after he accepted responsibility for her death, but insisted he had not meant to harm her.

Christopher Easey, 31, told Norwich Crown Court he now acknowledged that three-month-old Eleanor had died from injuries caused by a "violent" shake he had given her while trying to resuscitate her after she hit her head.

Easey said he had previously denied responsibility for the death but had changed his mind as a result of hearing medical evidence presented during the trial.

"I take responsibility for Eleanor's death on the basis I shook her in a resuscitative way," he said. "I shook her beyond the means I should've done."

Despite accepting his role in the death, Easey has not changed his plea and continues to deny murder and a charge of cruelty.

Eleanor's mother Carly, 36 - who is now divorced from Christopher - is also on trial, accused of allowing her death to occur and a charge of cruelty.

His admission of responsibility came on Thursday, as he was in the witness box giving his version of the events of December 18, 2019.

That was the day paramedics were called to the family home at Morton on the Hill, near Lenwade, where they found Eleanor "very pale, floppy and lethargic". She was transferred to Addenbrooke's where she died two days later from a catastrophic brain injury.

Easey told defence barrister Sally O'Neill QC, he had just returned from taking his wife to work when his daughter "slipped" out of his grip while he was feeding her and she hit her head.

He said he then put Eleanor in her baby bouncer but later found her slumped in it.

He told the court he picked her up and "jiggled" her "to wake her up", before performing CPR, after discovering she had stopped breathing.

Miss O'Neill asked Easey to describe the shake. He said: "It was quite a violent shake I would say."

Miss O'Neill asked: "Did you at any stage intend to cause any harm to Eleanor by doing that?"

He said he did not and had thought "I've got to get her breathing, I've got to get her breathing - that's what I tried to do".

Easey was asked what his position was now in terms of taking responsibility for Eleanor's death.

He said: "I take responsibility for Eleanor's death on the basis I shook her in a resuscitative way. I shook her beyond the means I should've done."

He said he had come to that conclusion based on hearing "the medical professionals" during the course of the trial.

Miss O'Neill said: "Do you now accept that you're responsible for causing the injuries to Eleanor which ultimately led to her death?"

Easey said he did but, at the time, had not intended to cause his daughter really serious injury or kill her.

Miss O'Neill said: "Did you intend to cause her some harm?"

He replied: "I intended to cause no harm to Eleanor."

When asked if he had previously been aware he had caused injuries to Eleanor, he said he was not but did accept in his handling of her he was "rough at times and may have caused them accidentally".

He said: "I was never aware any injuries had been caused to her. If I was I would've taken her straight to the doctors of the hospital."

The jury heard that after performing CPR on Eleanor he held her and cuddled her for up to an hour and a half before calling 999.

He said he had been saying "please come on, please don't die Eleanor" and had failed to call emergency services earlier as he had been in a "panic".

Easey said: "I was scared Eleanor was going to die.

"It was all my fault because I should've paid more attention to Eleanor

"I shouldn't have taken my attention away from her."

He said he "felt a failure as a father" as it had happened "on my watch".

Christopher Easey, of Ely Road, Little Thetford, Ely and Carly Easey, of Elizabeth Drive, Chedburgh, both deny all charges.

The trial continues.