text: A thug who shook a baby girl so violently she was left permanently disabled and died more than a decade later was today jailed for three years for manslaughter. Kealeigh-Anne Woolley was just seven months old when she was left blind, unable to talk and severely brain damaged after being shaken by Colin Heath in January 2000. She spent most of her life in a wheelchair and could only eat through a tube until her death in 2011. Violently shaken: Kealeigh-Anne Woolley, pictured above before the incident, was just seven months old when she was left blind, unable to talk and severely brain damaged after being shaken by Colin Heath . Tragic: The child, pictured with her mother Amanda Woolley in 2001, spent most of her life in a wheelchair . Police arrested Heath, now 43, last September and yesterday he was jailed for three years and two months at Birmingham Crown Court after he admitted manslaughter. The judge, Mr Justice Sir Charles Haddon-Cave, said: 'It is clear that caring for Kealeigh had a profound effect for those who loved and cared for her, particularly her mother who also suffered. 'Kealeigh's mother describes movingly a lifetime of pain and anguish Kealeigh suffered in her [victim impact] statement. 'Her life was turned upside-down in January 2000. Her happy and healthy baby was suddenly disabled. 'The fact that Kealeigh lived as long as she did is a testament to the care and love by those around her. 'Her cause of death is directly attributable to the injury suffered in the care of Mr Heath in January 2000.' Her whole life ahead of her: Kealeigh-Anne, pictured looking healthy before the incident,  was subjected to the violent treatment by her mother's 28-year-old boyfriend at the time, Colin Heath . Worst nightmare: Kealeigh-Anne's mother had been out with her sister when the devastating incident took place. When she returned home later that night she found her daughter unresponsive and floppy . In her victim impact statement, Miss Woolley said: 'Keels would have been 16-years old this year. She should be getting excited for her school prom. She should be here for here for her family. 'You [Heath] took it all away from her. I thank Keels for giving me 11 years, 11 amazing years. I would do anything to have her back here. 'I cannot have her back though as she is gone forever.' Miss Woolley was 20 when she left her daughter with Heath, who she had been in a relationship with for two months, while she went out with her sister Angela on January 16, 2000. When she returned home later that night she found Kealeigh-Anne unresponsive and floppy on the floor of her home in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs. Prosecutor Rachel Brand QC said: 'In January 2000, he [Heath] caused severe brain injuries to Kealeigh-Anne, who had been born on June 22, 1999, and therefore was aged seven months at the time. 'Her death on February 6, 2011, was a direct but delayed consequence of the injuries she suffered in January 2000. There is no dispute about any medical evidence. 'When Amanda Woolley came home late that evening, it was obvious to her that the baby was not well. 'She seemed to have one eye closed and had red marks on her forehead. 'Her neighbour, a mother herself, suggested she did not need to go to hospital.' When Kealeigh-Anne was still pale and floppy the next morning Miss Woolley rushed her to North Staffordshire Hospital where it was discovered that the child had fallen into a coma. Following the incident, she spent months in hospital but was left in a wheelchair, developed epilepsy, cerebral palsy and needed to wear a body cast because her limbs were completely rigid . Damning evidence: Experts compared pictures of Kealeigh-Anne taken on the night Miss Woolley went out and concluded she suffered the injuries while in the care of Heath . Miss Brand added: 'It was clear to the doctors she was in a bad state. She had very severe brain injuries. 'We heard the brain injuries were indicative of non-accidental shaking to which excessive force was used. 'There were excessive bruises on her arms, abdomen and back. 'Doctors were clear that Kealeigh-Anne could not have appeared normal after that severe brain injury was sustained. 'These injuries were life-threatening.' Experts compared pictures of Kealeigh-Anne taken on the night Miss Woolley went out and concluded she suffered the injuries while in the care of Heath. She spent months in hospital but she was left in a wheelchair, developed epilepsy, cerebral palsy and needed to wear a body cast because her limbs were completely rigid. Heath, then aged 28, was jailed for 18 months on December 4, 2000 after admitting child cruelty and causing grievous bodily harm at Stafford Crown Court. But he was re-arrested and charged with manslaughter after Kealeigh-Anne died on February 6, 2011 - almost exactly 11 years after the brutal shaking. Nursing assistant Miss Woolley, now 35, also mother to six-year-old daughter Ellie-Rose, found Kealeigh-Anne lying dead in bed at 9.40pm. Medical experts ruled her death was a direct result of her serious brain injuries sustained in the 2000 attack. Waste of a life: Kealeigh-Anne died in her sleep on Sunday February 6 2011 at the age of 11 . Stuart Muldoon, defending, said: 'This is a tragic case with tragic consequences. 'It was a short-lived shake of the child causing catastrophic injuries and ultimately death. 'Mr Heath had been living quite an active social life. He was a young man. He was 28 years of age at the time of the offence. 'He spent time, as most young men do, going out, frequenting nightclubs and bars. He has isolated himself since. He has been wracked with guilt. 'Nothing that he says and nothing that he does can take us back to that day in January 2000. 'It was an isolated incident and was not to cause violence or to cause cruelty against a small child. There was no intention to kill or cause serious injury. 'He has placed himself in almost complete isolation. His last relationship of any intimacy was back in 2003. He struggles to deal with the enormity of his actions. 'He is remorseful and he is sorry. He will still feel disgust and guilt and shame of what he did to Kealeigh and what impact that it had on her mother and the rest of her family.' Miss Woolley, who attended court yesterday and burst into tears when the sentence was handed down, refused to comment afterwards.
target: Kealeigh-Anne Woolley was 7 months old when Colin Heath shook her .
  Violent incident left her blind, unable to talk and severely brain damaged .
  Spent most of her life in a wheelchair and could only eat through a tube .
  Heath was jailed for manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court today .