Texas: Dad who put baby in microwave gets 25 years jail

A father has been jailed for 25 years for putting his two-month-old daughter in a microwave.

Ana Mauldin suffered severe burns but made a full recovery after her father Joshua left her in the oven for 20 seconds.

Mauldin was led from the court in Galveston, Texas in tears after his sentence was announced.

He had claimed he was insane when he put Ana in the microwave in a hotel room last year but the jury rejected his plea and found he had done it deliberately.

Prosecutor Xochitl Vandiver said she was satisfied with the sentence.

"I feel Ana will be well into adulthood when her father (is paroled) and that in and of itself is a great thing," she said.

"It's extremely important for people to know that just because this case was sensational, it doesn't mean that (child abuse) goes away," she said. "Child abuse is an important issue. It should be focused on."

Sam Cammack, Mauldin's lawyer, had asked jurors to consider his client's long history of mental illness and sentence him to probation so he could be treated at a hospital.

"He still doesn't get the treatment for mental illness that he needs," Mr Cammack said. "He's not going to get that in prison."

The prosecution said Mauldin hurt his daughter because he was angry that he was in a loveless marriage. They also said Mauldin had a history of violence and of lying about being mentally ill to get out of trouble.

Mauldin at first told police his daughter had been severely sunburned, later changing his story and saying he had accidentally spilled hot water on her while making coffee.

Ana suffered second- and third-degree burns to her left ear, cheek, hand and shoulder and required two skin grafts. Part of her left ear had to be amputated.