A SIX-MONTH-OLD baby smiles in a heartbreaking picture released as his dad was convicted of his manslaughter.

Ricky Walker, 27, shook Kayden Walker at his home in Bilston, West Midlands, which resulted in the tragic baby suffering 'catastrophic' brain injuries.

Ricky Walker was today convicted of manslaughterBut he was cleared of murder and child cruelty after telling jurors he believed a folded-up hoodie he used to "prop-feed" Kayden may have suffocated him.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court also convicted Kayden's mother, 25-year-old Laura Davies, of allowing the baby's death.

Their trial heard allegations that Kayden was subjected to cruelty which led to an earlier head injury, several weeks before his death on June 12, 2016.

The infant went into cardiac arrest at his home and was pronounced dead in hospital about an hour after Walker dialled 999.

Opening the Crown's case at the start of the trial, prosecutor David Mason QC, alleged that Walker had previously joked about how long it would take his son to suffocate when a hoodie covered his face.

David Mason QC, prosecuting, said Walker had "vigorously" shaken Kayden which caused a severe "bang" to the head on June 12, 2016.

He told the court: "The evidence in this case will show that, just before Kayden's collapse and that call to the emergency services, he was almost certainly the victim of an episode of forceful shaking, involving an impact to the head."

Walker, who had a small level of cannabis in his blood at the time of the death, told his trial he could be "heavy-handed" but denied fatally shaking the child.

Explaining why Davies, who was not present when Kayden collapsed, had been charged with allowing death, Mr Mason told the court: "Our case is that there had been an earlier incident of trauma to Kayden and both his mother and father would have been aware of it.

"We can and do suggest that she should have been aware that there was a risk to Kayden and failed to take reasonable steps to protect him."

Under cross examination during his trial, Walker told jurors Kayden's brain injuries "were probably through me panicking and that" but said he could not explain why he became unresponsive.

Walker will be sentenced on Thursday while Davies was bailed for sentence on a date to be fixed.