OTSU -- A woman has been ordered to spend 2 1/2 years behind bars for repeatedly flinging her baby daughter to the floor, leaving her with serious brain injuries.

The Otsu District Court convicted Izumi Kusano, 23, a jobless woman living in Kinomoto, Shiga Prefecture, of attempted murder.

"The victim was subjected to abuse by her mother, whom she trusted. The consequences of the crime are grave and tragic," Presiding Judge Yuko Tsuboi said during sentencing.

However, the judge handed down a shorter prison term than eight years demanded by prosecutors, as the defendant called for an ambulance following the incident in a bid to save her daughter.

Kusano lost her temper after her 4-month-old daughter wouldn't stop crying, and hurled her onto the floor at their home nine times on the evening of March 15 this year, leaving her with heavy brain injuries, according to the ruling.

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