A SENIOR detective has called for a register for people convicted of child cruelty, following an inquest into a baby's death.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Reddick was speaking after an open verdict was recorded by North Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle into the death of 26-day-old Sarah Anne Butler.

She died in the arms of her father, Steven, who fell asleep holding her in a chair at the home he shared at the time with Sarah Anne's mother, Deborah Robson, in Murray Road, Chester-le-Street, on November 25, 2001.

Ms Robson said she went to bed at 11pm, leaving Butler sitting holding Sarah Anne.

She woke at about 6am to hear Butler "wailing". When she went into the lounge, she saw him holding Sarah Anne in his arms.

The inquest, in Durham, was told Sarah Anne only returned home from hospital the previous afternoon.

Home Office pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper was unable to ascertain the cause of death. He said it could have been sudden infant death syndrome, smothering or suffocation.

A post-mortem examination revealed Sarah Anne suffered ten rib fractures, which appeared to have been inflicted a week or two before her death.

Butler was arrested. He said he was unaware how Sarah Anne died, and admitted a charge of child cruelty relating to the broken ribs.

The itinerant fairground worker, now 31, was jailed for 18 months at Newcastle Crown Court last year.

Det Chief Insp Reddick told the inquest that inquiries revealed two of Butler's previous partners said he was responsible for non-accidental injuries to their young children, one in Norwich and the other in London, in 1991 and 1994.

Neither reported the incidents for fear their children would be taken from them.

Ms Robson said she knew nothing of the previous incidents.

Det Chief Insp Reddick said Butler was recently released from prison and is believed to be living in the London area.

He is forbidden from contacting Ms Robson or her family until his licence period expires in December.

Speaking after the hearing, Det Chief Insp Reddick said: "From December, there is no way of keeping a check on him, as we are able to do in the cases of people on the sex offenders' register."

The Durham Area Child Protection Committee reviewed the case last year.

A committee spokesman said: "We wrote to the Home Office in July last year expressing our concerns at the lack of accountability for offenders in this sort of case. We certainly support Det Chief Insp Reddick in his bid to have this addressed."

Det Chief Insp Reddick raised his concerns through the Association of Chief Police Officers.

An association spokesman said last night that the issue may be addressed as a result of a recommendation of the recent Bichard Report, following the inquiry into the Ian Huntley case, after the Soham murders.

He said: "Bichard called for information about people who have abused, not just children, to be kept on a national intelligence system.

"That system may take a few years to come into place, and while not a child abuse register as such, it will be a national intelligence register.