The mother of a baby girl who nearly drowned after being left in a bath by herself for at least 10 minutes has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Letetia Jordan, 20, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, after previously pleading guilty to child cruelty.

Peterborough Crown Court heard Jordan had left the eight-month-old with water up to her chest while she was with two friends in a bedroom at her home in Burdett Grove, Whittlesey, at about 4pm on May 6 last year.

Her friends said Jordan was having an argument with her ex-partner, the baby’s father, on a mobile phone while the baby was crying in the bath.

The baby then stopped crying and after a short time Jordan’s friends went to check on her.

They found her under water, at the bottom of the bath, not moving. They pulled her out, began first aid and managed to revive her before paramedics arrived.

She was taken to hospital and has now made a full recovery. Experts estimated she had been under water for between 30 and 60 seconds.

Police were called by the hospital and on May 8 last year Jordan was arrested.

She denied leaving the child but, after a police investigation, was charged in January and pleaded guilty on May 11.

As well as the suspended jail sentence, Jordan was also ordered to complete 160 hours of unpaid work and given a supervision order.

DC Amanda Sylvester, who investigated, said: “This incident could easily have ended in tragedy and it was only luck that Jordan’s friend was able to pull the baby out in time and revive her, thankfully with no long-term consequences.

“Jordan only got involved after hearing the melee and panic when the baby was found at the bottom of the bath.

“It beggars belief that an eight-month-old baby, who was not confident at sitting upright and still wobbly, should be left unattended in a bath with water up to her chest.”