The 23-year-old had been bitten on the finger by the baby and bit him back to ‘show it was naughty’.

Later that day Edge’s girlfriend took her son to the doctors with a high temperature when staff noticed the teeth marks on his shoulder.

Edge, described as a father figure to the child, denied knowing anything about the wound to police.

The court heard how the baby, now aged three, was taken away from his mum by social services for 10 months, spending his second birthday in care.

During family proceedings Edge continued to play dumb over the wound.

He eventually admitted by text message to biting the baby, pleading guilty to assault occasioning ABH in October.

In a statement the mum, who was under suspicion for the attack, said she will never get that time back.

She is waiting for treatment for anxiety and now finds it difficult to trust people with her son.

The defendant was not represented during proceedings on Friday.

When asked to explain his actions by Judge Nicholas Woodward, Edge began crying and said: “I just want to make it right. I’ve hurt my son and my family.”

But Judge Woodward hit out at the defendant’s failure to admit to the assault, and jailed him for the maximum possible term.

He said: “It’s extremely damaging for the child to be removed in these circumstances. This child went into care absolutely needlessly.

“It is impossible to say what the ramifications are.”