A babysitter is facing jail after being convicted of breaking an infant's leg.

La'Naiye Simmons was just five months old when he suffered the injury at the hands of Betty Jean Steede, 51, in October 2006.

More than a year later, he is still undergoing treatment.

His emotional mother, Laneh Simmons, 22, said after seeing Steede convicted: "I just hope she gets what she deserves."

It remains unclear just how the infant suffered the spiral fracture to his thigh-bone, which doctors said would have taken considerable force to inflict, and which left him in severe pain.

Steede, 51, protested her innocence during her eight-day Supreme Court trial, telling the jury at one stage: "I love children. They're my life."

What the five men and seven women hearing the case did not know was that she is no stranger to the courtroom. In 1977 she was convicted of importing heroin, and in 1981 of obstructing the Police under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Ms Simmons only learned of the babysitter's criminal past through listening to legal arguments between lawyers in the absence of the jury.

"I didn't know anything about her — now I'm hearing all these stories. I wish I'd known before I put my child in her care," said Ms Simmons, a picture framer who was supported by La'Naiye's father Kenwandee Robinson, 26, during the trial.

The jury heard Senior Crown Counsel Carrington Mahoney argue that Steede was reckless, at least, in causing the fracture. Ms Simmons and other members of her family testified that he was in good health prior to leaving him with the babysitter. Ms Simmons described him as "normal, laughing and kicking," that morning.

Steede called her later to say the child would not stop crying. Ms Simmons discovered the injury when she went to Steede's house and found La'Naiye distressed, exhausted and crying in pain.

The babysitter attempted to convince the jury that La'Naiye was injured before he came to her home on the day in question. She admitted his foot got caught in his baby outfit as she changed him, causing him to cry. However, she and her uncle, Norris Steede, said in evidence that he was also crying before this. While she admitted in a Police interview that she knew La'Naiye got hurt at her house, she claimed in court to have been bullied by a Police officer into making this confession.

The jury reached a unanimous verdict that she caused grievous bodily harm to La'Naiye after deliberating for three and a half hours. Ms Simmons hugged her mother Wendy Simmons-Baker and other family members amid tearful scenes outside the courtroom.

"Justice has been done. I'm just overwhelmed with emotion," she said. Of Steede, she said: "Right now, I hope she gets what she deserves."

Reflecting on the trauma of the case, she told The Royal Gazette: "It was hard to even think that my son had a broken leg. He was four months and three weeks old."

La'Naiye, now aged 19 months, had to spend six weeks in a plaster cast up to his chest. According to Ms Simmons, his right leg remains shorter than his left as a result of the injury. He continues to undergo physical therapy and must be x-rayed every six months for the next two years to check on his recovery.

"After his plaster cast came off he would not walk on his leg or even crawl on it and he kept that leg straight. It was really difficult dealing with his cast. I had to wheel him around the house in his baby carriage," she explained.

She remains worried that La'Naiye — her only child — could have lasting effects from the injury, which failed to heal properly. However, doctors believe that his bone should stretch and straighten once he goes through a growth spurt.

The youngster himself seemed oblivious to the drama last night as he tore around the family home in Pembroke. His proud mom told The Royal Gazette: "He's where he should be. The terrible two — he fits that right now and tries to take charge, but he's a sweet boy."

The maximum sentence Steede could get for causing grievous bodily harm is seven years. She was granted bail by Puisne Justice Carlisle Greaves on the condition that she stays in Bermuda and surrenders her travel documents. Her sentencing date is yet to be fixed.

She dodged journalists and photographers outside Supreme Court by leaving through a rear door. Her lawyer, Victoria Pearman, declined to comment.