A Middletown woman convicted of assaulting her 7-month-old granddaughter was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Tuesday.

Authorities say they found Kimberly Bennett’s grandchild unresponsive and with bruises on her face inside Bennett’s home on Bedford Avenue in 2020.

The baby suffered serious injuries to her brain and was left blind and partially paralyzed.

Bennett, 45, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in 2021. She pleaded the court for leniency before she was sentenced. Bennett's attorneys alluded that she had barely any prior criminal history, she was remorseful and that she once fought to gain custody of her grandchildren. Prosecutors say those points don't override what Bennett did.

"The defendant was given custody of the victim in this case and her brother due to their current living conditions, yet she herself assaulted her granddaughter, causing horrific and lifelong injuries," said the prosecutor Janine Kovacs.

"This involved lots of medical records, lots of expert witness reviews, lots of negotiations with the district attorney's office and the court, mental health evaluations of my client,” added defense attorney Andrew Greher. “It's a long process on a case as difficult as this."

As a condition for capping jail time at 12 years, Bennett is not going to appeal her sentence, Greher says.

Bennett's other grandchildren are now in foster care.