A senior police officer involved in a botched investigation into the tragic death of a baby girl is to keep her job.

Cumbria Constabulary today revealed the serving officer involved in the flawed case of Poppi Worthington will be demoted to sergeant after admitting gross incompetence during a formal performance review.

The officer involved is understood to be Amanda Sadler who had held the rank of detective inspector.

High Court judge Mr Justice Jackson ruled in January that 13-month-old Poppi, from Barrow, had suffered a serious sexual assault at the hands of her father, 48-year-old Paul Worthington, shortly before she died in December 2012.

Tesco supermarket worker Mr Worthington denies any wrongdoing.

But serious errors in the way the case was dealt with by police - which saw key evidence such as Poppi's last nappy, bedding and a laptop used by Mr Worthington to view pornography during the previous evening lost - means no-one has ever been brought to book over the death of the little girl.

Cumbria police referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission before launching performance proceedings against a senior officer.

Another was dealt with by way of management action while detective superintendent Mike Forrester, who took over the investigation two weeks after Poppi's death, retired.

Earlier this year chief constable Jerry Graham said he bitterly regretted the way the force had handled the investigation.

Mr Graham described how the "rot set in" at an early stage of the investigation, adding he felt personally frustrated by the gross inadequacies of the handling of the case.

This week performance proceedings were held in front of a panel chaired by an independent senior officer from outside the county force.

The panel found the officer's actions, in the case of Poppi Worthington, amounted to gross incompetence.

The constabulary will now consider the role that the officer will undertake.

Commenting later, John Woodcock, MP for Barrow and Furness, said: "There was manifest incompetence and failings on many levels in the Poppi Worthington case.

"It's right gross incompetence has been found in police handling of Poppi case but the force should not be allowed to scapegoat one officer."

He added: "But the chief constable does have questions to answer. Why has he allowed someone admitting gross incompetence to remain a senior officer?"

A second review of evidence by the Crown Prosecution Service is now underway before a decision on whether charges can be brought forward is taken.

A second inquest into the death of Poppi Worthington was due to begin last week but will now be rescheduled following the result of the CPS review.

A report into the investigation by Cumbria Constabulary by the Independent Police Complaints Commission will be published following the conclusion of her inquest.