Hong Kong, Aug 26 (DPA) A couple beat their daughter so severely she needed skin grafts on her bottom and was left scarred, a court report said Wednesday.

Plumber Lee Chiu-ming, 47, and Yip Shuk-fun appeared in court Tuesday for beating their four-year-old daughter with plastic brushes and a wooden rod as punishment for incontinence.

The beating, in February this year, was so severe the girl was admitted to hospital where doctors said she would have died had she been admitted a day later.

She was also found to be suffering from anaemia and malnutrition, the Hong Kong Standard reported.

'It's the worst injuries I have seen on a child's bottom.