The little girl suffered horrific injuries from the assault in the country’s al-Daqahliyah Governorate, north-east of Cairo.

The vile sex attacker, 35, admitted snatching the girl as she played on the balcony of her family home in the Nile Delta village of Belqas, al-Arabiya reported.

He took her into an empty room before carrying out the sickening attack, which left her suffering from severe internal damage and needing reconstructive surgery.

He then ran away but reportedly confessed to his crime after being tracked down and arrested.

A criminal court recommended the death penalty in April and referred the case to the top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, for a non-binding but legally required opinion.

The defendant may appeal the verdict to the Court of Cassation, the country’s top court, which may uphold it or order a retrial.

The victim’s lawyer, Tarek al-Awady, told Reuters:”I hope the verdict is upheld so that society is assured that deterrence exists.”

The girl’s irate relatives – along with many social media users in the country, which was left shocked by the incident – had been calling for justice in the form of the death penalty.

But the toddler’s granddad said: “Execution is not even enough.

“I don’t know how a 35-year-old person can do this to a child who is a year and eight months old, who cannot even speak yet and still wears nappies.”