An Indian national, accused of torturing and physical abusing his three-year-old daughter, has been refused bail in Queensland.
An Indian couple in Townsville has been accused of torturing their three-year-old daughter for 10 months.
The man and his wife have been charged with child cruelty, torture, leaving a child for an unreasonable time and five counts of assault.
Witnesses have said they saw the man hitting his daughter with a metal spatula and grabbing her by her ankles and spinning her around.
The man and his wife, the co-accused were arrested in November. The man applied for bail in Townsville Magistrates Court last week but Magistrate Richard Lehmann has refused bail, reports.
Prosecutor Subarna Raut opposed his bail saying the man, who was in Australia illegally, was at risk of fleeing the country. His student visa expired in March.
“He made comments to the Department of Child Safety that if he did not get his child back he would head back to India to live,” he said.
Mr Raut told the court the man’s ‘horrific’ alleged crimes had left the child malnourished, injured with bruises to scalp, face and lower limbs and a permanent deformity.
“(A broken femur) healed in such a way that it caused shortening of the child’s right leg, so there is permanent deformity to the child,” Mr Raut said.
Mr Lehmann refused the bail ruling the man might fail to appear in court.
Mr Lehmann said the alleged offences were “extremely serious”.
The co-accused woman is in custody and has not applied for bail.
