Teenage mother refused bail after allegedly slashing the face of young girl

A teenage mother and her partner have been refused bail after a seven-year-old girl’s face was allegedly slashed with broken glass.

A TEENAGE mother has been refused bail after being charged with using a shard of broken glass to slash the face of a seven-year-old girl.

The 17-year-old went before Ipswich Children's Court last week charged with doing acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm to a child, and other offences following an incident at an Ipswich home on Monday, November 9.

The accused woman is not related to the child.

Police opposed bail and she was remanded in custody at a juvenile detention centre.

Disturbing details of the incident were revealed when the accused's boyfriend, the 32-year-old father of the injured girl, sought bail on charges related to the incident.

The man is charged with doing acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm; entering a dwelling with intent by break/threaten violence in company; and two charges of contravening domestic violence orders (aggravated offence).

He did not appear in person before Ipswich Magistrates Court but was represented by barrister Geoffrey Seaholme.

Prosecutor Senior Constable Dan Swanson said police opposed bail because of potential risk to the safety of others.

Mr Seaholme argued for his client's release on bail, saying there was no evidence the man had entered the house at the time of the alleged incident.

The alleged attack took place at the man's mother's house, the court heard.

Magistrate Andy Cridland said the strength of evidence was very relevant in the bail application and there was nothing before him to indicate that at any stage the man went into the residence at the time the physical acts were allegedly carried out.

There was also an unsworn statement by a male who was in the driveway of the house at the time the events unfolded.

Mr Cridland said a woman at the house alleged the man threatened her, which was relevant in his consideration of bail.

He said CCTV footage shown to the court showed he had not entered the house, which the prosecution accepts.

He also noted that the man may, in the long run, be convicted of being party to offences, and in those circumstances he was nor prepared to grant him bail.

Bail was refused and the man was remanded in custody to appear before the court in early December.

The defence flagged that it may take the matter to the Supreme Court.

Originally published as Teenage mother refused bail after allegedly slashing the face of young girl