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Lavinia Alison Murray: Case of mother charged with manslaughter returns to court

The case of a mother accused of checking Facebook while her baby drowned has taken another step forward, returning to court again.

What happens when you are charged with a crime?

A young Burnett mother accused of checking Facebook while her months-old baby drowned has had her case mentioned in court again.

Lavinia Alison Murray, 21, is accused of leaving her seven-month-old baby in a makeshift bath in the laundry sink for up to 10 minutes on three separate occasions before returning a fourth time to find the little girl blue and unresponsive on February 5 this year.

Murray was granted bail on February 12, with the case returning to court on Tuesday, October 12.

Emergency crews were called to Murray’s Murgon home in February after the baby girl was found unresponsive and was rushed to hospital

Tragically she was pronounced dead a short time later despite attempts to revive her.

Lavinia Alison Murray
Lavinia Alison Murray

Documents tendered to the court in February alleged Murray had filled the laundry sink with water and was washing the child with a pair of underpants before the drowning.

It’s alleged she left the little girl on her own in the sink four times for a period of up to 10 minutes each time to spend time on Facebook and tend to her other children, aged one and four.

In the previous court appearance, Police Prosecutor Sergeant Barry Stevens opposed Murray’s bail, saying police held fears for her safety after threats of retribution had been made against her.

Defence lawyer Alan Korobacz described the incident as “tragic” but insisted there was a “lack of intention” in the little girl’s death.

The case was briefly mentioned on Tuesday, and was adjourned again for committal mention on December 14.

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/south-burnett/police-courts/lavinia-alison-murray-case-of-mother-charged-with-manslaughter-returns-to-court/news-story/444e410402104ba0073e940259b62f7d