Sunshine Coast man charged with child abuse granted bail

A Sunshine Coast man allegedly sexually assaulted his young daughter, confessed to the crime to his mum and then handed himself into police.

A Sunshine Coast dad who allegedly confessed to sexually assaulting his daughter has been granted bail despite police objecting because they feared for the man’s mental health.

The 33-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with six counts of indecent treatment of a child under 12 after he attended Maroochydore Police Station.

The allegations relate to an inappropriate relationship the man had with his daughter, now aged nine, which allegedly started when she was six.

The man applied for bail in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Thursday, August 12, where the duty lawyer, Michael Robinson, said there would be no risk if bail was granted.

Mr Robinson said the man had allegedly made admissions to his own mother about the alleged incidents.

Police prosecutor Stu Lydford said the woman then went and spoke to her granddaughter about the allegations.

Sergeant Lydford said the girl had told her grandmother not to tell anyone about what had happened.

“It has stopped, please don’t tell anyone, I don’t want my dad to get into trouble,” Sergeant Lydford said the girl had told her grandmother.

Sergeant Lydford said he opposed the bail application because he thought the man was a “risk to himself”.

The man, if convicted, could face up to 20 years in jail.

Mr Robinson said the man no longer lived with the child and had since moved in with his mother.

The man is yet to enter a plea to the charges.

Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist granted the man’s bail and order him to have no contact with the child.

The matter was adjourned to October 1.