Redlands Coast father takes stand in torture, child cruelty case

A dad accused of torturing his six-year-old daughter has fiercely denied breaking her arm or shaving her head saying he would “never be violent” towards his kids.

A Redlands Coast father accused of torturing his six-year-old daughter has fiercely denied breaking her arm or shaving her head saying he would “never be violent” towards his children.

The 31-year-old father, who cannot be named, gave evidence in the Brisbane District Court where he is on trial accused of “regularly assaulting” his young daughter at the family’s Capalaba house between May 2018 and January 2019.

During his trial the court was told disturbing allegations including that the man had locked his daughter in a room overnight by tying a rope to the door, then made her “pick up her faeces and lick her urine off the floor” the next morning.

The Redlands Coast father has pleaded not guilty to torturing the young girl. Picture: NCA NewsWire /Jono Searle

This morning he told the court: “That’s disgusting, I’d never do anything of that nature”.

Prosecutor Carly Whelan alleged that the man told people to refer to his daughter “as he” after he shaved her head and would regularly make her stand for hours during “time out” while not allowing her to go to the toilet.

But he denied that he had ever shaved the girl’s head or put her in time-out for more than five minutes, telling the court he was “very vigilant” with monitoring the duration.

He also denied allegations he broke the girl’s arm and smashed her head into a garden shed telling the court “that never happened at all”.

The father claimed some of her injuries happened at school and she also would scratch and punch herself.

Ms Whelan told the court the girl was not given adequate food, care or bedding and that when the rest of the family was given takeout food the six-year-old was forced to eat only tuna and salad.

But the father said the girl had “free reign” of what she ate.

The man has pleaded not guilty not guilty to torture, child cruelty, grievous bodily harm, four counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and two counts of common assault.

The trial continues before Judge Julie Dick.