Child murder accused applies for bail in Coffs Harbour court

A Coffs Harbour man accused of murdering a toddler has made a plea for bail, with his lawyer telling the court he is confined to a wheelchair and vulnerable in custody.

Coffs Harbour Police Station.

A man accused of murdering a toddler in Coffs Harbour has made a plea for bail, with his lawyer telling the court his client is confined to a wheelchair and vulnerable while in custody.

The 38-year-old was charged with murder earlier this year and is yet to enter a plea.

He was charged more than two years after the alleged offending.

At about 8am on Monday, May 23 2022, emergency services were called to an address in Coffs Harbour after reports a two-year-old boy was found unresponsive inside the home.

The child was taken to Coffs Harbour Health Campus in a critical condition, before being flown to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle. He died the following day.

According to Coffs Harbour police prosecutor Jack Chaffey, the charges were laid once the “weight of expert evidence” was revealed during an inquest into the toddler’s death.

The inquest was suspended and the alleged offender was arrested in Bankstown on October 29 this year.

Mr Chaffey argued against granting the man bail, saying the charge he was facing was “without a doubt, the most serious the judicial system would see”.

His lawyer told the court his client had been confined to a wheelchair since a workplace accident, has a catheter fitted and suffers from PTSD and anxiety.

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He also told the court was not getting the appropriate medical care he needed at Long Bay Correctional Complex and that if granted bail, he could live with his current partner in Sydney who would assist with his care.

Prior to the bail application on Friday, lawyer had attempted to have a non- publication order (NPO) put in place to restrict media reporting on the case.

He said allowing the media to “write whatever they felt” about the case would impact the accused man’s right to a fair trial.

Mr Chaffey told the court police had a “strong circumstantial case in relation to the murder offence”.

Magistrate Teresa Hamilton denied the application for a non-publication order saying there were no “persuasive” reasons to grant it and that it was in the interest of “open justice” that the media be able to report on it.

Bail was denied and the matter was adjourned to January 28.

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