Man pleads not guilty to baby in the river murder charge

The Supreme Court in Sydney heard a man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, enter a plea of not guilty to a single charge of murder.

Jodie Devere of the Gold Coast pays tribute to the baby that was found dead on the beach in Surfers Paradise near Staghorn Ave. Photo: Tertius Pickard

A MAN accused of murdering his infant daughter by throwing her into the Tweed River will fight the charge, a court has heard.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was formally arraigned at the NSW Supreme Court on Friday where he entered a plea of not guilty to a single charge of murder via audiovisual link from custody.

In the brief hearing, the court heard that the murder of the infant, who also cannot be named due to legal reasons, allegedly took place at Tweed Heads on November 17, 2018.

The court, sitting in Sydney, was told that the man's trial will be by judge alone and that it is expected to involve "oral evidence" from experts, including a psychiatrist.

The trial was expected to run for three or four days, the court heard.

In relation to the possibility of friends and family of those involved attending the trial, the accused's barrister Jason Watts said: "It's a very complicated matter in that respect".

According to previous media reports, it is alleged the tiny girl was thrown into the northern NSW river, with her body later washing up on a Surfers Paradise beach on the Gold Coast.

The matter was listed for trial on November 2 at the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney.