Shalvey baby bathtub drowning: Mum’s murder case in court

A western Sydney mother facing a murder charge after her eight-week-old baby was found dead remains in hospital nearly two months on from her arrest.

The mental health of a western Sydney mother accused of drowning her two-month-old baby in a bathtub has been aired in court for the first time.

The 36-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged in February after the infant was found unresponsive in a bath at a home in Shalvey.

The baby’s father allegedly arrived home to find the baby girl in the bath just after midday on February 2 before calling for an ambulance.

Emergency crews arrived at the Shalvey home a short time later and rushed the infant to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. Sadly, the baby could not be revived.

The mother, 36, cannot be named for legal reasons. Picture: Facebook

The woman, left, remains in a forensic hospital almost two months since the infant’s death. Picture: Facebook

Police allege the woman murdered the baby some time between 10am and 1pm.

The baby’s mother was refused bail at a bedside hearing last month, and was excused from appearing when her case was mentioned at Mt Druitt Local Court on Wednesday.

The court heard the woman remained in a forensic hospital and would be subject to a fitness test by a mental health team to determine if she was capable of taking part in criminal proceedings

A police application to conduct a forensic procedure as part of their investigation into the alleged murder was opposed by the woman’s defence lawyer.

Mt Druitt Courthouse. Picture: Angelo Velardo

“It will cause my client to suffer extreme regress in regards to the treatment she is receiving,” the defence said.

The application will be contested at a hearing in June.

A statutory declaration was also tendered to the court on behalf of the woman’s partner, which sought to allow the woman to have access to her three other children.

The case will return to court in May.