Aaron Bunch Journalist with Australian Associated Press | Collection of published work | + 61 484 008 119 | abunch@aap.com.au
Qld baby-on-beach mum faces NSW court
The mother of a nine-month-old baby found dead on a Surfers Paradise beach is expected to return to court over allegations she failed to provide for her child.
December 18, 2018
The mother of a nine-month-old baby girl found dead on a Surfers Paradise beach is listed to return to court after being charged with failing to provide for her child and causing “danger of death”.
The 23-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is expected to appear in Tweed Heads Local Court via video link on Tuesday.
It follows her closed court appearance on Friday at Byron Bay Local Court by video link.
The woman was extradited on Thursday from Queensland to NSW and charged in Tweed Heads.
The baby’s father, a homeless 47-year-old man, was charged on November 22 with murdering his daughter, whose body was found on the beach by passers-by three days earlier.
Court documents revealed he allegedly told the mother he was giving the infant to a tribal elder.
It’s alleged the infant was thrown into the water at Tweed Heads in NSW, where she died, before her body drifted north for about 30km.
The couple’s second child, a two-year-old boy, has been taken into state care.
Police tracked the family’s movements through CCTV footage, which showed four people heading to Tweed Heads and only three returning to Queensland.
The mother has been in the care of Queensland mental health services since her daughter’s death.
It is understood she and her family had been living rough in Queensland and northern NSW.