A Gold Coast man accused of shaking his newborn baby girl to death remains in prison after an application for bail was denied today.
Lawyers for New Zealand-born Shaun Anthony Edwards, 23, argued in the Brisbane Supreme Court this morning that the case against their client "could not be described as strong".
Mr Edwards is accused of murdering the 19-day-old girl, who died from head injuries after she was rushed to hospital in October last year.
Pathologists say the girl died from brain injuries consistent with being shaken. She also had a fractured skull at the time of her death.
The court heard Mr Edwards admitted to shaking the infant for "a few seconds" out of frustration.
The child's mother told police Mr Edwards had also told her he slapped the baby while she was showering.
Defence barrister Mark Johnson said the murder charge was "not strong", but there was a possibility a jury could convict him of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
He said his client had been in custody for the past 15 months and it was not likely the case would reach a trial in the Supreme Court until the second half of 2012.
Mr Johnson said there was a risk he would serve time in pre-sentence custody than he would receive behind bars if convicted of manslaughter.
"He's a young man who seems to have been leading a normal and productive life," he said.
In refusing bail, Justice Glenn Martin said there was always a risk those facing murder charge and a mandatory life sentence would flee the jurisdiction.
He said it was unlikely, if convicted of manslaughter, Mr Edwards would risk being in custody on remand longer than he would be have been sentenced.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/baby-shake-accused-remains-behind-bars-20101222-1955x.html