A man and woman were charged with manslaughter in relation to the toddler’s death and faced Griffith Local Court yesterday. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
A man was granted bail in Griffith Local Court yesterday (4 April) after a hearing was told he was allegedly the driver of a vehicle that caused the death of a small child.
The court was told a two-year-old arrived at Griffith Base Hospital with head injuries late last year and was airlifted to Sydney Children’s Hospital but died two days later.
A man and woman were charged with manslaughter in relation to this incident and faced Griffith Local Court yesterday (4 April).
The pair cannot be named due to NSW laws that prevent the publication of information that may identify a child victim of an alleged manslaughter.
The woman did not apply for bail and will remain in custody at least until a further hearing on a separate matter scheduled for 18 April 2024.
The man did apply for bail and his bail hearing took place yesterday when he appeared via audiovisual link from custody.
The police prosecutor, Sergeant Pike, told the court the man was allegedly the driver of the vehicle that caused the death of a small child and that he was reportedly affected by drugs before the collision.
“The facts appear to suggest there is a strong prosecution case,” Sergeant Pike said.
Sergeant Pike added he was of the view that the man had parental responsibility for the child that died.
Paul Keane, the defendant’s lawyer, said he believed the case would centre around certain things the man didn’t do rather than things he actively did.
According to court documents, the man was charged with allegedly causing the death of the toddler in circumstances that amount to manslaughter, involving gross negligence in failing to provide medical care. The alleged incident occurred between 27 November 2023 and 1 December 2023
No further information on the alleged incident was provided during the hearing.
Magistrate Khan granted the man bail under strict conditions.
The magistrate said he is to live with his daughter and an adult relative at a fixed address in Leeton and remain in these premises every day between 8 pm and 7 am.
The man is required to report to Leeton Police Station once a day between 8 am and 5 pm.
He is not to drink alcohol or take drugs unless those drugs are prescribed by a doctor. He must not be in the company of any child under the age of eight and must not commit any further offences whilst on bail.
The man also has to submit to drug and alcohol testing at the request of police as often as seven times a week.
The accused cried as the conditions were read out.
Both the man and the woman charged with manslaughter will face a further hearing on this matter in Griffith Local Court on 6 June 2024.
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