Child torture-accused denied bail

The parents of the 9-year-old girl in the dock. Their faces cannot be shown as they both have name suppression. Photo / Paul Estcourt

A woman charged in connection with horrific, prolonged acts of abuse to her nine-year-old daughter has been denied bail, the judge considering the police's case strong enough for her to be kept in custody.

The woman, 30, and her 32-year-old husband were arrested after the girl was found hiding in a wardrobe last month, with injuries to nearly every part of her body. She was starving, dehydrated and anaemic from internal bleeding.

They face a total of 36 charges including assault and causing unnecessary suffering.

In Waitakere District Court today, Judge Lisa Tremewan dismissed the woman's appeal for a continuation of bail.

The "extreme nature of the allegations in their gravity and frequency" justified remanding her in custody, she said.

An application for bail by her husband is continuing.

- NZPA