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Father of baby girl found dead on beach was 'violent schizophrenic', court hears

The father of a baby whose naked body washed ashore on a Gold Coast beach was a ‘violent schizophrenic’ who had previously tried to attack a council officer, a court has heard.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will be extradited to NSW to be charged with his daughter’s murder.

It’s alleged the baby girl was thrown into the Jack Evans Boat Harbour at Tweed Heads in NSW and her empty pram left alongside the waterway.

The girl’s body is believed to have drifted 30km in the current for two days before washing up at Surfers Paradise beach where she was found by passers-by early on Monday.

The girl, her father, mother and two-year-old sibling were tracked on CCTV travelling from the Gold Coast to Tweed Heads on Saturday, sources familiar with the case said on Wednesday.

A nine-month-old baby was found dead on Surfers Paradise beach on the Gold Coast. Source: 7 News
A nine-month-old baby was found dead on Surfers Paradise beach on the Gold Coast. Source: 7 News

Queensland police captured later images of the parents and the two-year-old catching a bus at Coolangatta and returning to Queensland.

The baby’s 48-year-old homeless father appeared in Southport Court on Wednesday.

Wearing a white hospital gown, he did not address the court during an extradition hearing before Magistrate John Costanzo.

The hearing was briefly delayed because the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faced a number of charges that had to be dealt with before the extradition could proceed.

The court was told he was a violent schizophrenic who had previously tried to attack a Gold Coast City Council officer who was warning him not to camp in the sand dunes with his family.

He had hurled abuse at the officer and threatened him with a bottle and a stick.

It’s alleged the baby girl was thrown into the Jack Evans Boat Harbour at Tweed Heads in NSW and her empty pram left alongside the waterway. Images: 7 News
It’s alleged the baby girl was thrown into the Jack Evans Boat Harbour at Tweed Heads in NSW and her empty pram left alongside the waterway. Images: 7 News

The court was told it was because he was trying to protect his family and that he had a history of alcoholism, drug addiction and violence.

He pleaded guilty to public nuisance and was sentenced to 12 months’ jail.

Sunil Dutt, of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, said on Wednesday his client had been in and out of foster care and endured a “very hard life”.

The man was eventually released into the custody of NSW detectives and will appear in a Tweed Heads court on Thursday.

It is understood the girl’s mother, a 23-year-old transient, has been released from police custody without charge and may be treated as a witness.

She is now under the care of Queensland mental health services. Her eldest child is also in state care.

Queensland detectives have been “deeply distressed” by the circumstance of the child’s death, the sources said.