A Canberra father allegedly kidnapped and repeatedly hit his 10-month-old son after earlier beating his mother and his partner, a court has heard.
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The man allegedly later telephoned his mother and said, "I'll kill him before I give him back", when she begged him to return the infant. The accused, 24, lost his second bid for bail when he appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday.
The man is accused of 11 offences, including threatening to kill the baby boy, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault and property damage. He has pleaded not guilty to all. Court documents said the man punched his mother and 17-year-old partner twice in the head after becoming angry on the morning of April 3.
He then allegedly snatched the child and fled, hitting him in the head as he ran.
The defendant later returned the child via a friend's mother. A police informant told the court on Monday he heard the defendant make the threats to kill the child over a loudspeaker during a phone call to his mother about 11.55am.
Court documents said the man remained on the run until April 8 when he located his teenage partner and the child at a Lyneham unit. He allegedly confronted the teen about involving the police in the earlier incident and taking out a court order against him. The man then allegedly bit her on the right cheek and pulled her hair. He packed the teenager's belongings, took the baby from her and started walking towards Dickson.
He then allegedly yelled at her and hit her in the face before hailing a cab to take them to a Flynn address. Police arrived and arrested him soon after. His second bail application on Monday was opposed by prosecutor Anna Jamieson-Williams.
The defence said the man would abide by strict conditions if granted conditional liberty, including reporting to police on a daily basis and observing a curfew.
But Ms Jamieson-Williams argued no conditions could "curtail his offending behaviour". She said the man had a history of defying court orders, both for breaching bail conditions and failing to appear. Ms Jamieson-Williams said he would endanger the safety and welfare of the complainants if released.
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker denied the man bail, saying he posed a "significant risk" that could not be managed by court-imposed conditions. The case will be back in court next month.
