A woman accused of killing her daughter at their Co Antrim home must remain in custody, a judge ruled yesterday.
Heavily pregnant Aleksandra Wahab was refused bail amid fears she may flee if released on a charge of murdering five-year-old Nadia Zofia Kalinowska.
The little girl was discovered at the house on Fernagh Drive, Newtownabbey in December last year.
Examinations confirmed she had sustained head and abdominal injuries which prosecutors have likened to forces exerted a in road traffic collision.
Evidence of multiple fractures at various stages of healing was also found.
Aleksandra Wahab (26) and her 32-year-old husband Abdul Wahab are jointly charged with murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, and grievous bodily harm with intent to Nadia over a year-long period.
The couple, originally from Poland and Pakistan, emphatically deny all allegations against them.
Instead, they claim the girl sustained the fatal injuries when she fell down a flight of stairs at their Fernagh Drive address in the middle of the night.
Lawyers for Mrs Wahab set out medical opinion to support the contention that Nadia was a clumsy, accident-prone child.
Barrister Gavyn Cairns said: "This report now raises fundamental questions about the decision to charge the applicant."
He also confirmed that his heavily pregnant client is due to give birth again in less than two months time.
However, prosecutors expressed concerns that Mrs Wahab could return to Poland.
Crown lawyer Fiona O'Kane said the two defendants had met and formed a relationship online.
The couple married after Aleksandra and Nadia arrived in the Republic in 2016, leading a transient lifestyle before moving across the border, the court heard.
"They have resided at three different addresses in Antrim and Newtownabbey, and have no known ties to Northern Ireland," Mrs O'Kane submitted.
District Judge Mark Hamill was told five consultant pathologists backed the prosecution case that Nadia's injuries could not have been due to a simple fall down the stairs.
Denying bail to Mrs Wahab, Mr Hamill cited the risk of flight.
He said: "Ultimately it will be for a jury to deal with the suggestion this child was extremely clumsy, had a high pain threshold and was simply accident prone."
The accused was remanded to appear again with her husband, who is still in custody, in four weeks' time.