[ad_1]
A 28-year-old man charged with murder for the death of a baby in south Auckland has denied the murder.
The man, who has provisional name deletion, was originally charged with assault, but the charge was later upgraded to murder.
The baby was found dead at a property on Sandbrook Ave, Ōtara, on October 22, and his death was initially treated as unexplained.
On Wednesday, the man appeared in Auckland High Court in front of Judge Sally Fitzgerald, where he pleaded not guilty to murder.
READ MORE:
* Ōtara baby homicide: Auckland man charged with assault denied bail
* Baby found dead on property in Auckland’s Ōtara
The man’s attorney, Julie-Anne Kincade QC, said his family wanted to be present, yet he had gone to the wrong court.
Kincade requested the continued deletion of the man’s name.
Judge Fitzgerald set a name suppression hearing for March and the man will go to trial in October.
Abigail Dougherty / Stuff
The baby was pronounced dead at the scene.
In Manukau District Court, Judge Tini Clark previously said the boy had suffered cardiac arrest.
Emergency personnel pronounced the baby dead at the scene and a post-mortem examination provisionally found that the child had died of head injuries.
The man was placed in pre-trial detention to appear in court in February.
