A 27-year-old Northland woman charged with neglect after allegedly shutting a 2-year-old girl in a suitcase on a bus was denied bail during her second appearance in the North Shore District Court today.
The judge referred the woman, whose identity is suppressed, to a mental health unit in custody. She has yet to enter a plea and will reappear in court next week.
Judge Anna Fitzgibbon acknowledged two family members in court and said they were facing a difficult time.
Throughout the 25-minute bail hearing, the woman stood with her head bowed, facing the wall.
An Intercity bus driver discovered the two-year-old in the luggage compartment during a scheduled stop in Kaiwaka on Sunday, during a trip from Whangārei south to Auckland.
Police said the driver noticed a bag was moving and opened it to discover the girl, who was taken to hospital.
Police reported yesterday she was “medically well”.
Police allege the girl faced serious health risks including suffocation, carbon monoxide poisoning and psychological trauma. The police charge sheet also reads that the woman’s behaviour was “a major departure from the standard of care to be expected of a reasonable person”.
