Police have failed in their bid to revoke the bail of a man accused of setting fire to a five-year-old girl before leaving her to suffer for up to 10 days without professional medical care.
The NSW Supreme Court yesterday granted bail to the man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Wollongong Local Court first granted the man bail on October 10 after he was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, recklessly causing wounding, taking action that resulted in a physical injury and neglecting a child in his care.
The girl was admitted to Westmead Children's Hospital in September suffering full-thickness burns to her legs.
She had been found lying in the sun in her backyard, unable to walk, naked from the waist down with skin peeling off her legs and her wounds emitting an offensive odour.
Police allege her mother's de facto husband set fire to the girl briefly before stomping on her to extinguish the flames.
Despite the severity of her burns, the girl was allegedly only treated by her parents with antiseptic and painkillers.
After the 26-year-old man was first granted bail, police immediately appealed the decision in the NSW Supreme Court.
However, Justice Peter Hidden yesterday again allowed the man to remain on bail with strict conditions.
The man, and the girl's mother, are due back in Wollongong Local Court on November 26.