Aneshia Daisy Case, 23, was absent from the Brisbane Magistrates Court today as her case was brought up, four months after the tragic death of her three-year-old son, Caden, at a police station.
Case, along with the child’s father, Samuel Ian Paterson, 24, faces charges of manslaughter and drug trafficking stemming from Caden’s death.
The unfortunate incident occurred when their family vehicle, a white Mazda, veered off the road and crashed into bushland north of the Gold Coast on October 25, critically injuring the young boy.
A witness witnessed the car’s sudden swerve and promptly brought the mother and Caden to the Beenleigh Police Station for help.
Despite the officers’ efforts to perform CPR, the boy, who had sustained severe head injuries, could not be saved, according to police reports.
Paterson allegedly fled the scene of the accident and was later located at a nearby residence with a one-year-old boy who had not been harmed in the crash.
Police will allege Case was behind the wheel at the time of the accident but have refused to comment on the fatal crash’s cause, saying the investigation was “extremely complex”.
Case was not required to appear when her matter was mentioned today.
Magistrate Julian Noud was told by Case’s solicitor Skye O’Dwyer that there would be no bail application.
Case was also charged with driving without a licence, possession of anything used in a crime and drug trafficking.
Some of Case’s charges arose from the Beenleigh jurisdiction and others from Southport, Ms O’Dwyer said.
“It may be prudent to split them at this early stage,” she said, with the police prosecutor consenting.
Police earlier alleged the mother and children had travelled from the Gold Coast to collect the father from a Beenleigh address before the crash.
Detective Acting Inspector Kent Ellis earlier told reporters the investigation had involved a forensic reconstruction of the crash and analysis of physical evidence along with CCTV footage.
“Determining who was driving at the time of impact required an extensive amount of investigative work,” he said.
Mr Noud ordered Case’s manslaughter and unlicensed driving charges be next mentioned at Beenleigh on March 9.
Case was remanded in custody and excused from appearing in person on her next court date.
Her drug trafficking and another charge were moved to Southport.
Paterson has been in custody since the crash after facing separate charges.
He was remanded in custody to seek legal representation ahead of his next court appearance on March 30.
The father was separately charged with domestic violence offences in October, when his emotional family claimed he would never harm his children.Â
“We are sick of the f***ing lies,” the boy’s grandfather yelled at the media after the father’s appearance at Southport Magistrates Court in October.
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
