A Brisbane father-of-three who allegedly tortured his baby son in a hot bath, leaving him with skin flaking off his lower body, will still be allowed to see the boy under supervision.
The 27-year-old Bald Hills man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly held the baby down in a hot bath until his mother noticed the boy's skin was red.
Paramedics rushed the boy to the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital about 1pm on Monday, where physicians allegedly identified third degree burns to 30 per cent of his body.
In objecting to the unemployed man's bail application, police detailed a June 2015 incident where they claimed not to have been notified after the man's step son presented to hospital with unexplained bruising to his right buttock, groin and outer thigh.
They did not allege he caused the injuries.
The hospital said unexplained injuries were reported to its child protection service and passed on to child safety if there were any concerns they were caused by "deliberate inflicted harm or due to neglect".
A department spokeswoman said she was unable to comment on the case as it was before the courts but the department would continue to work with police.
The 27-year-old Bald Hills father-of-three appeared in the Roma Street Magistrates Court on Friday morning, charged with torture and grievous bodily harm in relation to Monday's hospitalisation.
Police alleged he took his three children to his mother's house and tried to run a bath for the youngest but only turned on one tap.
The man allegedly held his son in water hotter than 48 degrees for more than half a minute, before his mother saw the child's legs were red.
"Get him out, it's too hot," she yelled, or words to that effect, according to the police objection to bail affidavit tendered to the court.
"The victim child is not of age where he could articulate the pain and suffering experienced," police alleged.
According to police, the baby was placed in an induced coma in intensive care and would need ongoing surgery and treatment.
Officers allegedly found one image believed to be child exploitation material on the father's phone, which was still under investigation.
The prosecution objected to bail on the grounds the man could interfere with witnesses and could fail to appear or present a danger to himself as a result of allegedly telling police he felt "suicidal".
The man's defence noted he had no prior criminal history.
The police affidavit also stated the hot water system at the house in question, where the defendant's mother lived, didn't have a tempering valve connected.
Magistrate Christine Roney was urged to consider the defendant's child protection history, provided by the Department of Child Safety.
According to the police affidavit, the father was "implicated" in an indecent treatment matter related to another child while both he and the child were living with his foster carer mum between 2003 and 2011.
Prior to his arrest, he was living with his partner and step children, while his biological children lived with their mother.
In June 2015, doctors at the LCCH treating the man's step son for a chest infection noticed unexplained bruising to his buttock, groin and thigh, police alleged.
"Police were not informed about these concerns," according to the affidavit.
A spokesman for Children's Health Queensland said the LCCH child protection service was contacted whenever a child presented with injuries were not well explained or there were concerns they were caused by parental action or inaction.
"If after further assessment and medical investigation, any concern remains that the injury may be the result of deliberate inflicted harm or due to neglect, a report is made to the Department of Communities Child Safety and Disability Services (Child Safety)."
The affidavit alleged the defendant had refused to engage with child safety over a safety plan involving the victim child and other children.
"Police hold the opinion that the defendant would pose an unacceptable risk to the victim child, his other children, both biological and step, his mother and partner if released from custody," it said.
The father was released on bail on conditions including he lived with his mother, report to police daily, have no contact with witnesses and see a mental health professional.
Bail conditions did not prevent him from seeing his youngest son but blocked him from having "unsupervised access".