Custodial dad threatened to bury brother, 4-year-old daughter (Canberra, ACT, Australia)

Let me see if I have this straight. UNNAMED DAD is unemployed, "suffers from depression," and is volatile enough to "allegedly" threaten to kill his brother AND his own 4-year-old daughter. Seems Daddy even dug a hole in the backyard big enough to accomodate the bodies. He's charged with threatening to kill and menacing, and has been refused bail--and this in Australia, where violent men are handed out bail like so many sweets from a bag.

Yet this nutcase was CUSTODIAL (in fact, "shared" custody with his parents). Not only that, his own father warned the nutcase that he better layoff on all the threats, or he would lose custody of his daughter.

Excuse me if I ask what seems to be the obvious question that the reporter (given that it's Australia) doesn't even bother to raise: Why the hell was this mess of a father granted custody at all? Shared or otherwise? As far as I'm concerned, he should have been refused any contact. No visitation, no nothing.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT: And where is this child's mother? Completely unmentioned. Not a word. It's as if this child was never born, just burst from the air. How do reporters get away with such sloppiness?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/08/2921009.htm?site=idx-act

Man threatened to bury brother, daughter, court told
Updated June 8, 2010 08:16:00

A Canberra father who allegedly threatened to kill and bury his brother and daughter has been refused bail in the ACT Magistrates Court.

The 37-year-old unemployed Dickson man suffers from depression and is sharing custody of his four-year-old daughter with his parents.

The court heard the man bombarded his brother with violent ultimatums via mobile phone text over the weekend.

Police say the threats were triggered by the accused's perception that his brother - who lives with his parents - associates with the Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.

Police told the court, the accused began engaging in an aggressive argument via mobile phone text on Saturday.

The text threats to his brother included, "I'm going to split your head open with my hatchet" and "I'm going to cut you up with my chainsaw".

Police say when the accused's father warned his son that he may lose custody, he said he would bury his brother and daughter.

They told the court they discovered a hole in the accused's backyard which could accommodate a small child.

The man's lawyer says the hole is part of a landscaping project but police say it is located in the centre of the yard and is not consistent with such a project.

The man is charged with recklessly threatening to kill and intentionally menacing.

Magistrate Peter Dingwall refused bail.

The case will go before court again later this month.