Baby Serenity accused denied bail

BABY SERENITY: Police have charged a 21-year-old man over the death of Serenity Jay Scott-Dinnington.

BEN CURRAN/Fairfax NZ

ACCUSED: Mathew Ellery in Hamilton District Court.

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The man charged with the murder of a Ngaruawahia baby has been remanded in custody after most of his appearance today was held in chambers.

Unemployed Hamilton man Mathew Ellery, 21, was arrested yesterday and charged with murdering six-month-old Serenity Jay Scott in Ngaruawahia on April 26 last year. He appeared in the Hamilton District Court.

After granting in-court media applications for photography and filming, the community magistrate Susan Hovell then closed the court and moved proceedings in chambers.

She also asked that media and members of the public leave after Ellery's defence lawyer Bruce Hesketh requested the move.

They were in chambers for about 40 minutes before Ellery was remanded in custody to reappear on February 10.

Serenity's mother Chelsea Scott, 21, and Ellery, her partner, were taken to Hamilton Police station for questioning yesterday where Ellery was subsequently charged.

Serenity died from critical injuries at Starship Hospital just two days after being found unresponsive at her Havelock Rd home in April last year.

Scott had a daughter with Ellery on January 6 this year, however the child was removed from their care by Child, Youth and Family about 48 hours later.

Ellery was not Serenity's biological father and the new baby is the couple's first together.

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