A teen charged with seriously injuring and abandoning a toddler in a recycling bin on a frigid January night has been denied bail.

New details of the incident emerged at a bail hearing Monday.

Justice Lee Anne Martin denied the 17-year-old accused's application for release, but left the door open for further submissions at a later date.

Court heard the accused admitted in a statement to police he had been drinking heavily when a fight broke out between several party-goers at a Flora Avenue residence. The accused said he was fleeing with the child, his niece, when he twice fell on her, causing her serious injury.

The accused said he panicked and left the baby in a recycling bin on Pritchard Avenue before returning to the Flora Avenue residence.

The accused "pretended to be concerned for the well-being of the child, while the others are now in a panic," Crown attorney Lisa Carson told court.

"The reason he cited for putting her in the recycling bin was to hide her from her mother as he didn't want her to see her significant injuries," Carson said.

A party-goer involved in the initial dispute discovered the crying baby, took her home and called police.

The baby was taken to hospital suffering a fractured skull, bleeding in the brain, multiple contusions and "road rash" all over her body, Carson said.

Carson said comments in the accused's police statement hint to a possible sexual element to the abduction. The accused told police he found his actions "disgusting."

"She's so small and cute, I just wanted to hold her," he allegedly told police. "Every time I'm with her I look at her and just trip out how young she is."

Carson argued a forensic psychiatric report is necessary to "flesh out" what exactly happened.

"The Crown's concern is it's not clear whether there was something more to this, whether there was some sexual intent with respect to the accused taking her," Carson said.

Defence lawyer Katherine Dowle said the accused fled with the child, fearing she was at risk of harm during the party melee and rejected suggestions there was anything sexual about his actions.

"That is not a conclusion that ever occurred to me," she said. "In our view it would appear he was actually trying to save the child."

Martin said she gave little consideration to the sexual allegation when considering whether the accused was a suitable candidate for bail. Portions of the accused's police statement "can certainly be read in that light, they can also be read in another light," Martin said.

Court heard the child has recovered from her injuries and is now in foster care.

dean.pritchard@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @deanatwpgsun