A man accused of assaulting and disfiguring a 3-year-old in West Otago appeared in the Gore District Court yesterday.
Harley Jason Ritchie (23) initially faced one charge of assaulting a child after the 3-year-old was admitted to Dunedin Hospital with severe burns to the body on August 27 this year.
But when he appeared in court yesterday, Ritchie was facing an additional four charges. He pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury on two charges of assaulting a child, and one charge each of disfiguring a child, assault with intent to injure, and assault with a cellphone.
The additional charges stem from incidents alleged to have happened between May 7 and August 9.
Ritchie's trial date will be set at a call-over in Invercargill on February 25, his lawyer, Simon Claver, said.
He said name suppression was not sought.
