A man believed to be the first in the country charged with manslaughter for failing to fence his pool properly appeared briefly in a country NSW court today.
Philip Cameron, 61, was charged early last month with manslaughter over a two-year-old boy's death.
The toddler had been playing in a yard when he wandered away from his mother, who was talking to someone, and fell into the pool that was not properly fenced. He subsequently drowned, police say.
Mr Cameron, who is on bail, appeared in Armidale Local Court, where the magistrate, Mark Richardson, ordered the police brief of evidence be served by mid-September.
Outside the court, Mr Cameron told smh.com.au he could not comment.
Today, a new fence around his backyard is visible from the quiet country street where the little boy died on May 16, but there are no signs anyone is living at the home. Mr Cameron is living elsewhere in Armidale.
A fundraiser was held in the town for the boy's family on Saturday.
Mr Cameron's bail was continued and the matter is due to return to court in October.