The father of a 7-year-old girl who died after allegedly being beaten on April 30 in Granby is seeking bail, and will appear in court next month.

The father was charged as well as the girl's stepmother, and denied bail. The murder charge automatically means the stepmother's detention. If she wishes to apply for bail, she must apply to the Quebec Superior Court.

According to crown prosecutor Jean Pascal Boucher, the man was planning to ask for a review of order in court where the judge will review the decision to keep him detained Tuesday, but the case was postponed due to a technicality until September 5. The judge will then decide after whether he should be granted bail.

They have both been detained since their arrest. Neither accused can be named to protect the identity of the young girl.

The stepmother is charged with second-degree murder, forcible confinement and aggravated assault of the girl, and remains in prison. The father is accused of criminal negligence causing death, kidnapping, failing to provide the necessities of life and child abandonment.

The little girl died in hospital the day after she was found in the Granby family home. Her death caused a shockwave across Quebec, resulting in the creation of a special commission to look at the entire system of youth protection in Quebec.