Mother granted bail after allegedly trying to print child abuse material

The mother was granted bail after police charged her with aggravated possession of child exploitation material. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)

A mother accused of possessing child exploitation material of her daughter has been granted bail.

Her lawyer argues the images, which were discovered at an Officeworks store in Canberra, were taken by the child for creative purposes.

A NSW mother accused of possessing child exploitation material of her daughter after images were discovered at a Canberra photo printing business has been granted bail, with her lawyer arguing the photos were taken by the child for a "creative project".

The woman in her 30s, who cannot be legally identified, appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court via audio-visual link, charged with aggravated possession of child exploitation material.

In a closed bail application, which media were permitted to attend, the court heard police had seized 49 digital images from an Officeworks store in Canberra.

According to police, the woman had attempted to print the photos at the Canberra store last Wednesday but they failed to print because of a machine malfunction.

She was refunded and left the store, before staff later allegedly discovered the images and contacted police.

The woman was arrested on Friday, and during another closed bail application before the court on the weekend, where she was refused bail, the woman indicated she would plead not guilty to the offence.

Her defence lawyer Peter Woodhouse said, on the police facts, the case involved a child who took creative photographs of herself and who had tried to print those photos at Officeworks herself.

The court heard one image showed the child naked in a bathroom covered in red liquid "which looked like blood" and holding knives, while others showed the girl stretching on a bed or lying on a mirror in her underwear.

Police say the woman was unable to print the photos at an Officeworks store in Canberra because of a machine malfunction. (ABC News: Adam Griffiths)

The court heard the child, who has suspected autism and sensory issues, told police she was "quite arty", she liked taking creative and artistic photos of herself, and her mother had helped her set up some photography shoots in the past.

Mr Woodhouse said the woman, who had no criminal history, had spent five nights in custody in isolation after threats from other inmates who had called her "disgusting" and a "kiddie fiddler".

He argued the prosecution's case was "doomed to fail", and said the images did not necessarily meet the legal definition of possessing child exploitation