City of Gold Coast Division 7 councillor Ryan Donald Bayldon-Lumsden, 30, has been charged with murdering Robert Lumsden, 58, at the family’s Arundel home about 3pm on August 23.

Bayldon-Lumsden was not present in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday for his bail application hearing, which lasted nearly two hours.

The court heard evidence from police that Bayldon-Lumsden has carried out Google searches for “manslaughter” and how to avoid jail, just two days before the incident took place.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate said Bayldon-Lumsden would remain a councillor “in all sense” unless Local Government Minister Steven Miles decided otherwise.

“My view has always been that he’s innocent before proven guilty, so right now he’s a councillor, and he will do his best to operate as a councillor,” Mr Tate told reporters.

“I’ve already written to the minister and the ball is in his court.”

A spokesperson for Deputy Premier and Local Government Minister Steven Miles said the deputy premier was awaiting further advice.

Defence barrister Craig Eberhardt KC said his client had been subject to an ongoing abusive and controlling relationship with his stepfather and an argument between the two had escalated.

“This is an offence committed against an appalling background and significant history of domestic violence,” Mr Eberhardt said.

He said Mr Lumsden tripped and fell after Bayldon-Lumsden responded to being threatened and prodded in the chest by pushing his stepfather back.

Mr Eberhardt said Bayldon-Lumsden feared his stepfather would grab a kitchen knife and kill him, so he placed both arms around his neck and applied a chokehold with the intent of rendering him unconscious.

Mr Lumsden instead turned purple and was unable to be revived.

Mr Eberhardt said Bayldon-Lumsden intended to plead not guilty on the ground of self-defence or preservation of life in an abusive domestic relationship and that he was not a flight risk.

The prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that Mr Lumsden’s autopsy showed extended and significant force had been applied to his neck, resulting in a broken bone and burst blood vessels in his eyes.

The crown prosecutor pointed to Bayldon-Lumsden’s Google searches made two days before the incident that showed him researching manslaughter and the possibility of avoiding jail.

Bayldon-Lumsden was elected to the City of Gold Coast council in 2020, representing the council’s inner northern suburbs.

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