Qld toddler killer loses appeal (AAP)

A north Queensland man jailed for murdering a toddler has lost an appeal.

The Court of Appeal on Tuesday dismissed Troy William Reed's challenge against his conviction for killing a 16-month-old boy in Townsville in 2011.

Reed, a former soldier, was sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole for at least 15 years last November after he was found guilty of murder and assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

The toddler, the son of Reed's girlfriend, suffered a skull fracture, more than 50 bruises, internal injuries and a ruptured bowel while Reed was looking after him in April 2011.

He died from abdominal injuries.

Reed told detectives he had no idea how the injuries happened and suggested they were caused by a pet dog.

However, a Cairns Supreme Court jury found he inflicted them in the days before the toddler died.

Reed's lawyers argued the verdict was unreasonable, and was based on inadmissible evidence and a mistaken direction from the judge.

However, the Court of Appeal disagreed and dismissed the appeal in Brisbane on Tuesday.

In a written explanation, Justice James Henry said the evidence supported the jury's conclusion and that no substantial miscarriage of justice had occurred.

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