A bail hearing in Melbourne was told today that Siti Nurhidayah had approached Jay and Dee Windross and demanded A$1,000 after they made a public appeal for the return of their stolen phone, the 9 News television channel reported.

The phone contained every photo of their terminally-ill child.

Police said texts linked to Siti Nurhidayah’s phone number showed that she had demanded the money for the return of the phone, although she did not have it, and provided bank details for the money transfer, the report said.

“The hours that we spent holding our daughter, this woman was sitting in her own house demanding money from us,” 9 News quoted Dee Windross as saying.

Siti Nurhidayah was arrested on Friday. She sobbed in the dock of Ringwood magistrate’s court today as her husband took the stand begging for her bail, 9 News reported.

“I just want to say sorry because I didn’t know my wife did that, I really don’t have any idea about that,” he was quoted as saying outside court. “We don’t have the phone. Maybe she just used that for money. That’s it. I am still sorry.”

The court was told that Siti Nurhidayah had moved to Melbourne in September last year, leaving her two young children behind in Malaysia, and worked as an UberEats delivery cyclist in the St Kilda area, earning A$120 a day, from which she paid A$90 a week to hire the bicycle.

The report said Siti Nurhidayah and her husband lived week to week and could not afford to keep up with their rent, according to their lawyer.

Siti Nurhidayah was unable to furnish bail, the report said.