Maddison Hickson, 23, who is accused of twice stabbing her father during a "scuffle" at a home at Ronald Street on January 16, was on Friday granted strict conditional bail due to a strong self-defence case - which includes possible defensive wounds on her hand and claims it was her father who produced the weapon - which a magistrate found weakened the prosecution case.

Ms Hickson, who the court heard was having complications with her pregnancy, was represented by Public Defender Peter Krisenthal when she appeared in court on Friday via audio visual link from jail.

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She wept when Magistrate John Chicken said she would be released after family members offered a $16,000 surety. Mr Krisenthal said there were no witness statements indicating anyone saw Ms Hickson armed with a weapon before the interaction with her father that ended in his death.

"It is a sad but objectively true fact that the deceased was a person of violence and of settled criminal habits," Mr Krisenthal said. "He had a propensity to use weapons in order to satisfy his immediate needs."

Mr Chicken, who has sat at Maitland for a number of years and had dealt with both Mr Carroll and Ms Hickson, said Mr Carroll's reputation was well-known.

"I've dealt with Mr Carroll," Mr Chicken said. "I've dealt with his victims. One of his victims is currently before me who suffers from extraordinary PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] due to the level of violence brought on him by Mr Carroll."

Mr Krisenthal said Mr Carroll's criminal history included the use of weapons, including pliers on a man's genitals, and standover tactics to get what he wanted.

"And if we apply those circumstances to the present matter, the objective evidence is that [Mr Carroll] was displaying erratic and paranoid behaviour shortly prior to the incident that occurred," Mr Krisenthal said.

Mr Krisenthal said a friend of Mr Carroll's had let him stay with him for a few days, but Mr Carroll had become paranoid that the man was filming him in his bedroom.

Mr Carroll, Ms Hickson and the man were at the house at Ronald Street about 7.20pm on January 16 when Mr Carroll began abusing the man and accusing him of being homosexual, prompting Ms Hickson to tell her father: "shut the f--- up", the court heard.

"There is objective evidence that at that stage Mr Carroll got out of his seat and approached [Ms Hickson] and physically pushed her, calling her a slut and telling her 'are you going to make me' words to that effect," Mr Krisenthal said.

"It is in those circumstances that a scuffle ensued and shortly after that Mr Carroll was observed to be significantly bleeding."

When Ms Hickson was first interviewed by responding police, recorded on body-worn video, she said "he tried to stab me", Mr Krisenthal said. "On the inside of her right index finger there were three fresh lacerations and Your Honour can infer that they are defensive wounds and that it is entirely open, in my submission, that it was the deceased who produced the weapon," Mr Krisenthal said. "In my submission self-defence will be a very live issue at trial."

Mr Chicken agreed and said "on no basis could it be seen that the prosecution has an overwhelming case".

"[Mr Carroll's] drug use, history of violence and irrational behaviour immediately before his death are all very relevant to any self-defence case," Mr Chicken said.

He granted Ms Hickson strict bail, including the conditions that she be subject to house arrest and family members deposit a $16,000 surety to ensure her attendance at court.

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