The 38-year-old appeared via audio visual link in Newcastle District Court on Tuesday, eight weeks after being remanded in custody over the Jesmond incident.

In considering the man's bail application Magistrate Janine Lacy described the incident as alleged by police as "horrific".

It started out as a verbal argument and resulted in the mother of the six children being admitted into emergency at John Hunter Hospital in a critical condition.

She was placed into an induced coma with a wound to the left hand side of her neck about 5cm deep which ruptured a major artery to the brain, she said.

Police say the children tried to intervene and that's when it escalated, she said.

"There were allegations of the accused grabbing her by the throat and attempting to choke her, and there were multiple stab wounds - to the left side of her neck and also a further stab wound to the right underarm area," Magistrate Lacy said.

"It couldn't really get a lot worse than this given the presence of the children and given the outcomes so far, unless there was a different outcome."

The woman was not cooperating with police and had indicated she didn't want her husband to go to jail.

But she had also told hospital staff she couldn't say who the person who stabbed her was because her husband would kill her, the court heard.

Police were concerned the man might try to flee the country, and were also concerned that he may try to remove the children from the country which the prosecution would be powerless to stop.

Magistrate Lacy said the prosecution had valid concerns about the risk of the defendant failing to appear and, given the seriousness of the offences, the likelihood of a custodial sentence, and valid fears he may interfere with witnesses, the bail application was refused.

The matter was adjourned to July 6.