A father who is accused of beating his 13-year-old daughter with a piece of electrical cord for about half an hour, was granted $40,000 bail in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Friday.

The father, a chef from Waterhouse, St Andrew, has been charged with cruelty to a child.

He is to return to court on March 1, when the matter will be mentioned as the medical report is outstanding.

Meanwhile, the resident magistrate has requested a social enquiry report.

The court heard that the child, who lives with her grandmother, was recently deported from the United Kingdom.

Allegations are that on December 21, the accused used a piece of electrical cord to beat the child all over her body because she arrived home late.

It is reported that the complainant had visited friends.

The matter was reported to the police and the accused was subsequently arrested and charged.

"Your honour, I didn't use an electrical cord, I used a leather belt. She don't live with me, she live wid her granny and she don't listen. She is in bad company," the accused told the court.