Mr Torney, 32, who has been charged with toddler Nikki's murder, faced day eight on Thursday of a Supreme Court trial sitting in Mildura.

His lawyers allege it was Nikki's mother, Peta-Ann Francis, who killed little Nikki on August 25 last year, before Mr Torney hid the body in the roof cavity of her Oram Court home.

The trial was shown the interview Ms Francis had with Detective Sergeant Rod Stormonth of the homicide squad on September 2 last year.

In the interview, Ms Francis at times giggles, while at other times she breaks down in tears.

Ms Francis goes through her movements on the day of Nikki's death, in which she says she never interacted with Nikki, and is questioned about inconsistencies in her story.

"My brain's a puzzle in its own," she said.

She said her relationship with her kids was "awesome" and she and Nikki were "two peas in a pod".

In the interview, Ms Francis denied losing her cool with Nikki or getting frustrated by her, saying she was a "breezy" child.

"Nikki was easy going, she'll try everything once, she'll do as you ask, she was never a sooky child ... she was content," she said.

Sergeant Stormonth then put to her a different version of events, in which she sees Nikki a number of times, is frustrated with her and asks Mr Torney "how's the little cow going?"

She broke down when the allegation that she was involved in Nikki's death was put to her.

"That's a load of shit," Ms Francis said.

"That's JT's [John Torney] statement isn't it?

"I could not physically hurt any of my kids."

Sergeant Stormonth went on to ask Ms Francis what she thought happened to Nikki.

She said she thought "Johnny cracked the shits and bashed the f---ing shit" out of her little daughter.

Ms Francis was further questioned about her 000 call she made after Nikki's disappearance, admitting there were "four lies" in it.

The "lies" included that she put Nikki down for a sleep in the morning, despite later denying she interacted with Nikki at all on the day of her death.

"Why did you tell lies when you rang the police?" chief Crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert, QC, asked.

"Cause I was shocked. I wasn't coherent. I was just worried about where my daughter was. I wasn't paying too much attention to what the lady was saying, to her questions, and I didn't know half the answers," Ms Francis said.

"Did you intentionally not tell the truth in that 000 call?" Mr Silbert said.

"Not intentionally," Ms Francis said.

The trial, before Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth, continues.

Sunraysia Daily