The man accused of murdering five members of the Lin family in Sydney will spend another Christmas in custody after the granting of his bail was overturned.
Lian Bin "Robert" Xie appeared in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday to hear Justice Stephen Rothman hand down his decision.
The crown launched an appeal last week after a local magistrate granted him bail.
Xie, 48, is charged with murdering his brother-in-law, Min "Norman" Lin, 45, Mr Lin's wife, Yun Li "Lily" Lin, 43, her sister, Yun Bin "Irene" Yin, 39, and two boys who cannot be named for legal reasons.
They were found dead in their bedrooms in a house in North Epping, in Sydney's northwest, on July 18, 2009.
They had been beaten to death with a hammer-like object, while the cause of death for four of the victims also included asphyxia.
Last week, Xie applied for bail after the local magistrate committed him to stand trial for the murders.
Justice Rothman acknowledged the murders did not involve robbery and there was no forced entry to the home.
"There are some aspects of the crown's case that are extremely strong," he told the court.
He also noted that a drop of DNA evidence in Xie's garage that contained the profile of at least four people did not directly identify any of the victims.
The judge also said the evidence in the case was "not strong"; however, this did not make it "weak".
Justice Rothman expressed concern over allegations that Xie coached his wife and another family member on what to tell police, which was recorded by surveillance devices.
He noted that Xie had been in custody since his arrest in May 2011 and could face another year on remand until the expected three-month trial concluded some time in late 2013.
Xie's wife, Kathy Lin, and his sister from China were present in the courtroom and appeared distraught after the proceedings ended.
Xie sat in the dock dressed in a dark suit and a blue tie and did not show any emotion when Justice Rothman overturned his bail application.
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