A 39-year-old man who has been charged with murder, appeared in the Tauranga District Court this morning.

Adrian Clancy is accused of killing 17-month old Sadie-Leigh Gardner, who died of serious head injuries on March 29.

Adrian's defence lawyer sought for name suppression but was denied.

He will be remanded in custody until his next appearance.

He will appear by audio visual link in Tauranga's High Court on May 22 2019.