Parents of murdered toddler furious over bail

The parents of a murder victim are furious the man charged with her killing is on bail and now caught up in a second homicide investigation into the death of a little girl.

Tauranga toddler Aaliyah Morrissey died in the Starship hospital in Auckland last Thursday night after suffering massive injuries in an assault.

Police investigating her death have searched the home of a man who is on bail awaiting a murder trial, set down for next year.

The parents of the murder victim say they cannot understand why he was granted bail.

"We just couldn't believe it when he was granted bail, we were gutted," the mother said.

"He's a nasty piece of work." Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar said the man should never have been granted bail.

"This is a huge issue and we will be asking for a judicial review of the process."

The man, his partner and three children lived near Aaliyah's parents.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was granted bail about two months ago and moved in with his partner and three children, a couple of doors away from Aaliyah's parents.

A source, who the Herald agreed not to name, said Aaliyah's mother had befriended the man's partner while he was still remanded in custody and she would often take Aaliyah and her two brothers to their house.

Police have also searched Aaliyah's parents' home and her two brothers have been taken into the care of family members.

The children living at the man's house have been taken into Child ,Youth and Family care.

Aaliyah was found unconscious when paramedics arrived at a house in Haukore St on Tuesday.

Police have said they have spoken with several people who had contact with the little girl in the days before her death, including the man facing the murder charge.

However, they say it could be up to three weeks before they are in a position to make an arrest.