A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of his mother who was found dead outside her seaside nursing home after she apparently fell from a balcony.

June Knight, 79, suffered fatal injuries at Langley Lodge Nursing Home in Westcliff, and police were called at about 10pm on December 10.

Her son Robert Knight, 52, did not enter a plea when he appeared before Basildon Crown Court for a brief hearing on Thursday.

The bearded defendant, of The Fairway, Leigh, appeared in the secure dock wearing a blue suit with white shirt and great tie.

He listened to proceedings from a secure dock at the rear of the court.

Judge Samantha Leigh adjourned the case until a plea hearing on March 1 at Basildon Crown Court.