A man charged with murder following an incident earlier this month in Linwood Park, Christchurch, has appeared in court. Photo: NZ Herald / George Heard
A man who is accused of killing a grandfather after an altercation at Linwood Park has raised the question of insanity.
The 31-year-old, who has interim name suppression based on mental health grounds, appeared via video link at the Christchurch High Court where his lawyer Anselm Williams asked for a health report to assess his client's sanity.
The man initially faced a charge of causing grievous bodily harm, but this was upgraded to a murder charge following the grandfather's death two days after the alleged assault following an incident on 7 April.
The deceased, aged in his 50s, had arrived in New Zealand from India earlier this year with his wife, the first time the couple had been able to see their son and new grandchild since Covid-19 travel restrictions were lifted.
South Island Sikh Society member Jitender Sahi told the Herald it was a visit the couple had spent years looking forward to.
Sahi said the man's family had been left incredibly shocked, and his grief-stricken relatives unable to utter a word.
Sahi said the death had left the Indian community in Christchurch anxious and upset.
"We had a meeting with New Zealand police advisors at the Gurdwara Sahib where concerns were raised for the safety of elderly relatives visiting from overseas."
In court this morning Williams said his client's fitness to stand trial was unlikely to be an issue and asked for the man's interim name suppression to continue until his next appearance on 26 May.
As the man's audio-visual link from Hillmorton Hospital was cut off he blew a kiss to his family, some of whom were seated in the public gallery.
A Givealittle page was set up by the society and had raised more than $16,000 for funeral and flight costs for the deceased's family.
Earlier this month, police appealed for a woman who was waiting at a nearby bus stop, who may have seen an altercation, to contact investigators.
They also said they wanted to hear from anyone else who was in the area at the time who might have seen something that could assist inquiries, including those with dashcam or CCTV footage.
"If you can help, please contact police via our 105 phone service or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using 'Update report'."
"Please reference file number 230407/0351. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111."
- This story was first published on NZ Herald.