Teen murder-accused and victim named in High Court at Napier

The man's body was found in a shallow ditch on Matahorua Road, Tutira, on December 18 last year. Photo / File

One of two teenagers charged with murdering a man whose body was found at Matahorua Rd near Tutira on December 18 last year had name suppression lifted in the High Court at Napier yesterday morning.

Shaun Liam Karauria, 17, and another teenager were charged with murder in December last year, but name suppression was lifted for only Karauria.

The court also lifted name suppression for the victim, Sandeep Dhiman, aged 30, who had been living in Napier at the time of his death and was due to visit home this month to get married.

According to Indian media, his parents were visiting another son in Australia when they got the news of their son's death, having last spoken to him about 6pm the night before.

Justice David Collins conducted the proceedings via video-link and allowed Karauria and Mr Dhiman to be named, but counsel for the other teenager involved asked that her name suppression be continued.

The application for that continued name suppression would be heard in the High Court on February 7.

As well as murder, the teenagers are charged with taking Mr Dhiman's car and two cellphones, immediately after causing him grievous bodily harm.

It was on the morning of December 18 last year that Mr Dhiman's body was understood to have been found on the rural roadside about 7 kilometres away from the junction with State Highway 2 by a tanker driver, who could see into the roadside ditch from his elevated driving position.

A scene examination was carried out and overnight police arrested and charged Karauria.

On December 22, police arrested and charged the female 17-year-old with murder and robbery.

Yesterday, Justice Collins set down the trial date for November 19, for which two weeks were allocated.

At the end of December, Indian media reported that Mr Dhiman was an IT professional, who shifted to New Zealand on a study visa in June, 2015, and worked as a fibre technician for a leading company.

After he died, his body was taken home to Kharar and cremated.