Man charged with murdering Geoffrey Ware in Northland’s Parakao appears in court

The man charged with murdering Geoffrey Ware appeared in the Whangārei District Court on Monday afternoon. Photo / NZME

The man charged with murdering 55-year-old Parakao man Geoffrey Ware has appeared in court in Whangārei.

Ware was found dead at his home - a rural property off Mangakahia Rd, State Highway 15, at Parakao, about 40km west of Whangārei - on May 9.

The 26-year-old accused of murdering Ware was granted interim name suppression when he appeared in the Whangārei District Court on Monday.

The man was previously charged with assault relating to another victim and had been held in custody.

After appearing in court on Monday, he was again remanded in custody, to appear at the High Court in Whangārei in June.

An order was made for a psychologist report to assess the man’s fitness to plead to the murder charge.

Meanwhile, police have thanked the public for helping with the homicide investigation.

Police had been appealing for information and sightings of a 1999 blue and silver Mitsubishi L200 and a man in the Parakao area on May 9.

Detective Senior Sergeant Michelle Harris of the Whangārei Criminal Investigation Branch said the public response has been extremely helpful.

Police are grateful and are not seeking anything further, she said.