Murder accused appears in court

Diwesh Sharma appeared in Hamilton District Court today facing a charge of murdering his wife, Ranjeeta Sharma. Photo / Christine Cornege

The man accused of murder after his wife's body was found burning on a roadside near Huntly last week has reappeared in court.

Diwesh Sharma, 29, appeared in Hamilton District Court this afternoon facing three charges, including one of assault with a blunt instrument following an incident in South Auckland in December last year.

He is charged with the murder of Ranjeeta Sharma and is also facing a breach of bail charge.

Sharma was remanded in custody until his next appearance on March 1 and did not apply for bail.

His lawyer Roger Layborn is seeking a psychiatric assessment of the accused.

Sharma kept his back to the court throughout his appearance and only looked up from the floor briefly when he was addressed by the community magistrate. He nodded in acknowledgement when told his next appearance date.

The 29-year-old was arrested on Friday night after he returned from Fiji with his four-year-old son.