KEY POINTS:
A man charged with murder after allegedly setting a 55-year-old alight in Auckland yesterday will spend the next two days under observation in prison.
The 32-year-old unemployed man, who was listed as having no fixed address, was remanded in custody when he appeared at Auckland District Court today.
He will spend the next two days at Auckland Central Remand Prison in Mt Eden under observation as he is regarded as a risk.
The accused man was granted interim name suppression until his next court appearance on May 14.
His appearance today follows the death of 55-year-old sickness beneficiary Colin Edward Moyle, in Kiwitea St, Sandringham, at about 5pm yesterday.
Detective Inspector Bernie Hollewand said the alleged offender broke into the house when the deceased man was away yesterday afternoon.
He said when Mr Moyle returned the offender attacked him in the doorway and threw boiling water at him. The victim ran out of the house but the offender followed and hit the victim a number of times with a spade.
"The offender then splashed a flammable liquid on to the deceased and ignited it," Mr Hollewand said.
The alleged offender was still at the scene when police, ambulance and fire service units arrived shortly afterwards, and the Mr Moyle's body was still burning.
The first police officers who arrived at the scene in Kiwitea St just before 5pm had to douse the flames, and the body showed signs of other injuries.
Neighbours said there was a history of disputes at the house.
A woman who lives next door said she had just come home when she saw the man on fire.
"I came back and [was] looking at fire on the body ... After that came the smell. I didn't know what happened."
Another neighbour, Peter Hotere, said he went outside after hearing the commotion and police arriving.
He saw one man lying face down on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back, and the dead man was on his back with a sheet covering his upper body. The top of the sheet was drenched in blood.
Mr Hotere said some of his neighbours saw the incident unfolding.
"Our neighbours told me that someone got bashed and then set on fire."
Residents said they were not surprised to see police arrive in the street as they were always being called to fighting and problems at the house.
"Once there was a smashed-up car outside our house and it was from their house and it was from fighting," said Mr Hotere.
The people living at the house were recent arrivals.
"The people are new. They just came into the area not long ago."
Part of Kiwitea St was closed and residents were unable to get home while police investigated last night.
Some 20 police staff are working on the case.
- Additional reporting NZPA