Wainuiomata trio remanded in custody

Photo / File

Three men have been remanded in custody over the alleged home invasion and robbery of an Upper Hutt couple last weekend.

Three armed men allegedly stole $50,000 from Malcolm Wiffen, 67, and his wife Yvonne, 65, after bursting into their home on Chatsworth Rd, Silverstream, wearing masks about 6pm on Sunday.

Yesterday, three men were arrested in the Lower Hutt suburb of Wainuiomata after armed officers stormed a house there.

The armed offenders squad, a helicopter and other officers spent several hours scouring Wainuiomata trying to locate one man who had been wanted for several weeks for a string of alleged thefts around the wider Wellington region, Rotorua and Taupo.

Two of the arrested men, aged 32 and 35, were charged with the Silverstream robbery and appeared in Lower Hutt District Court today on charges including detaining the Wiffens and use of a firearm, Radio New Zealand reported.

A third man was charged with wounding with intent to injure in a separate case to the Wiffens.

All received name suppression.

- NZPA