One of the men charged with the fiery death of Shalvin Prasad
can be named for the first time.
Shivneel Kumar appeared at the Manukau District Court
alongside his co-accused today.
The pair have been charged with the murder of Mr Prasad and
were remanded in custody until next month for a plea enquiry
hearing.
Kumar's co-accused also lost name suppression but his lawyer
John Munro appealed against the decision to the High Court.
Judge David McNaughton said he would continue the suppression
order until 4pm to allow the appeal to be lodged. Once lodged
the suppression will remain in place until the outcome of the
appeal is decided.
The pair made their first court appearance last week where
they were granted interim name suppression after police and
Mr Munro, who represents both defendants, agreed the inquiry
was at an early stage and naming them could affect their
right to a fair trial.
The burning body of Mr Prasad, 21, was found on McRobbie Rd
in Kingseat south of Auckland on January 31, several hours
after he withdrew tens of thousands of dollars from his bank
account and left his Rav 4 outside an industrial building in
Papatoetoe.
Police believe the supermarket worker was alive when he was
set alight.
Last week police revealed the money he withdrew has been
spent.
Outside court Detective Inspector Dave Lynch said police were
unlikely to recover it.
"But we believe we can account for the majority of it ... We
are not looking for a pile of cash."
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