May 31, 2010

Psych report sought after knife incidents

A psychiatric report has been ordered for a shaven-headed 21-year-old charged after knife-point confrontations in the Christchurch suburb of Upper Riccarton a week ago.

Brett Allan King, who lived near where the police allege the armed incidents took place, was remanded in custody for two weeks when he appeared in the Christchurch District Court today.

He had been remanded in custody to today for a bail application to be considered by his defence counsel, Alister James.

But instead, Mr James asked Judge Kevin Phillips for the remand in custody so that a report could be prepared under the Criminal Procedures (Mentally Impaired Persons) Act, to assess King?s fitness to stand trial.

Judge Phillips granted the remand to June 14.

King has entered no pleas to four charges of demanding money with menaces from four people with Asian names, as well as robbing an unknown person of a wallet while armed with a knife, and demanding money with menaces from an unknown person.

Police allege two unsuccessful attempts to obtain money involved threatening shop attendants with a knife, and a third incident involved threatening three customers with a knife and robbing one of them of his wallet. No-one was hurt in the incidents.