A Fijian man accused of burning alive his wife in New Zealand is said to not plead guilty when he is brought up in a New Zealand court.
The 29-year old Diwesh Kumar Sharma, of Indian descent, who was earlier arrested from Fiji by New Zealand Police, appeared in the Hamilton court.
His wife, 28-year old Ranjeeta Sharma, was set on fire in an attack and died on the side of a Huntly road in January this year. She was cremated in her hometown of Nadi in Fiji.
Just a day after Ranjeeta’s body was found, Diwesh absconded to Fiji with his four-year-old son. He was soon detained by Fiji police and was brought back to New Zealand by Hamilton detectives.
He was sent to a mental health facility for a psychiatric check up, and his lawyer told reporters that Diwesh was fit to plead in the court.
The lawyer, Roger Laybourn, also told reporters that Diwesh intends to plead not guilty.
The couple’s four-year old son is being looked after by relatives in Fiji.
Ranjeeta had come to New Zealand only five years ago and was working as a nurse at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital.
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