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Three men have been charged with attempted murder over a brutal machete attack on an Auckland police officer working in the Solomon Islands.
Constable Chris Renata was on a jungle patrol 4km from his police base when he was set on by a group of men armed with machetes on September 2.
Mr Renata, a former North Harbour basketball representative, received a deep gash to his leg which required surgery but escaped by using pepper spray.
The Royal Solomon Islands Police said yesterday seven people handed themselves in to police in the remote village of Avuavu on the southern coast of Guadalcanal, near where the attack occurred.
Four other men were released without charge but police were still investigating their roles.
Acting Police Commissioner Peter Marshall said the main suspect, Alphonseus Toghovotu, and other co-offenders were still being hunted. Toghovotu is also wanted in relation to a murder in the same area in 1999.
Consultation between police and community leaders and the Guadalcanal provincial government had been a key part in the investigation.
