Dairy stabbing: Teen accused denied bail

Arun Kumar.

The 13-year-old charged with the murder of a West Auckland shopkeeper will remain in the custody of Child Youth and Family after his bail application was declined.

The boy -- whose name is suppressed -- is accused of killing 57-year-old Arun Kumar in June at the Railside Dairy in Henderson, which the victim owned with his wife.

A bail application for the teenager was heard in the High Court at Auckland last week but media cannot report the content of that hearing.

The application made by the boy's lawyer Maria Pecotic was opposed by the Crown and Justice Rebecca Ellis today released her judgement declining bail because of the defendant's "special circumstances".

Although the defendant did not appear in court last week, several members of his family were in the public gallery.

The teen is currently in the care of a youth facility, the location of which is suppressed.

His co-accused, a 12-year-old boy whose name is also suppressed, was initially charged only with assaulting the father of two with intent to rob but police later added a count of manslaughter against him.

It is understood Mr Kumar was stabbed in the neck in front of his wife.

She rushed to neighbouring shops on Great North Rd but paramedics were unable to revive her husband.

The two boys are due to appear in the High Court for an administrative hearing tomorrow and their trial is set down for November.