Gurjit Singh murder-accused pleads not guilty

Gurjit Singh was known to be a friendly, hard-working good guy. Photo / Facebook

The man accused of murdering Gurjit Singh in his Dunedin home has pleaded not guilty.

The 33-year-old technician appeared before the High Court at Dunedin this morning accused of killing the 27-year-old Pine Hill resident, who was married in India only months before his death.

Singh’s body was discovered at his home on January 29 - the day after the alleged murder - amid shards of glass, prompting an extensive police investigation.

Justice Cameron Mander continued name suppression for the defendant for at least two weeks.

Counsel John Westgate said he had sent disclosed evidence to his client and fair-trial rights may yet be an issue.

A section of Hillary St in Pine Hill was cordoned off as investigators inspected the scene of Gurjit Singh’s death. Photo / Peter Macintosh

If that was not the case, suppression would lapse.

The defendant remained in custody, without an application for bail, and will be back in court in April.

Singh’s father Nishan flew from India to New Zealand after hearing of the tragedy.

“The law and order will take the right decision and then they will make sure that the person who is responsible will be punished accordingly”, Nishan Singh said.

He wanted to know why his son was killed and said “no parent should lose a son” in the way he had.

The Otago Punjabi Foundation Trust set up a Givealittle page in the aftermath, which generated nearly $46,000 within three weeks for the grieving family.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis said a large team of investigators had worked on the case and he paid tribute to the efforts of the Institute of Environmental Science and Research.

“We wish to thank members of the public for their information and CCTV footage provided, which has helped greatly with the investigation.”