Home invasion accused appears in court

One of the two men arrested yesterday over an alleged Auckland home invasion attack last week has appeared in court.

Barrett Tua, 19, faced one count of aggravated burglary and two counts of aggravated wounding in Auckland District Court. The charges were laid following an investigation into a home invasion in suburban Epsom on June 3 in which a 63-year-old father and his 29-year-old son were were attacked.

Tua, unemployed from Manurewa, was remanded in custody until June 17 along with a 20-year-old from Manukau, who has yet to appear in court.

An application by Tua's lawyer Raewyn McCausland for the police summary of facts to be suppressed was denied except for a couple of details, but an interim order was then made after she said she would appeal to the High Court.

A third man sought by police in connection with the attack, 17-year-old Cameron Geros, has yet to be caught. Police said he had contacts in Northland.

Detective Sergeant Graeme Timms of Glen Innes police said the 63-year-old was undergoing further surgery today for facial injuries, and would need surgery at a later date for a broken back thought to have occurred when he was knocked over by the home invaders' getaway car.

"He's going to be in hospital for quite a long time," he told NZPA.

- NZPA