Killing: Ex-officer to have psych test

A former high-profile detective charged with killing his wife and kidnapping and injuring her mother has been remanded to Auckland's Mason Clinic for psychiatric assessment.

David Charles McSweeney, 58, is charged with murdering his wife, Suzanne Marie McSweeney, 50, and kidnapping and injuring her mother, Doreen Radford, on Good Friday.

He appeared for a second time in the North Shore District Court yesterday after a judge was not available to deal with his case on Tuesday.

Judge Barry Morris heard that McSweeney had been seen by a forensic nurse and while the nurse was not a qualified psychiatrist, he had recommended McSweeney undergo a psychiatric assessment.

McSweeney is known for his involvement in the "Parnell Panther" inquiry, which resulted in the arrest of Mark Stephens who served 7 years of a 12-year prison sentence for the rape of a model and beating film producer Robyn Scholes.

McSweeney also arrested Major Alain Mafart and Captain Dominique Prieur, the French secret service agents who helped mastermind the Rainbow Warrior bombing.

Yesterday he was dressed in the same white t-shirt and grey pants he wore at his first appearance on Tuesday.

Two women in the back of the court room looked shocked when he entered, one covering her mouth.

McSweeney has a row of stitches, covered by white surgical tape, from the base of his skull down the length of the left side of his neck and his left wrist is bandaged.

He spent Easter in North Shore Hospital with serious injuries after his wife's body was found in a building at Anvil Rd, Silverdale, 30km north of Auckland, about 1pm on Good Friday.

The couple had a textile business, Creative Textiles, at the site.

Police have described the incident as a "domestic".

McSweeney's lawyer, Hugh Leabourn, asked that the former detective be remanded in custody to the Mason Clinic for psychiatric assessment.