Man charged over gunshop robbery to stay in custody

The man shot in the stomach when he allegedly armed himself with a machete to rob an Auckland gunshop will stay in custody until his next court appearance.

Ricky James Beckham, 29, was charged with assault with intent to rob after the incident at a gunshop in Penrose last month.

Gunshop manager Greg Carvell shot him with a .45 calibre revolver after he was alleged to have demanded guns.

Beckham was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery and faced the charges at a special hospital-bed court sitting a few days later.

Today he appeared again in Auckland District Court after an earlier remand in custody for a psychiatric report. He was remanded in custody until next month for a pre-depositions hearing.

Police said today they were still undecided about action or charges against Mr Carvell.

Detective Senior Sergeant Simon Scott said the inquiry was not finished and it would not be rushed.

"It will probably take a few weeks longer. There are a few background inquiries we have got to do."

He said one side of the inquiry was straightforward but the other side was not, with different circumstances.

"We haven't made any decisions yet," he said.

- NZPA