Police said the incident was random and not a hate crime. Photo / Michael Craig
The identity of a man charged with the random stabbing of four people on Auckland's North Shore remains secret while he undergoes treatment for psychosis.
The 41-year-old allegedly stabbed four people in the quiet Murrays Bay and Mairangi Bay suburbs on June 23 before passersby took him down in what police have called a show of extreme bravery.
He faces four counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and two charges of assault with a knife.
He is yet to enter a plea.
The neatly dressed man appeared at the Auckland District Court via audiovisual link from a mental health facility this afternoon.
The court heard he is still suffering from 10 per cent of residual psychosis and may require another four to six weeks of treatment.
Judge Pippa Sinclair today ordered two doctors' reports into the man's mental health to help the court assess whether he is fit to stand trial.
She also granted him continued name suppression until at his next hearing in December.
The stabbings rocked the normally quiet coastal suburbs of Murrays and Mairangi Bay.
Police said the alleged attacker had a large knife but was stopped by a group of bystanders using a crutch.
Eyewitnesses said they hit the man so hard the crutch snapped.
Speaking to media after the incident, Waitematā district commander superintendent Naila Hassan said it could have been a lot worse without those brave members of the public.
Hassan previously said it would've been an extremely traumatic event for the victims involved.
The victims suffered moderate injuries and Hassan said it was an isolated, random incident and not a hate crime.
The man had been remanded in custody at the Mason Clinic since his arrest.
His lawyer Anoushka Bloem told the court in June that he was suffering from psychosis and in a fragile mental state.
Motorists are being warned to expect hazardous driving conditions.