Massey security guard death: Pair accused of Ramandeep Singh’s murder appear in High Court

Two men accused of the murder of security guard Ramandeep Singh in West Auckland last year have appeared in the High Court and will keep their names secret for now.

Singh was found dead at the Royal Reserve carpark in Massey a week before Christmas last year.

A teenager and a man in his 20s were arrested soon after and were charged with the murder of the 25-year-old Armourguard patrolman.

The younger man, 17, appeared via video link in the High Court at Auckland from the Kōrowai Manaaki youth justice facility for a hearing before Justice Matthew Downs.

The other man, 27, appeared in person in the dock. A large group of both men’s whanau were in the public gallery.

The 27-year-old pleaded not guilty to the murder, but the younger man did not enter a plea, pending another hearing.

Justice Downs set a trial date of June 23 next year for three weeks, saying the age of the younger defendant meant a prompt trial was important.

Both the accused retained interim name suppression ahead of their next hearing for case review, on April 17.

At the end of the hearing, people in the public gallery called out “I love you”.

Singh moved to New Zealand in 2018 to pursue higher education on a student visa after completing his schooling in India.

An only child, he was born and raised in the village of Kotli Shahpur in Gurdaspur, Punjab.

Security guard Ramandeep Singh, 25, was killed in Massey's Royal Reserve carpark shortly after midnight on December 18. Photo / Jason Oxenham

In a post on social media, Armourguard said its community “has been shattered” by the sudden loss of Singh, who leaves behind a broken family and friends in mourning.

“For his parents, he wasn’t just a son; he was their only son, the pride of their lives.

“His death serves as a reminder of the risks our security personnel face every day when they go to work.”