Murder-accused cries in court

Charanpreet Dhaliwal. Photo / Supplied

The man accused of killing security guard Charanpreet Dhaliwal cried in court as the judge said he should be publicly named.

The man, 27, was arrested yesterday morning following a six-month homicide investigation.

The man's name was originally available but it cannot be now used after a judge, Justice Venning, imposed name suppression on July 13.

Police confirmed the man was one of the four men whose descriptions were released last month after they were kicked out of Chicks nightclub, 400m from the murder scene, the night of Mr Dhaliwal's death.

The 22-year-old security guard was found slumped over a concrete block at a Fulton & Hogan construction site on Selwood Rd in Henderson at 3.11am on November 18.

An autopsy showed Mr Dhaliwal, who was working his first shift as a guard, died of a blow to the head. He was found near the main gates of the site by workers returning a truck.

At first, police did not believe Mr Dhaliwal was murdered, but did not completely rule out foul play. A week later, they upgraded the investigation to a homicide.

Detective Senior-Sergeant Stan Brown called the arrest a "significant development" and said it was the result of information from the public and the hard work of a diligent dedicated investigation team. He said police were still talking to other people in relation to Mr Dhaliwal's death.

Standing in the dock yesterday, the man, who lives in Glendene, kept his gaze to the wall and only looked up when the judge addressed him directly.

His duty lawyer applied for interim name suppression on the grounds he had not yet been assigned his own lawyer. The accused also had concerns about his family's safety. However, Judge Lisa Tremewan said it was in the interest of an open justice system that his name be published. He was remanded in custody to reappear tomorrow.

Following his appearance, three women who appeared to be relatives huddled outside the courtroom, one visibly upset.

Sikh community spokesman Dalijt Singh said the arrest came as a relief, both to the community and to Mr Dhaliwal's mother in India, who is flying to New Zealand later this week.

"From day one his mother didn't accept that her son injured himself and believed it was murder. And since she got this news ... she definitely wants to see and meet this man who's been charged with the death of her son."

Mr Singh said the arrest came as a surprise because they were losing hope that anyone would be charged.

"We just want to thank the police for what they've done. We're very pleased."

OPERATION HOPE

November 18, 2011: Security guard Charanpreet Dhaliwal found dead at a construction site.
November 25: Police reveal Mr Dhaliwal died from head injuries caused by an assault and upgrade the inquiry to a homicide investigation.
November 29: Mr Dhaliwal is farewelled at a ceremony in Otahuhu.
May 23, 2012: Police release descriptions of four men they believe were in the area of the murder scene at the time Mr Dhaliwal died.
June 05: A man is arrested and charged with the security guard's death.