A man accused of the attempted murder of a woman has been remanded in custody for a psychiatric assessment.
Arana Te Rata Barlow, 36, made a brief appearance in the Hamilton District Court this afternoon before Judge Philip Connell.
As well as referring his client for a psychiatric assessment, duty solicitor Gavin Boot, appearing on behalf of Barlow, also suggested a report be prepared to assess his fitness to plead to the charges.
The report will assess whether Barlow was insane at the time of the alleged offending on Friday in which a woman was allegedly stabbed and a 2-year-old child taken on the Ngati Maru Highway at Thames.
Barlow, who is listed in court documents as being from Levin, was arrested in Auckland later that night.
