Yin Ping Yang

Auckland, Nov 28 NZPA - A man charged with the murder of an elderly Chinese woman has been remanded in custody until his next court appearance on January 21.

The 29-year-old man appeared in Manukau District Court today charged with the murder of 80-year-old Yin Ping Yang at her home in Manurewa, south Auckland.

An application for name suppression was made by his lawyer to give the Manurewa man time to break the news to his elderly mother.

Mrs Yang died in Middlemore Hospital on June 14 -- three days after she was attacked and beaten in her Manurewa home.

The man had been a suspect since the inquiry began on June 11, said Detective Inspector Mark Gutry.

No one else was being sought by police over Mrs Yang's death, but Mr Gutry could not say whether the man faced other unrelated charges.

Mrs Yang gave police a brief description of her attacker before she died.

Mr Gutry said police had also been helped by the public.

During the inquiry, the police homicide team arrested two others on charges unrelated to Mrs Yang's death.

A 16-year-old male and an adult were arrested after bank staff at a Manurewa bank called police when they asked to exchange a large amount of Hong Kong currency.

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