A 42-year-old man has appeared in court following a fatal assault in Northland.
Christopher Edwards, 61, died in hospital on Friday after being attacked on Wednesday night.
Ambulance staff had been called to a house at Te Kopuru, near Dargaville, about 7pm. Police say the man sustained a fractured skull after being attacked at a property on West Coast Road.
Mr Edwards was taken to Whangarei Hospital after other occupants from the house could not wake him.
He was transferred to Auckland Hospital where he underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain, but died on Friday morning.
Police will not disclose the cause of the fatal injuries.
A 42-year-old man appeared in the Dargaville District Court on Friday charged with assault. He was granted interim name suppression and remanded in custody to reappear on Tuesday.
Police would not comment on whether further charges are likely.
