A man brutally slashed his ex-wife’s throat several times at a McDonald’s after threatening to distribute a nude photo of her during a bitter divorce dispute, a court heard.
Mitesh Kumar, 45, appeared in the High Court in Auckland, New Zealand, on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and two counts of failing to comply with duties under search powers.
In a sickening attack, Kumar repeatedly slashed his wife with a knife at a McDonald’s in the Auckland suburb of Wesley earlier this year.
The horrific details of Kumar’s wrongdoing have been laid bare after the agreed summary of events was published in court this week.
Married for 18 years, Kumar and his ex-wife had two children before separating in February last year.
Before the January 11 attack, it had been four months since Kumar’s ex-wife had seen her children.
The pair agreed to meet at McDonald’s, where Kumar’s ex-wife had hoped to reunite with their children, Stuff reported.
Armed with a knife concealed in his pants pocket, Kumar entered the McDonald’s and sat down at a table after ordering a drink, according to the agreed summary of facts.
Mitesh Kumar, 45, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with the attempted murder of his ex-wife at a McDonald’s in Wesley (pictured) in southwest Auckland on January 11.
Kumar’s ex-wife called him from outside and told him that she could not see the children with him.
He convinced her that the kids were across the street and that she could wait for them inside the McDonald’s.
While Kumar waited for his ex-wife, he pulled out the knife, which had a retractable blade, and hid it under his left leg.
Kumar’s ex-wife walked into the restaurant and sat opposite him.
The agreed facts state that Kumar asked his wife about accepting a lower settlement offer as part of their divorce, and she responded that she did not want to talk about it.
Kumar then showed his ex-wife a nude photo of her on his phone, which had been taken a year earlier.
He then threatened to show the photo to people if she did not accept the lower settlement offer.
His ex-wife tried to leave before Kumar stood up, pulled out the hidden knife, lunged forward and grabbed her.
The agreed facts then describe the horrific attack.
‘Using the knife, the accused cut the left side of the complainant’s neck and throat three times,’ the facts state.
Kumar pushed her and she fell backwards onto a table, before he pushed her again and she became trapped in a corner.
He stood over her, grabbed her by the hair and slashed the left side of her neck/throat three more times.
The public and McDonald’s staff asked Kumar to stop.
Kumar was taken to Auckland City Police Station where he told police his ex-wife wanted too much money in the divorce settlement (file image)
Kumar showed them the knife and said, “Don’t stop me, just stay away.”
He continued his attack despite witnesses trying to intervene, while his ex-wife tried to protect herself.
“You have ruined my life… you have lost my children,” Kumar told her in Gujarati, a native language of the state on India’s west coast.
When Kumar briefly stopped the attack, his ex-wife attempted to sit up, but he then continued to stab and cut her repeatedly on the neck, throat, upper body and back of the head.
His ex-wife tried to protect herself as she cowered in a corner.
Kumar stopped the attack twice when the knife missed, but continued.
When the public confronted him again, Kumar shouted: “I want her to die, you can call the police.”
Kumar only stopped his attack when police arrived nearly eight minutes after the attack began.
His ex-wife was rushed to hospital with multiple penetrating wounds to her upper chest, throat, left ear, neck and the back of her head.
Following his arrest, Kumar refused to provide police with his phone passwords and PINs.
He continued to refuse even after being warned that refusing was a crime.
Kumar told police that his ex-wife wanted too much money in the divorce settlement.
“If she dies and I go to jail, it will all go to the children. That’s the reason.”
Kumar was remanded in custody until his sentencing on November 5.