Dairy stabbing: Sister’s plea for ‘justice’
PM under fire from business community for not visiting electorate
As the police manhunt continues for the robber who fatally stabbed a newlymarried dairy worker, the dead man’s sister says she needs “justice”.
Mourners were set to gather near the scene of the death of Janak Patel tonight — the dairy worker remembered as a “cherished loved one” — as shockwaves about the “heinous” fatal stabbing continued to be felt in communities throughout the country.
Patel died on Wednesday night after being stabbed by a man who stole a cash register from the Rose Cottage Superette, in Auckland’s Sandringham.
He was fatally injured after following the robber, and then getting into an altercation with him about 100m from the store.
“I need justice for my brother,” his sister told the Herald via an intermediary last night.
“We urge the New Zealand government to urgently catch the criminal who has taken our brother’s life and hold the murderer accountable and give him the toughest punishment.”
A candlelight vigil planned for tonight is expected to attract a large crowd, including fellow dairy workers and owners, and members of Auckland communities shellshocked that someone working in stores which are such a big part of New Zealand suburbs could be killed on duty.
Janak Patel had only recently relocated to Auckland from Hamilton and was looking after the Rose Cottage Superette while its owners were overseas.
Tonight’s vigil has been organised by the Migrant Workers Association, whose president Anu Kaloti said there was “no place for such heinous acts in civil society”.
“We condemn the violence and the murder of Janak,” Kaloti said. “No one should get hurt on the job.”
Dairy and Business Association chairman Sunny Kaushal also confirmed yesterday afternoon that the group was organising a protest amid rising crime and an increased safety fears amongst members.
Members wanted to highlight to the Government their anger, and would do so once the family of Patel had laid him to rest.
Kaushal said Patel’s wife was “in trauma . . . she is not speaking”.
He also criticised Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
The dairy is in Ardern’s electorate and she has not visited the area since the death, with Kaushal saying: “Giving 16-year-olds the vote has the Prime Minister giddy with excitement while the death of a dairy worker in her own electorate, generates tea and sympathy.”
He called on the government to admit there was a “crime emergency” in New Zealand.
“There has to be a wake-up call because something is rotten that a hard working young man who started work in a dairy never went home to his spouse,” Kaushal said.
The Government and Ardern also came under fire from Act Party leader David Seymour who said that the Prime Minister had displayed a “complete lack of judgment” by opting to visit the Chatham Islands and not her griefstricken electorate.
“Instead of dropping everything to be in her electorate and making the response to retail crime a priority, she is on a plane to the Chathams,” Seymour said. “A trip she could have easily postponed.
“Jacinda Ardern should be in Mt Albert today and nothing should have got in the way of that.”
Seymour added the man’s death should prompt action from Labour in targeting offenders.
“This should be a turning point where the Government finally takes retail crime as seriously as it deserves.”
Ardern – who was visiting the Chatham Islands for the first time – defended her trip, saying she had been in touch with some Mt Albert community leaders and she also didn’t want to disturb Patel’s grieving family.
“It is my local community so I will be looking to be present there as soon as I’m able to,” she said.
“But I’m also very aware there’s a family grieving and there is an active police investigation into a homicide and I do need to delicately balance being in the right place in the right time.”
Ardern also rejected any suggestion that her not being in Sandringham represented a government not doing enough to address crime.
After being stabbed, Patel managed to make it back to the Rose Cottage Superette and call for help. But tragically he died.
A post-mortem took place on Thursday.
Police have renewed their appeal for any information about the killing, releasing images of the man they want to talk to.
He is described as being dressed in a black shirt, black pants and a black hat, and wearing a black and white bandana over his face.
Meanwhile, a dairy owner
whose wife and son were stabbed by a knife-wielding robber in a “terrifying” attack says the killing of a Sandringham superette worker is a tragedy and sign of growing violence.
“It’s sad that could happen,” Navin Patel, who owns Grey Lynn’s Hylite Dairy, told the Herald.
“It’s very bad. I think the crime is getting out of control right now. ”
In June 2018, Navin’s wife Gita and son Siddhart were attacked as they worked at the family store on Great North Rd.
Anyone with information on this week’s stabbing can contact police via the 105 phoneline, as well as contacting Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.