A South Auckland man, Rajesh Kumar, has been sentenced to a 10-and-a-half-year prison term for an attack described as an “egregious breach of trust.” Kumar, 53, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of a young girl and the kidnapping of his wife days earlier. Both offences are punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Kumar was ordered to serve a 10-and-a-half-year term, with nine years for the attempted murder and 18 months for the kidnapping. The judge also ordered him to serve at least six years before he can apply for parole.
Kumar decided to attack the child after a night of drinking in December 2022, entering her bedroom, nudging her awake at about 3 am, and motioning for her to follow him. He led the child to a garage and told her to sit in a chair as he stood before her. He then grabbed the girl by the hair and pulled her hair backward, raising her chin and exposing her throat and neck. The knife, with a 15cm blade, caused extensive damage but narrowly missed her carotid artery, and she survived following emergency surgery.
As the child fell to the floor and began screaming, Kumar tried to muffle her screams by aggressively pushing her head down and shoving his fingers in her mouth. Others in the house intervened, and one adult son pulled him away from the child. Another adult son grabbed the defendant and took the knife from his father, who then fled the house. Kumar was later arrested without incident in Thames, Coromandel.
Crown prosecutor Bernadette Vaili argued that Kumar’s minimum term of imprisonment was necessary to hold him accountable for his conduct and protect the community.
Photo: NZ Herald/Jason Oxenham
