The family of a West Auckland dairy worker who was killed in an attempted robbery has broken their silence for the first time.
Fiji-born 57 years-old Arun Kumar was stabbed to death in 2014 at the Railside Dairy in Henderson by two teenagers aged 13 and 12-year-old at that time.
The teenagers who stabbed Kumar in the neck to death were found guilty of Kumar's manslaughter. The older teenager who was jailed for six years has now been released on parole.
It was argued in the court that the offenders suffered from a number of mental health issues and were acting in self-defence, and had no intent to murder.
Late Arun Kumar’s son Shivneel Kumar told SUNDAY that the family is disappointed with the judicial outcome of this case.
“It’s actually shaming to be living in a country where this is ok, which it should not be,” he said in an emotional statement.
Shivneel Kumar, an aircraft Engineer explained what the family have been through since his father’s death in 2014.
“He was people’s person and people loved him back.”
“We waited for whole year to get the justice. After suffering months of pain of our loved one being stabbed, we try to understand how it was justice? It was ridiculous.”
“It was made to see that they were just little boys who stumbled across with a knife and walked into shop and my dad fell into the knife, which was the most unreal, false thing that I heard as we could see with eyes [CCTV] what the naked truth was!”
“There is no fear and second thought for the offenders. Community needs to come up with better parenting” he told Sunday.
West Auckland dairy-owners are struggling to cop-up with the recent rise of aggravated armed assaults in their stores.
Many shop owners and workers have started equipping them with arms and bats, a practise that Police would discourage.
Kamaljit Singh who has run a dairy store for last 30 years is upset to see all this happen. His store was recently invaded by young thugs armed with machetes.
“It is unbelievable. They came in and knocked one of the workers and held him at knife-point. They‘re waving machete to scare the other girl who was at the teller,” Kamaljit told SUNDAY.
Kamaljit Singh is a dairy store owner in the West Auckland (Photo SUNDAY) Source: Supplied
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