Mitesh Kumar, 45, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his ex-wife at the High Court in Auckland on Wednesday morning. He also admitted to obstructing the police from searching his phone.
The stabbing in January this year left the victim seriously injured and requiring life-saving surgery.
"If she dies, and I go to jail, everything goes to the kids. That's the motive," a man confessed to police after repeatedly slashing his ex-wife's throat at an Auckland McDonald's during their divorce proceedings.
Stuff report revealed the events that took place at the Auckland McDonald's on January 11, according to the agreed summary of facts.
Kumar and his ex-wife, who had been married for 18 years and had two children, separated in February 2023. They were in the midst of divorce and financial settlement negotiations.
Before January 11, the ex-wife had not seen her children for four months.
The couple arranged to meet at the McDonald's on Stoddard Rd in Wesley, expecting the children to be present.
Kumar, with a utility knife in his trouser pocket, entered McDonald's, ordered a drink, and sat at a table.
Around 7:48 pm, his ex-wife called, saying she couldn't see the children with him, but Kumar convinced her they were across the road and that she should wait inside.
Kumar retrieved the utility knife with a retractable blade and hid it under his left leg while waiting for his ex-wife.
When she arrived and sat opposite Kumar, he asked her about accepting a lower settlement offer. She refused to discuss it.
Kumar then showed her a nude photograph of her on his phone, taken a year earlier, and threatened to share it if she didn't accept the lower settlement offer.
The ex-wife attempted to leave, but Kumar stood up, removed the knife from under his leg, and attacked her.
Using the knife, Kumar slashed the left side of her neck three times. She was pushed and fell over a table.
Kumar stood over her, grabbed her by the hair, and continued slashing at her neck three more times.
As McDonald's staff and members of the public pleaded with him to stop, Kumar said "don't stop me, just stay away," Kumar warned, showing them the knife.
Despite witnesses' attempts to intervene, Kumar continued the attack while his ex-wife struggled to defend herself.
"You've wrecked my life...you've lost my kids," Kumar said to her in Gujarati.
When the ex-wife tried to sit up, Kumar resumed his assault, repeatedly stabbing and slashing at her neck, head, and upper body.
The ex-wife tried to huddle in a corner and protect herself.
Twice, the knife malfunctioned, causing Kumar to pause, but each time, he continued the attack.
"I want her to die; you can call the police," Kumar shouted when three bystanders confronted him.
He only stopped when the police arrived, seven minutes and 44 seconds after the attack began.
While Kumar was taken to the Auckland City Police Station, his ex-wife was rushed to the hospital with multiple penetrating wounds to her neck, throat, left ear, back of her head, and upper chest. She also had defensive wounds on her hands and arms from trying to protect herself.
After his arrest, Kumar refused to give the police the pins and passwords to his phone despite being warned it was an offence. He told police his ex-wife was demanding too much money in the divorce.
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