A Christchurch chef who indecently assaulted four teenage employees at the restaurant where he worked “doesn’t think he did anything wrong”.
And it has been revealed that Sumeer Thapa has kept his job and has the full support of the restaurant owner.
Thapa, 46, works at Lazeez Mediterranean Grill in Shirley.
He was originally charged with seven counts of indecent assault, and four of sexual conduct with a young person relating to four teenage girls between 2021 and 2024.
Some of the charges were representative, meaning police believe Thapa committed multiple offences of the same type in similar circumstances.
After a jury trial in the Christchurch District Court, he was found guilty of seven charges of indecent assault.
Thapa was sentenced by Judge Deidre Orchard today.
She outlined Thapa’s offending, which he continues to deny.
“You were a chef at a local restaurant… and the restaurant employed young people as servers and to assist with food preparation and the like.
“All of your victims were between 15 and 18 years of age, and with some of them, it was their first experience working in paid employment.
“You, in many instances, would speak to them inappropriately, by that I mean a flirtatious or improper way, and make improper comments in their presence.”
He told one victim she was beautiful and asked her to be his “Maori wife”.
He told another that he wanted to “get drunk and party” with her and “buy her tequila”.
Thapa “constantly” called another girl “baby and honey” and said she was “sexy and hot”.
“You also asked her whether she had sex with her boyfriend… and you made comments about some of the female customers’ attractiveness, saying they were hot.
“You said that you wanted to take her out… and she could be your other girlfriend… and asked her for ‘hot pics’."
Judge Orchard said the physical assaults were “low-level” but serious.
Thapa touched the victims on multiple occasions, including on their backs, buttocks and legs.
“Usually, that was when I think you were moving past… but the jury accepted that this was not accidental.
“All of this touching, was, with the exception of a couple of times when it was more lingering… was very brief, and it would always be in the context of you moving by these young women as they were occupied either at the counter or in the kitchen and either swiping your hand against their bottoms or their back when you were doing it, or swiping your side against them.”
Judge Orchard said Thapa was guilty of “sexual harassment in the workplace by an older man”.
“They were in a position where they were working and as far as they were concerned, you were in the position of a manager, or at least a person who had authority over them.”
They were in a position where it was very difficult for them to remonstrate with you, and the fact that they were very young and inexperienced also meant that they were unsure of themselves, as young girls can be when faced with this sort of behaviour.
“They wondered whether they were being upset unnecessarily in some instances, and whether this was, you know, really, normal or harmless. And that… is an aggravating factor”
Judge Orchard blasted Thapa, whose lawyer described him as showing “limited remorse”.
“I get the very clear impression…that you just don’t have a clue about the inappropriateness of your behaviour,” she said
“As a 40-year-old man dealing with female youngsters, they should not be subjected to being treated like sexual objects, which is exactly what you did.
“You should have behaved professionally like an employer, not trying to behave like a contemporary - and a contemporary who was behaving badly.
“I don’t think that you get it. And I strongly advise you to just reconsider your behaviour… because it’s totally inappropriate.”
Judge Orchard said she was “concerned” at Thapa’s attitude towards offending.
“He says he doesn’t understand, he doesn’t accept that his behaviour was indecent, that he’s really done anything wrong,” she said.
“He’s got a lot to learn.”
She said Thapa’s employer had provided a testimonial to the court in support of the offender.
“He is willing to continue to employ the defendant, and I’m afraid he needs a bit of a wake-up call too as far as his obligations and a good employer are concerned,” said Judge Orchard.
“His behaviour does amount to sexual harassment - not just the touching but obviously… the way he speaks to young female employees, or for that matter, female employees at all, is totally unacceptable.”
Judge Orchard said Thapa “considers that he’s been wrongfully convicted” and he “plans to take steps” to remedy that.
“Which is not a matter of concern to me one way or the other… the real point is that that would indicate he is not really a good candidate at the moment for rehabilitation because he doesn’t feel he needs to change.
“However, I am hopeful that he’s not a stupid man… and I hope that would lead him to modify his behaviour.
“I guess, we’ll just have to wait and see about that.”
Judge Orchard said both Thapa’s name and the name of the restaurants should be published to protect young women from the offender in future.
“There’s a public interest in this being published,” she ruled.
“Parents of youngsters and youngsters themselves need to know if the place where they’re proposing to work has somebody working there who has offended in this way against young employees.”
The judge set the sentence starting point at 12 months in prison.
She then gave Thapa “significant” credit for his offer to pay each of the victims $1000 for emotional harm.
“Even if you may not accept that you’ve done wrong, you have accepted that you’ve been convicted and you are taking responsibility,” she said.
“You put this money aside so that it can be paid immediately, and in my view, that is a very significant mitigating factor.”
Judge Orchard sentenced Thapa to four months’ community detention with a curfew from 10pm to 8am each day.
She said the late start of the curfew reflected Thapa’s work hours.
Thapa will not be added to the national sex offender register.
“I have decided that, given the nature of the offending and its low level, and circumstances in which it arose, it is not appropriate,” she explained.
“I am hopeful that this experience will have brought home to you that you need to conduct yourself appropriately in the workplace towards young women and actually women generally.”
Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 20 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz