KEY POINTS:
A teenager who allegedly stabbed an Auckland dairy owner in a frenzied attack on Friday had been a regular customer in the store since he was a young boy, the dairy owner's wife said yesterday.
The dairy owner was pursued by his assailant and repeatedly stabbed as he tried to flee the scene.
"There was blood coming out, everywhere, and he was closing his eyes," said Shasikant Prema's wife, Damyanti.
She described how the attacker, a teenager, first lashed at her husband's face over the shop counter with a 15cm-knife, clipping his ear.
He then stabbed her husband in the back and neck as he fled his shop. "He just ran, and he was attacked from behind. Just as well he didn't stay around or it would have been worse."
Damyanti Prema is angry about the increase in knife crime - and unhappy that another Auckland dairy owner has been charged by police after a brawl outside his shop last week.
"We have to protect ourselves, it's either them or us," she said. Members of the Prema family opened their shop for business yesterday while Shasikant Prema lay in Auckland Hospital recovering from the five stab wounds.
Mrs Prema told the Herald on Sunday she was at home on Friday evening when her husband called about 5.30pm and told her he had been stabbed.
She immediately ran to the shops to see her husband.
Police arrested a 17-year-old after the attack.
The alleged attacker is a regular customer to the store who Mrs Prema said the couple had been serving since he was a young boy.
The alleged attacker was standing outside the shop with the knife while Mr Prema locked himself in the next-door takeaway store. He was still there when Mrs Prema arrived to find her husband.
Her son, Rajesh, was also standing just metres from the youth. "I had to hold my mum back because she was so angry."
The 16-year-old described holding a towel to his father's head. "Blood was gushing."
A 17-year-old youth appeared in Auckland District Court yesterday. He entered no plea to one charge of possession of a knife and one of causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Prema with intent. He was remanded in custody to reappear tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Otara liquor store owner Virender Singh has been charged with two counts of injuring with intent to injure after a fight with several youths on Tuesday night.
The charges relate to injuries two of the youths received, one of whom had a swollen nose, mouth and damage to his teeth. Police say a 15-year-old is also expected to be charged.
Singh said he was embarrassed and upset by the matter. "I think if we don't have police around here to help us we have to help ourselves, that's what I did."
The 40-year-old said he found a drunken youth in a hoodie trying to get into his shop on Tuesday night.
Singh said that he fought with one of the youths while his nephew called 111.
He was stabbed in his upper left thigh and needed stitches.
His 19-year-old nephew received a stab wound to the hand. Singh says he will fight the charges and has the support of the community.
