Stab victims left with life-changing injuries

Three people who were stabbed in a frenzied assault inside a Cambridge restaurant suffered life-changing – and possibly career-ending – injuries in the attack.

Emma Nelson, 31, pleaded guilty to charges including wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, when she appeared via audio-visual link in the Hamilton District Court yesterday.

Judge Keith de Ridder convicted Nelson on the charges and remanded her in ongoing custody until November 15 for sentencing.

Although Nelson goes by the name Emma and is known to identify as a woman, she is named on police charging documents as Matthew Richard Nelson.

According to an initial police summary of facts released to media soon after Nelson’s arrest, she entered the restaurant through a rear entrance about 8.35pm on May 4 this year.

Inside, two of the victims – a man and a woman – were standing in the kitchen with their backs to the back door.

As the summary states, the accused entered the kitchen, with one arm raised and, holding a knife in their clenched fist, approached the man ‘‘in a quick and aggressive manner’’ before stabbing him in the left shoulder in a downwards motion.

A customer was in the restaurant at the time and attempted to intervene in the fracas – but was then stabbed in the right side of his abdomen. He lost about a litre of blood as a result.

The injuries to the female victim – now known to be Nelson’s former partner – were severe. They included a laceration to the left side of her face and a stab wound to her upper left back which, as a result, punctured her right lung causing it to collapse and blood to flow into her chest cavity.

In spite of her injuries, she ran out the front doors of the restaurant and across the road to the BP service station to get help.

Meanwhile, Nelson walked out of the restaurant holding a chair, which was then allegedly thrown at the front windows of the business, causing them to smash.

The impact on the victims was profound.

The man who owned the restaurant and was stabbed first was in hospital for four days. He can no longer lift heavy pots and his business had to be closed for three days because it was a crime scene.

In a statement for the court, he said about $3000 worth of food went bad and that he lost about $15,000 worth of earnings. His staff were afraid to go to work. He was having trouble sleeping and he was over-anxious and seeking counselling.

The female victim was having ongoing problems with pain when breathing, coughing and crying.

The final victim was a farmer and was having dinner with a friend at the restaurant when the attack happened. He was in hospital for five days, and was left with a scar from the middle of his chest to just above his pubic area.

He had not been able to work properly since, and cannot bend over or walk or drive for long periods of time.

After being arrested, Nelson declined to be interviewed by the police, however the summary records that while being forensically swabbed by a doctor in the presence of a police detective, she stated: ‘‘This is a bit excessive for only stabbing three people’’.

Stuff requested access to the agreed summary of facts which Nelson pled guilty to, however this was declined by Judge de Ridder.