A Nepalese curry chef will spend at least 17 years in jail after he fatally stabbed a drunken customer up to 17 times at his restaurant after he asked for spicy food.
Pakistan-born Abdullah Siddiqi was killed by chef Hari Dhakal, 50, on October 25, 2016 at Ballarat Curry House, Victoria.
Appearing in the Victorian Supreme Court on Thursday, the court heard Mr Siddiqi, 38, was the only customer and had a bottle of Jim Beam to drink with his food.
After finishing his meal he approached the waitress asking for more ‘spicy food’.
Hari Dhakal (pictured) confessed to the killing of a drunk customer at Ballarat Curry House
Pakistan-born Abdullah Siddiqi (pictured) was stabbed 17 times by chef Hari Dhakal on October 25, 2016
Dhakal told Mr Siddiqi he was too intoxicated which led to him becoming abusive and swearing at him in his language calling him a ‘f**cking motherf**cker.’
‘You’re a sister f**ker, you are a chef, you’re nothing, you’re cooking here, do you know who I am?’
The 50-year-old chef then went back into the kitchen and grabbed a knife and stabbed Mr Siddiqi 17 times in the head, neck and arms.
Dhakal wrapped the knife in a cloth and walked to the police station where he confessed to killing Mr Siddiqi.
In the recorded confession, Dhakal’s hands were covered to preserve the evidence and he said he wanted to kill Mr Siddiqi.
‘I just killed him. I did want to kill him, I did it,’ he told officers.
‘I saw in the movie like that, hitting, and I just hit it like that… I just killed him.’
Dhakal wrapped the knife in a cloth (pictured) and walked to the police station where he confessed to killing Mr Siddiqi
Ballarat Curry House (pictured left and right) where Dhakal stabbed Mr Siddiqi 17 times
Dhakal also alleged that Mr Siddiqi had threatened to kill him.
He was charged but pleaded not guilty on the grounds of self-defence but the jury convicted Dhakal to 23 years’ jail. He will serve a mininum of 17 years.
Justice Lex Lasry told Dhakal: ‘You were sober and he was intoxicated… you should have realised… that the threat from him was totally out of proportion.’
‘You were entitled to be offended by what he said and you were entitled to resist his somewhat clumsy pushing. However, your actions in stabbing him to death went far beyond anything that had been done to you.’
Justice Lasry accepted Dhakal’s remorse and that he suffered anxiety because, being Brahmin (the highest Hindu caste), his actions would not be condoned.
‘This is one of those rare cases where despite your plea of not guilty … I accept you are remorseful,’ he said.
‘It occurred spontaneously and in response to significant provocation from the deceased.’
Having already served 584 days in custody, Dhakal could be released in a little more than 15 years.
Dhakal, arrived in Australia on a business visa in 2000 and applied for asylum in 2003, which failed.
He was in Australia illegally for 13 years before the killing and could be deported after his release.
Justice Lex Lasry sentenced Dhakal to 23 years’ jail, with a minimum of 17 years on Thursday