13 May 2022

Name suppression gone for accused in Cambridge restaurant triple stabbing

2:38 pm on 13 May 2022

By Natalie Akoorie, Open Justice reporter of NZ Herald

The person accused of a triple stabbing at a Cambridge restaurant that left two people in critical condition has been named.

Hamilton District Court Photo:

Police charged Cambridge resident Matthew Richard Nelson over the incident at Sahara India restaurant in Leamington last Wednesday night.

But when the 31-year-old appeared at the Hamilton District Court the following day she identified as a woman and went by the name Emma Nelson.

She had interim name suppression which lapsed yesterday.

Nelson is facing three charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one charge of wilful damage.

The charges stem from the 8.35pm incident in which two workers and a customer suffered stab wounds.

One of the victims is Nelson's ex-partner.

Court documents allege Nelson entered the restaurant through a rear door and stabbed a man and woman who were working in the kitchen.

A customer who tried to intervene also suffered knife wounds, the police summary said.

Nelson was charged with willful damage after she allegedly walked out of the restaurant and threw a chair at the front windows, smashing them.

Nelson has not entered a plea yet. She is due back in court next week.

* This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.

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